tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51887483094337806952024-02-21T17:56:56.128-07:00See Ya When We Get There!Debbie, Duane, Bo and Laska and Bailey On The Road AgainDebbie, Duane, Bo, Laska and Baileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06374229341345414939noreply@blogger.comBlogger136125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5188748309433780695.post-36459922000636945642016-10-05T13:19:00.000-07:002016-10-05T16:26:12.688-07:00Canada - Banff and Yoho National Parks then HomeBonjour!<br />
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We have loved our Canadian experiences so we're excited to share more with you. After leaving Jasper we drove south to Banff National Park. There is no geographic separation between the two parks so if there wasn't any signage you might not know the difference. However, they both have a delicious bounty of sites to behold. A bit over the top don't you think? Regardless, let me get started. As I gather my thoughts I've concluded that, in some areas, it's going to make sense to cluster some observations about our activities. For example: lakes. There's the most famous Louise<br />
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but there's also Minnewanka,<br />
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Moraine,<br />
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Emerald (Yoho National Park)<br />
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and oodles more. On different days we went to different lakes. They're all similar but different. Different sizes, different mountains and different lighting depending on the time of day. They'e all uniquely beautiful! So what can I tell you. We spent days visiting lakes. The drives there were beautiful.<br />
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The hikes or promenades were pleasant and the aura was always peaceful.<br />
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Lake Louise also includes the village of Lake Louise whose prominent feature, in addition to the lake, is the Fairmount Chateau Hotel.<br />
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Travel book guidance says that if you're not in the village by 10 am you won't find a parking spot. We got there late afternoon and parked easily. Ah, the beauty of traveling in the shoulder season. <br />
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Getting to Emerald Lake in Yoho National Park (also adjacent to Banff and Jasper) requires a trip dedicated to specifically getting to that location. Once again I hear myself saying "time well spent". Our trip to Yoho included a jaunt to Emerald Lake as well as a stop at Takakkaw Falls which is among Canada's tallest waterfalls.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just a cute little fellow standing at attention</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Magpies greeted us throughout our trip</td></tr>
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There was even the little roadside attraction called Natural Bridge. Here "the river is again carving a canyon into bedrock". More rushing water, beastly rocks and waterfalls.<br />
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Apparently we never tire of these features so we assume you love them as much as we do.<br />
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We also stopped at a most unique "attraction", the Spiral Tunnel.<br />
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It's a bit hard to describe without you actually seeing it but here goes. The Transcontinental Railroad was completed in 1886. This particular portion of the track was way too steep resulting in multiple train wrecks. So 25 years later, in order to lessen the grade, engineers built a pair of tunnels with a spiral route, out of site, within the mountain. From the scenic look out you can see the train exiting one portion of the mountain, while at a higher elevation the same train is entering the mountain. I doubt all this jabbering clearly paints a clear picture so I guess you'll just have to trust me when I say it was way cool. In a brief period of maybe 20 minutes two separate trains happened along thus illustrating the design. Phew! I'll stop.<br />
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Another worthwhile destination in the Banff area is Johnston Canyon. This is another one of those deeply carved canyons with a rushing river, great rock formations waterfalls and a terrific catwalk that is built deep in the canyon, rather than over the canyon. Very nice!<br />
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You can have great fun without leaving the town of Banff. It's a wonderfully picturesque town worthy of endless strolling.<br />
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It has the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel.<br />
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Lets say opulent and open to tourists who want to stroll through like we own the place.<br />
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There's the Bow River running through the heart of town complete with a worthy waterfall.<br />
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Banff is also the birthplace of the Canadian National Park system. This would be the Cave and Basin National Historic Site. The hot springs and cave are not all that impressive but folks enjoy the historical significance of the location.<br />
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The site includes lots of historical stuff to view and read as well as some very pleasant trails. Debbie and I hiked one into Sundance Canyon that is on the backside of the historical site. It was 4-5 miles. The first half on an easy paved path along the river, the rest through a wooded canyon.<br />
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I'm breezing through the details because the highlight of our hike was our new found hiking partners. As we entered the canyon 3 ladies, that we later learned are from Germany, greeted us and suggested that maybe we should all hike together. The concern was bears. We mutually enjoyed some great laughs and hiked on. Eva, Marie Rose and Inga were all wonderful hiking companions. So the hike was nice, the conversation substantive but the camaraderie was the best.<br />
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Later we received an email from them highlighting the fact that on a later outing they did encounter a GRIZZLY bear.....from the safety of their vehicle. We will fondly recall our German friends and maybe even stay in touch.<br />
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Our campsite in Banff National Park was very nice. Again, still, and as always, beautiful mountain views, elk bugling in the distance (it's mating season and they do get excited) and a glorious full moon.<br />
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We had a fully satisfying week in Banff but it's now time to leave Canada and return to the states. Our country is the greatest and it's always nice to go home but we could not ask for more wonderful neighbors to the north!<br />
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First stop USA is Whitefish, Montana. Cute little town. Great scenery and an easy one hour or less drive to Glacier National Park. After getting settled we enjoy a nice Chinese dinner. Nothing fancy but we don't feel like we get good Chinese back home so we've often chosen Chinese on the road. Not that this is important but earlier in our current blogging we spoke of seldom eating out. Well, we have been steadily backsliding in that arena and I expect the scales will scream the truth. Now you know. I told you it wasn't important.<br />
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Day two we head for Glacier to drive the Going to the Sun road. One word: tricky road and breath taking scenery! Oops, I apparently got narratively wound up, that's more than one word. The destination for the day is Logan Pass. We did the hike to Hidden Lake Overlook. It was cold with a little rain, a little snow, some fog or low clouds and we couldn't have had a better day.<br />
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We are blessed blessed blessed!<br />
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Then we move on to Missoula, Montana. These stops have to do with breaking up the drive as we head home but Missoula has a hidden treat that we particularly enjoy. HuHots! It's a mongolian grill. We LOVE it! We were in Missoula two nights and, yes, both days we had dinner at HuHots. Please refer to the above paragraph regarding eating out. Missoula is an easy town to walk with a really great system of rails to trails adjacent to the Clark Fork River which runs through town.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I picked up this cute pianist at a piano along the walkway</td></tr>
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Maybe more importantly, an hour north of town is the National Bison Range, a National Wildlife Refuge established in 1908 (thank you Teddy) to provide a sanctuary for the American bison. It's 18,500 acres of rolling mountains, open grass lands and Big Sky.<br />
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Commentary: As we left Canada we drove south on highway 93. Now the truth is I often don't know what road we're on or maybe even where we're at (don't act surprised Bill). We live by GPS so it's easy for me to just blindly follow along.. But 93 is conceivably the most enjoyable route we're ever driven. We were on it through Montana, Idaho and on into Nevada. The scenery just never stops giving. I'm certain Debbie grew tired of me rattling on about how beautiful but that's just her good fortune. I'm telling you folks, Big Sky is not just limited to Montana and is a chilling concept! Thank you.<br />
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Back to the refuge. We drove there mid afternoon and stayed until dark. It is a wildlife bonanza. I've given you the lay of the land so please just sit back and enjoy the pictures.<br />
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We continue south, next stop Arco, Idaho. Just a layover. We often stay someplace two days because we have the luxury of time coupled with it's a nice break from driving. Two attractions there. One, Craters of the Moon National Monument. Lots of lava. We've been to Hawaii, seen lots of lava, but lots of lava in Idaho is fairly unique.<br />
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Nice outing.<br />
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The other attraction is the little campground we stayed at has an even littler restaurant that serves killer ribs and smoked, not baked potatoes. You know, "to die for". Please refer to blah blah blah above.<br />
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I'm going to pick up the pace now. 24 September we stayed in a weed choked parking lot at a casino in Ely, Nevada. It broke up the drive and was cheap. Yep, lost $25 in the casino. Their plan worked.<br />
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By the time you read this we'll be home but right now we're in Las Vegas. Again we're staying at Nellis AFB. I've made more dumb decisions in life then smart decisions but 21 years of military service spread between the USAF and the SC Air National Guard was one of my better decisions. We'll be in LV 5 nights, 4 nights we'll go to shows. We also had the great pleasure of meeting up with Dave and Marilyn from our Quail Creek neighborhood for dinner. Debbie is still sorry for spilling a cold, full glass of water in Dave's lap! 30 September we drive to Casa Grande, Arizona then home 1 October.<br />
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So here's the wrap up. We have a small comfortable home in a very nice community, enjoy great activities and have wonderful friends. It's always nice to go home but the truth is we'd rather stay on the road then go home. The trip has been nothing less then wonderful, maybe perfect! We vacationed for 4 1/2 months, visited places we'd never been to before, saw so many truly wonderful sites, met lots of very nice people and enjoyed each other 24/7! Did we have less than pleasant moments? Absolutely! But day after day we smiled, laughed, hugged, enjoyed our dogs, and marveled at our good fortune! The only thing that went wrong is that we bought a squeeze bottle of relish that in no way squeezes out relish. Leading up to our departure back in May I often heard myself say (I do listen) that I didn't need to depart for the summer, this is all about Debbie. Well, thank you Debbie.<br />
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Hopefully you have at least mildly enjoyed our journey. Thank you for being with us.<br />
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<br />
Duane <br />
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Debbie, Duane, Bo, Laska and Baileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06374229341345414939noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5188748309433780695.post-14797948595212479742016-09-28T08:41:00.001-07:002016-09-28T08:41:12.835-07:00Canada - Jasper National ParkHi there, eh<br />
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September 1 we leave the states and enter Canada. The border crossing went very smoothly. It's not like we're entering a hostile country, quite the contrary, but there are issues like what food can you carry across, firearms, how much dog food do you have, alcohol and are your shots current. That also would be the dogs. The border dude was very pleasant, asked a few questions, no pistol whipping and sent us on our way.<br />
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Our first stop is Clearwater, British Columbia. This is primarily a layover for us waiting to get into Jasper National Park. Back in February my travel agent wasn't able to promptly get us a reservation. It is Labor Day weekend but still, good help is hard to find. The campground was fair. Far too many noisy campers for this crabby old man but it was situated on a nice lake. Cold and rainy sums up the weather.<br />
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A local highlight is Wells Gray Provincial Park which was just a few miles away. Zillions (1.4 million) of forested acres and robust rivers that produce some crashing waterfalls. The falls are accessible via some muddy trails. I guess they're not muddy if it's not raining. Duh! We were prepared for the rain so the short hikes were fun. Pictures often fail to accurately depict a natural beauty. This will be true here so you'll just have to buy into my "picturesque" narrative. We saw three different waterfalls. Each caused us to pause followed by the mandatory "oh my gosh". Maybe what made these falls so spectacular was the volume of water. A lacy trickle can be pretty but these suckers were pouring 100's of tons of water. Two raged from sharply carved gorges dropping dramatically. They roared!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Helmcken Falls</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spahats Falls</td></tr>
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The third is something close to a small Niagara. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dawson Falls</td></tr>
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All very impressive. So next time you're on your way to Jasper National Park set aside a day or two for Wells Gray Provincial Park.<br />
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September 4 we drive on to Jasper National Park. You have now entered a wonderland of mountainous beauty. We had the terrific pleasure of spending a week here. You just never tire of the stunning scenery. It's enormous. Maybe awe inspiring is appropriate. It continually changes with the time of day, lighting and snow accumulation on the peaks. Our weather was not the best, a bit cloudy, rainy and something close to cold but we were not deterred.<br />
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Our first Jasper outing was an easy drive to Maligne Lake. This is the largest glacier fed lake in Canada, the second largest in the world.<br />
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The glacier water departing the lake produces the Maligne River. As this sparkling river races downhill it deeply carves the limestone bedrock creating Maligne Canyon. The canyon is up to 50 meters (165 feet) deep (pay attention there may be a quiz) and narrow enough at some places for the squirrels to jump across. Some of the more unique rock formations are caused by spinning pebbles, that, after a million or two years creates perfectly symmetrical holes or hollowed out portions of the canyon wall. All of this is easily observed via a gentle trail and a series of 6 bridges spanning the canyon. Starting from the top of the canyon the first 4 are within about a half mile area and provide views of some of the best that the canyon has to offer. We did this one afternoon but returned another day and hiked the entire 4.5 mile route to see all six bridges and far fewer people. Very cool.<br />
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Now, if all this is not rewarding enough, as we leave the canyon area day one we stumble upon what was truly a spectacular rainbow. Stunningly beautiful. Yes, we're convinced we have, in fact, found that pot of gold.<br />
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Labor Day we made our way to Mount Edith Cavell, 11,033 feet tall and you can stand at the base looking up. The truth is we went there two different days trying to get a full view of what is described as the "most distinctive and impressive in the park". The weather never fully cooperated but it was still way cool. It's not just the peak but the glaciers, glacier lake, waterfall and the adjacent beauty that justifies multiple visits.<br />
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On another day, it's really not important which day, we spent much of a day driving the Icefields Parkway that runs through the southern portion of Jasper National Park.<br />
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The ultimate destination is the Columbia Icefield. Even if there wasn't an icefield the drive would be time very well spent. "Nothing special", just more endlessly beautiful scenery. An hour or more at the Icefield Centre is also worth while. The icefields (glaciers) are right there.<br />
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For something like $80 a head you can ride a bus over to the glacier then board some form of super duper, lets call it a monstrous atv and ride onto the glacier. We passed which might have been our loss but we're content.<br />
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Almost immediately upon leaving the area, we enjoyed our first Canada wildlife sighting - a mountain goat high on the cliffs.<br />
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On the way north, heading home, we stopped at Sunwapta Falls. Now here's the deal. I hear myself saying things like one never tires of hummingbirds, deer and now let's add waterfalls. Canada does waterfalls better then most. My scientific observation is that they often include enormous quantities of water. They rarely seem to be a trickle, they're a daggone deluge. Great energy. What a delight.<br />
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September 9 we take a gondola ride up The Whistlers, a mountain just outside of Jasper with a summit of 8100 feet. The ride, 3280 feet up the face of the mountain was pleasant. But the fun is just beginning.<br />
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Once you get off the gondola there's a wooden boardwalk that launches you further up the mountain.<br />
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This route quickly becomes a very steep, slippery earthen trail that continues up the mountain. After a "summit" or two you really do reach the real summit.<br />
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I feel safe in saying that I'm at least a fair hiker. Nothing world class or death defying but at least capable. So I'm hear to tell you that the trail was truly one steep, slippery humdinger. If you fell you wouldn't die but you might roll some and at least get more muddy then you'd prefer. I had to watch my footing carefully as did Debbie who is particularly uncomfortable with these conditions. Up, and more so down, was challenging. The length of the entire trail might have only been maybe a mile. But the effort was a reasonable investment with a substantial return. How's that? The views were maybe some of the best we've seen on our trip. We stayed on top for a couple hours. As time passed the clouds and sun changed continuously giving us a kaleidoscope of views. Forgive me, I'm on a roll. Seriously, it was a great great experience.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Overlooking downtown Jasper</td></tr>
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Our campsite in Jasper National Park was quite nice. Nothing fancy, the roads needed some work but the sites were spaciously wooded.<br />
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More importantly, we often had visitors. They just moseyed around like they own the place. In fact, they acted like we were the intruders. We'd look out the door and these "folks" would just be hanging out. This darn youth! So we "let" them have their space and everybody minded their own business.<br />
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While in greater Jasper we also spent time riding around (this just landed on my head, lets call it vehicular frolicking) looking at lesser known lakes, mountains too numerous to name, and beautiful scenery with that alpine flavor. Jasper is quite a small town so it was easy to get the lay of the land and on a few occasions we just walked around town. So that was our week. We're already imagining a return trip but for now it's time to move on to Banff.<br />
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See you there! <br />
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Duane<br />
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<br />Debbie, Duane, Bo, Laska and Baileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06374229341345414939noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5188748309433780695.post-26770989785999633462016-09-09T08:27:00.001-07:002016-09-09T08:27:07.445-07:00More From WashingtonHowdy Howdy Howdy!<br />
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No we have not fallen off the face of the earth. It seems like much time has passed since our last blogging episode. It's currently 8 September and I'm going to try to recall our activities dating back to 4 August. Given the age of my feeble old brain this may be a challenge but I know that you're breathlessly awaiting an update so lets roll.<br />
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We left the area of Mt. St. Helens (glorious) and moved on to Port Angeles, Washington. Hovering over this location is the magnificent Olympic National Park. Looking to the north there is the entrance to Puget Sound with Canada beyond and everything to the south includes the beautiful peaks and dramatic ranges of the Olympic Mountains. Just being in the shadow of the mountains is mighty nice but a drive to Hurricane Ridge is time extremely well spent. We spent several hours there oohing and aahing as well as doing some short hikes. Lets skip my rattling, enjoy the pictures.<br />
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Another must do activity of the area is to hike the Dungeness Spit which is the primary focal point of the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge.<br />
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The hike is 11 miles round trip, 0 elevation gain. It takes you nearly to the end of the spit. The rest is off limits to us humanoids. The spit is "one of the world's longest natural sand spits". The hike is a peaceful, soothing event with no distractions other than the gentle surf. At the end of the hike you arrive at a lighthouse station dating back to the mid 1850's. All very very nice. <br />
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Another outing included a nice drive west along the Strait of Juan de Fuca out to Cape Flattery. The cape is located within an Indian community (a little weather worn) but the cape itself is quite nice. In all fairness, we enjoyed numerous locations of similar beauty along the Oregon coast but, nonetheless, it was a worthwhile trip.<br />
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One evening we spent a few hours just moseying around town. They have a very nice, recently renovated waterfront walk. Great paths, elevated viewpoint towers, lots of historical markers bringing you up to speed on the local history and a restored estuary.<br />
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We did top it off with a DQ treat. LIG!<br />
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The last outing for the Port Angeles area was another western drive to Marymere Falls and Lake Crescent Lodge followed by a brief stop at Sol Duc Hot Springs.<br />
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We did a 2 hour hike (rt) to the Falls. Lovely wooded trail with a nice waterfall.<br />
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Further down the trail we arrived at the Lake Crescent Lodge.<br />
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The hot springs glaringly resembles a cluster of public swimming pools. <br />
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I'm sure a pleasant experience but not a notably scenic attraction.<br />
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Upon reviewing what I've written I seem to be grumbling a little but really I'm just trying to be accurate. There was nothing regrettable about our time in Port Angeles. Enough said. <br />
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A large part of what we did for the rest of the month was visiting people. My daughter and her wife live in Burien and we have several snowbird friends from Green Valley that live in greater Seattle. Hello Ken and Theresa! Hello Beth and Dennis! We spent 10 days at Camp Murray near Lakewood, Washington. It's an Army National Guard Base or is it Fort? Our site was immediately adjacent to a lake and there were endless trails for people and dog walking. Many different days we were back and forth to visit with Aubree and Elizabeth. They recently bought a home. My goal was to complete some handyman projects for them. I may have done some good but with one major setback. While hanging a cabinet I managed to drive a lag bolt into a wire. It's an older home with an addition so I'd like to point out that normally the wire shouldn't have been where it was. But it was! Do they really need power in the kitchen, bath and guest room? I suppose. I felt like I knew how to make the repair but Debbie was adamant that I hire an electrician. I don't have a great history with electricity. The guy did a fine job but I must say the cost was about 4 times what I paid for an electrician to come to our Green Valley home. I guess that's Seattle. Also during this visit we celebrated Aubree's 32nd birthday. It was luau themed with some truly delightful vegan treats. Happy Birthday Aubree!<br />
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The Northwest certainly has some great mountains and that little bump called Mt. Rainier is no exception. They have wildflowers, waterfalls and wildlife as well as a supreme mountain. I must stop babbling.....see pictures.<br />
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We also spent a nice afternoon at Defiance Park. It's a wonderful peninsula, formally a military location, at the NW tip of Tacoma. Nice views of Puget Sound, gentle walking trails and the most beautiful display of Dahlia's we've ever seen..<br />
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Oh, and this little fellow hanging out by the side of the road.<br />
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Maybe the most unique activity of our stay in the area was an evening with Aubree and Elizabeth at Marymoor Park in Redmond. The event was an outdoor concert with The Phases, Pickwick and the headliner, Fitz and the Tantrums. I think I hear your shouts of approval! In all honesty I can't tell you that Debbie and I were in anyway familiar with these folks but it was a great evening! I'd say the music is in the Pop, Indie genre It's all very high energy and it was great fun getting into it with a few thousand others. Maybe not surprisingly, we were in no way the only white haired (that does actually include Debbie) folks there. It was quite the eclectic crowd, all very well behaved. I repeat, great fun!<br />
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As we leave greater Seatle, I must point out that there is one horrendous downside to the area. One word: TRAFFIC!!! I don't care what time of day. 5-6 lanes, going like crazy. I do prefer something a good bit more laid back.<br />
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So we leave southern Seattle and go to the north side for a week in Oak Harbor at the Whidbey Island Naval Air Station. We have the good fortune of military privileges and their campgrounds are normally very nice. This one is in the stellar category. The campground got a 4 million dollar face lift in 2011. Everything about the campground is pristine. Our site was within 100 yards of the water of Puget Sound with the San Juan Islands in the distance and gorgeous sunsets.<br />
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We could have gone nowhere and had a delightful time but there are local attractions, and friends, to see. Hello Lee and Belinda! So good to see you again! Loved hearing all about your Alaskan adventure.<br />
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One of the great local attractions is Deception Pass, Washington's most visited state park. Deception Pass and an impressively high bridge connect Western Washington's mainland with Whidbey and Fidalgo Islands. You can walk across this bridge and enjoy incredible views. Very cool. Picture time.<br />
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We also went whale watching from Anacortes. A little more than 4 hours on a sizable boat. We think boat outings are always satisfying. Mostly it was an hour or more out to larger water, then an hour or more watching a couple Humpback whales regularly showing off, (you'll have to mostly trust us on that one, they were a little too fast for the photographer) and an hour or more ride back to port. All very nice.<br />
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Before I go lets have a Nat Geo moment. One lazy afternoon, while at our Whidbey Island campsite we had the "pleasure" of watching a Bald Eagle enjoy lunch in a nearby tree. More accurately we watched him spend significant time just tearing the hell out of another bird that, I guess, he then consumed. Feathers were falling like snowflakes. A bit morbid but a boy's gotta eat.<br />
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Now it's on to Bellingham. We have friends there who had mutual friends visiting so we became a gaggle of friends. Hello Tom and Fannie! Hello Tommy and Craig! We did some eating out, a little hiking at Whatcom Falls Park,<br />
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a tour of the Boeing Plant at Everett (no cameras allowed on the actual tour)<br />
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and a lot of yakking. Wonderful to have wonderful friends.<br />
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It's now the end end of August and we're leaving the states for a couple weeks in Canada. Seems like a good place to stop.<br />
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Thanks for listening!<br />
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Duane Debbie, Duane, Bo, Laska and Baileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06374229341345414939noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5188748309433780695.post-84712538540103328902016-08-20T12:46:00.001-07:002016-08-20T12:46:49.396-07:00Gorge and MountainsJuly 28 we leave the Astoria area and get on over to the east side of Portland to spend 4 nights at Ainsworth State Park located in the Columbia River Gorge. It seems to me that the Columbia River dominates this area like an ocean dominates the coast. The enormity, strength and impact simply can't be denied. Ainsworth State Park is located on old Historic Highway 30 which is designated as a Scenic Highway. Within just a few miles of Ainsworth are 7 highly notable waterfalls. They range in height from approximately 100 feet to 620 feet. Any one of these, by themselves, would make a worthy destination. Seven is the mother lode! The six pictured below are easily accessible.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4OlHYT4Fz1iUHKS_IE6NqS4bCHDjQCE-uclOSFbt0KR6AQdx3QvfxKwnIeVMZJtyLmQJ6CsADfAG7eHJ8b2PFAAGEvaSxCRcXH2spH4aU7Ti5J_F3g5D-cJiuA8Hi38ZZb8Ojcc38Mes/s1600/IMG_7052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4OlHYT4Fz1iUHKS_IE6NqS4bCHDjQCE-uclOSFbt0KR6AQdx3QvfxKwnIeVMZJtyLmQJ6CsADfAG7eHJ8b2PFAAGEvaSxCRcXH2spH4aU7Ti5J_F3g5D-cJiuA8Hi38ZZb8Ojcc38Mes/s400/IMG_7052.JPG" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Probably the most famous, Multnomah Falls (620 ft)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3i6W31Te2bPVpxNkPXvsQNBQmN9zd6k5VLXQqq18Otr0sUeDF6vk9HaW4-bbtmR8F0UkuA7pn0VhFdokKQGepdXCi55K2OUJbSEZAgVKWGo5SaDbHLL8ot3WQA1J2tOW6Bnu78Gls0nc/s1600/IMG_7059.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3i6W31Te2bPVpxNkPXvsQNBQmN9zd6k5VLXQqq18Otr0sUeDF6vk9HaW4-bbtmR8F0UkuA7pn0VhFdokKQGepdXCi55K2OUJbSEZAgVKWGo5SaDbHLL8ot3WQA1J2tOW6Bnu78Gls0nc/s400/IMG_7059.JPG" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wahkeena Falls (242 ft)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAL9uEQqK4G16dzPXn4GIg01yubxeGKaqruR-fSoCSc2wVWmATP0WtTp8cwHx-dcKHs3FKwdZAIAwa3ktOiirgWhr9uiUqLnKdxUEvARepRGZeVoFGGLLWtMed9xQeDCezHdiKicjeuSc/s1600/IMG_7062-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAL9uEQqK4G16dzPXn4GIg01yubxeGKaqruR-fSoCSc2wVWmATP0WtTp8cwHx-dcKHs3FKwdZAIAwa3ktOiirgWhr9uiUqLnKdxUEvARepRGZeVoFGGLLWtMed9xQeDCezHdiKicjeuSc/s400/IMG_7062-001.JPG" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bridal Veil Falls (100-160 ft)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqykNvvgehcsiaH2urBfmDuzrGpasI7jXSsYGfNRUX3Zjk1wb4beegUjUx5IRHTFUigJheJ-fAogCWtb15Viq0zkiVzJQZw62aM9JsxBoJANaA77o3wMaw8nTmM3KJaj-n7US_YrgkT_A/s1600/IMG_7146.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqykNvvgehcsiaH2urBfmDuzrGpasI7jXSsYGfNRUX3Zjk1wb4beegUjUx5IRHTFUigJheJ-fAogCWtb15Viq0zkiVzJQZw62aM9JsxBoJANaA77o3wMaw8nTmM3KJaj-n7US_YrgkT_A/s320/IMG_7146.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Latourell Falls (250 ft)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm0qm7wAAU2Xf098yX3pphDQc4eHkOoGSzg6Y4VSEsoBfe2Exnl8xKc9jSyTr0xg3dBTU_it01rWvvQhMRm8qYcPwIUVQc3kctjYnUi6_qMHy_u3ftMJEpbwKxteiUZDsl_XQhnc1jBrg/s1600/IMG_7151-002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm0qm7wAAU2Xf098yX3pphDQc4eHkOoGSzg6Y4VSEsoBfe2Exnl8xKc9jSyTr0xg3dBTU_it01rWvvQhMRm8qYcPwIUVQc3kctjYnUi6_qMHy_u3ftMJEpbwKxteiUZDsl_XQhnc1jBrg/s400/IMG_7151-002.JPG" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Horsetail Falls (160 ft)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoFF2oApOhyphenhyphen5sN2rhiCClCmJqUAbN1KnWg5IosOjpcSF7NYJKc_EL7EgfV8xowP9BVt9clZzd3DEdr4pilLFvBO0eEcDgyGmgkf_gxu2Sk2g5exnjoAwPowk8oWsNeRn2cVFa9lTCZ8Ws/s1600/IMG_7159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoFF2oApOhyphenhyphen5sN2rhiCClCmJqUAbN1KnWg5IosOjpcSF7NYJKc_EL7EgfV8xowP9BVt9clZzd3DEdr4pilLFvBO0eEcDgyGmgkf_gxu2Sk2g5exnjoAwPowk8oWsNeRn2cVFa9lTCZ8Ws/s320/IMG_7159.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Etowah Falls (220 ft)</td></tr>
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The road to these waterfalls (Historic Rt 30) is a bit of a challenge. Debbie's research told us that under no circumstances should we be on the road with the camper. We are soooo grateful for that bit of info. We stayed on Highway 84 to get to the campground. Later we were on Hwy 30 stopped in traffic. It seemed so narrow I had my electric powered mirrors folded in. Just to test the space I attempted to fold the mirrors out and they would not extend all the way without hitting a 10 foot retaining wall on the passenger's side. That's mighty narrow!<br />
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Also in the immediate area is the Bonneville Lock and Dam as well as fish hatcheries and a pretty unique road house, The Vista House.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsV2V3pGJtzIF2YqJPv8KV0e09M8WfUYuKf584JmsQDGTTTb3283L5UIU3AQeAzf0PlmCg5mD4XTaVLpVeERVr1wgbnhuu474_ZyFWsxvGEHxsFYfIuf7DCHSsDq84sNLVIfud_WUgWJ4/s1600/IMG_7121.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsV2V3pGJtzIF2YqJPv8KV0e09M8WfUYuKf584JmsQDGTTTb3283L5UIU3AQeAzf0PlmCg5mD4XTaVLpVeERVr1wgbnhuu474_ZyFWsxvGEHxsFYfIuf7DCHSsDq84sNLVIfud_WUgWJ4/s400/IMG_7121.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Vista House sits high atop a cliff overlooking the gorge.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp01ozYd72jp6oj3MazOAm5QL3b7Ka6QgWJyKu4QPIW3DtrahbY6gxaCHf3KvtoMiqDhowhDoW4TBvE08Ojq85tAQe-aHEaoLUkkSrzjH_bRtFk83eiBjhKCxHILBARaYmcQbhLQW5fbo/s1600/IMG_7140.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp01ozYd72jp6oj3MazOAm5QL3b7Ka6QgWJyKu4QPIW3DtrahbY6gxaCHf3KvtoMiqDhowhDoW4TBvE08Ojq85tAQe-aHEaoLUkkSrzjH_bRtFk83eiBjhKCxHILBARaYmcQbhLQW5fbo/s400/IMG_7140.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> In 1917, the Vista House was built to provide travelers with a place to rest and refresh themselves as they made their way down the Gorge <span style="background-color: white; color: #777777; font-family: "open sans"; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"> </span></td></tr>
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Without living in the area before and after the building of the dam there's really no way for the casual visitor to truly imagine the impact of the dam. The taming of the river, power production, fish hatcheries/conservation and the the creation of jobs must have been off the chain (staggering). The fish hatcheries primarily raise salmon. But there are some other creatures there worth mentioning. The have sturgeon. These jokers can be 10 feet long and weigh up to 400 pounds.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyUm0q7rsix7JOa0ki5VMhIb1WYFayX-UNPZCGMDZSq_EvJg8OxdlVuNxkVYRdAVG-CDSNCeMVQCYXJdavVJcyt7fDRozNJwNTBLrXFRW2vdPFirUA5eRftkAvNL4QEtda3N7gk5lMnmw/s1600/IMG_7022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyUm0q7rsix7JOa0ki5VMhIb1WYFayX-UNPZCGMDZSq_EvJg8OxdlVuNxkVYRdAVG-CDSNCeMVQCYXJdavVJcyt7fDRozNJwNTBLrXFRW2vdPFirUA5eRftkAvNL4QEtda3N7gk5lMnmw/s400/IMG_7022.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meet Herman the Sturgeon, 425 pounds and around 70 yrs old</td></tr>
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Then there are the Lamprey Mouth fish. These suckers, and they are sure enough suckers, are like prehistoric ugly. They're long snake like fellows with this grisly round mouth that attaches itself to other fish and over time suck the fluids out of the host fish until death. Too nasty! <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">YUCK!</td></tr>
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About 70 miles from Ainsworth is Mt Hood. How's this - it's a big mountain! Snow capped and beautiful.<br />
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Our vantage point was the Historic Timberline Lodge .<br />
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Built by the WPA in the 30's, the building, particularly the interior is a masterpiece. The name sums up the style of construction. We've visited many lodges, particularly those in the national parks built by the railroads, but this is wildly impressive. Look at the gigantic timbers and proportionally matching hardware/strapping. <br />
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Way cool.<br />
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So 3 of our 4 days we visited mountains, waterfalls, the dam, hatcheries and the Vista House. One day we left our little haven in the enormous gorge and went to Portland. The plan was to ride a narrated hop on hop off tour bus. We did. We've done this numerous times in other cities. It's always work out well. This experience was HORRIBLE. I won't wear you out with my whining but we felt fully justified in requesting a full $62 refund which they willingly granted. Then we thought we'd just wander around some on our own. We did find our way to the Powell City of Books store which is multi-floored and covers a city block. It claims to be the largest bookstore in the WORLD with approximately one million books. Hard to imagine in our rapidly growing paperless society.<br />
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Other then that small success, we just kind of stumbled around aimlessly. Our urban skills are apparently quite weak. So we eventually found our way on to a city bus and took a ride to Washington Park to enjoy the rose garden.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgReqmk9DyNNgE8J1xNvTfH15Kntc1G-ggA1iKjJIkv2m9BDUkOCKIYgEy6V4OJkoRFVsBO-TDR-rsq2SRlMlnEKdZcdURKRx_7bYY_mDmsmBtTziAEsP40AqmWUgY6iIUDmkkjMCvNwfo/s1600/IMG_7104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgReqmk9DyNNgE8J1xNvTfH15Kntc1G-ggA1iKjJIkv2m9BDUkOCKIYgEy6V4OJkoRFVsBO-TDR-rsq2SRlMlnEKdZcdURKRx_7bYY_mDmsmBtTziAEsP40AqmWUgY6iIUDmkkjMCvNwfo/s400/IMG_7104.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The rose garden includes more than 10,000 plantings of over 500 varieties</td></tr>
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The day was not as smooth sailing as we would have like but hardly can we complain! <br />
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Finally, we leave Oregon! No, really, we have developed a feverish love affair with the state of Oregon and will look forward to returning. Our first stop in Washington is Silver Lake. We're here to see Mt St. Helens. After visiting 2 fantastic visitor centers, a wonderful learning center, and spending hours gawking I realize there is no way for me to adequately convey the enormity, the power and the destruction caused by the volcano. For example: as the mountain was preparing to blow, the professional predictions were that the blast zone would cover about 25 square miles. It covered about 230 square miles. The power was something equivalent to 400 atomic bombs. 150 foot trees, 17 miles away, were instantly toppled. Downstream from the mountain communities were leveled by mudslides and flooding rivers. The damage was endless. Debbie and I both lived on the east coast 17 May 1980 (the day of the eruption). We both acknowledge that we knew it occurred but didn't have any appreciation for the proportion of the event. My guess is that is not true for people residing in the Northwest at that time. So I'll say no more. We have some pictures.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDj7iXLDjZi2eAzixMqynsQE0J-cEINTNDxtGO34RBD8GN4ahD4a809gFPmAMlIdRpYpGu4nq7B-6bzUTfJITjsDSLRjX-M6kQIohDcZURT-hEaVg2d10tn6eFpp2C7VPb8LX9rzT2t7Y/s1600/IMG_7190-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDj7iXLDjZi2eAzixMqynsQE0J-cEINTNDxtGO34RBD8GN4ahD4a809gFPmAMlIdRpYpGu4nq7B-6bzUTfJITjsDSLRjX-M6kQIohDcZURT-hEaVg2d10tn6eFpp2C7VPb8LX9rzT2t7Y/s400/IMG_7190-001.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mt. St. Helens before eruption<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mt. St. Helens today</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The hundreds of square miles of forests desstoyed by the eruption have come back </td></tr>
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At the risk of being redundant, I encourage you to visit Mt St. Helens if you have not previously had that opportunity. Class dismissed. <br />
<br />
Duane<br />
<br />Debbie, Duane, Bo, Laska and Baileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06374229341345414939noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5188748309433780695.post-22376024681643748582016-08-07T16:51:00.000-07:002016-08-20T11:11:36.377-07:00More Oregon CoastJuly 11 through July 20 were action packed. We cruised the coast and sampled some cheese. The End! That really does sum up that period of time but I'll try to add some details.<br />
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So we we left Umpqua Lighthouse State Park and moved on to Devils Lake State Recreation Area in Lincoln City, Oregon. For the next week we just kinda ambled up and down the coast. Going south, one of the highlights, was the Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area. (thank you Keith and Brenda). It <b><i>was</i></b> outstanding! The area includes a lighthouse,<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlxQ0SUe5wOmv81ugXPzLK4EvdG8ob512HGFEae6vcvmadskjq4-Z1x-68VX3-jdCZWXrVtM5sCdMxLUNRVbKbGR2Pc6_q-xvRQuY6blB49PMOx48vIp3rI5SmgWdsf0E6wk7xsYRJaiU/s1600/IMG_6609.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlxQ0SUe5wOmv81ugXPzLK4EvdG8ob512HGFEae6vcvmadskjq4-Z1x-68VX3-jdCZWXrVtM5sCdMxLUNRVbKbGR2Pc6_q-xvRQuY6blB49PMOx48vIp3rI5SmgWdsf0E6wk7xsYRJaiU/s400/IMG_6609.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At 93 feet, this is the tallest lighthouse in Oregon</td></tr>
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harbor seals,<br />
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many birds,<br />
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beautiful coast with lots of lava (it's not hot anymore),<br />
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and colorful tide pools.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Giant green anemones</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitLfnysMWYj26rktFo49w_gFitDu02T00nP5luhAa29KJM_Dyl3R2-aqBWklZejwfWAXAWXPTqPfvkPNXVG19l7O9LrA2lrCjYnO3jQBE8nULOizfFOw1FSQsvZ1T5Tt5aONCvtl7fPcE/s1600/IMG_6625+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="332" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitLfnysMWYj26rktFo49w_gFitDu02T00nP5luhAa29KJM_Dyl3R2-aqBWklZejwfWAXAWXPTqPfvkPNXVG19l7O9LrA2lrCjYnO3jQBE8nULOizfFOw1FSQsvZ1T5Tt5aONCvtl7fPcE/s400/IMG_6625+-+Copy.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "verdana" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0072px; line-height: 18.0108px; text-align: left;">Orange sea stars</span></td></tr>
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We spent much of a day roaming the beach areas, taking pictures and driving/walking the park.<br />
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We also enjoyed a joyful morning at a great little harbor town, Depoe Bay. It markets itself as the "Whale Watching Capitol of the Oregon Coast" <b><i>and</i></b> as having "The Smallest Natural Navigable Harbor in the World". Pretty good for a town that only has about 1,400 people. We didn't see any whales there, but as advertised, the harbor was very small.<br />
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What we really enjoyed here was our purchase of a fresh baked Croinut (Croisant-Donut), 3 bags of locally produced caramel corn, and the MOST BEAUTIFUL dinner plate sized apple fritter. We know how to party!<br />
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On another day we did again enjoy a whale, this time at Cape Foulweather.<br />
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Quite the view as well!</div>
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In Lincoln City we went to a sizable farmers market within walking distance of our campground (bought apricots, blueberries and raspberries), cruised a local, volunteer only operated garden and spent an afternoon at an outlet mall (Debbie scored big).<br />
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This last bit will likely only make sense to those people who actually know our dogs. Bailey, our big headed, bighearted, scared of everything girl pulled quite a stunt. One evening we were walking the whole family and our route took us across a nature trail boardwalk, elevated about 3 feet off the ground. No railing. People approached. From Bailey's point of view, ALL unknown people are a threat. So she did what comes natural to her, she simply backed up in a hurry.....right into thin air and off the boardwalk. She wasn't hurt. I jumped off the boardwalk, cradled her until the people past then lifted her back onto the boardwalk. Parenting is so demanding! <br />
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That's a wrap on our week at Devils Lake. We then moved on to Cape Lookout State Park which is just south of Tillamook, Oregon, home of Tillamook Cheese. So we took a self-guided tour of the factory and saw some of the cheese making process.<br />
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That was interesting. And we sampled cheese. I'm sure there's a limit, but it would appear you could eat cheese all day. We didn't but we had our fill. It was good.<br />
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July 19 we visited sights north of Cape Lookout State Park to include a stop at the Cape Meares Scenic Viewpoint and Lighthouse. There we found we'd been duped. More likely we misunderstood. Back at Umpqua we thought we'd seen the only lighthouse with a red and white lens. Not true. The lighthouse at Cape Meares has a similar red and white lens. Earlier we showed you the tallest lighthouse in Oregon. Cape Meares is the shortest. It only stands 38 feet high.<br />
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One day we hiked about 5 miles (rt) to the point of Cape Lookout. The hike included some dramatic drop offs<br />
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and mighty poor footing,<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ1_AaEx0VXGPDuehKvU-4UNZF34uNv5lLYJxB6vE6_z_m8aSQxxzmKY7TU5aSSX8jlUsRjh6FaN3GzWWgpqNmCQlMkliEwldFrVmb0J5EfhAodI1uzNKoZIOV5WJHXCuPX0HQvrTTErg/s1600/IMG_6803+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ1_AaEx0VXGPDuehKvU-4UNZF34uNv5lLYJxB6vE6_z_m8aSQxxzmKY7TU5aSSX8jlUsRjh6FaN3GzWWgpqNmCQlMkliEwldFrVmb0J5EfhAodI1uzNKoZIOV5WJHXCuPX0HQvrTTErg/s400/IMG_6803+-+Copy.JPG" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's the trail????</td></tr>
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but what a fantastic view!<br />
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Another beautiful day.<br />
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Also while at Cape Lookout we'd make the 100 yard hike to the beach each evening to catch the sunset.<br />
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Commentary: We are genuinely considering a modest summer home along the Oregon coast. It may not happen but it might in a few years. So we are steadily assessing weather, real estate, weather, local activities/natural attractions, weather, traffic and yes, weather. Since leaving Umpqua Lighthouse State Park and moving up the coast we have come to recognize that they are FAR more people in these central to northern areas we're visiting. Additionally, these areas seem far more touristy coupled with way too much traffic. I'm guessing much of this congestion has to do with the proximity to Portland. (I'm now an Oregon expert......not) So my point. Even though we're greatly enjoying these areas we are largely ruling them out for home buying considerations.<br />
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July 21 we moved on to Fort Stevens State Park for a week's stay. The place is huge. There are over 500 sites when you combine RV, tents, yurts and cabins. There's hiking trails, bike trails, a sizable lake, lots of military stuff and even a beach with a shipwreck (what's left of it anyway). The "fort" includes two separate fortified locations dating from the Civil War through WII. Fort Stevens was actually shelled by a Japanese sub during WWII. There are plenty of people but it doesn't seem crowded. There's plenty of room for everyone. Speaking of room, hopefully the picture of our site reveals our own private space.<br />
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Fort Stevens is located adjacent to Warrenton, OR. Population is only about 5000. They have a Costco (lets have a Hoorah Tom), Home Depot and a Fred Meyer about the size of Disney World. Go figure! I also got a good haircut there (oh yes and new windshield wiper blades). I know, this is interesting stuff. I'm not very particular about haircuts but I think the last lady that cut my hair graduated from cosmetology school about 20 minutes before I arrived.<br />
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Saturday morning, July 23, we drove to Cannon Beach. It's like we've never traveled. Cannon Beach is a beautiful, high dollar location but I believe nearly every person from Portland was driving into town. WAY TOO MANY PEOPLE and I'm convinced nowhere to park. You think maybe we should have anticipated the weekend crowd? I do! We didn't get out of the truck. We simply drove back to Warrenton and went to Fort Clatsop, which was the 1805 winter home for Lewis and Clark. There's a nice visitor center, an OK replica of their fort (I believe it's the history that's important)<br />
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and some nice walking trails along the Lewis and Clark River.<br />
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Sunday we eventually moseyed into nearby Astoria, OR. This is a lovely waterfront town with a dynamic history related to the fishing, timber and shipping industries. We got there in late afternoon knowing we'd return for another visit. We walked a little then got on a $1 trolley for a 4 mile (rt) narrated ride along the waterfront. So very nice and peaked our interest greatly about Astoria.<br />
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Monday we give the Cannon Beach area another try. Much better. It's the most vacation housing packed area we've been in along the coast but that's not surprising. It is a beautiful setting!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">235 foot Haystack Rock on Cannon Beach</td></tr>
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Another of my profound observations: The northern Oregon beaches include vast amounts of semi-white sandy beaches in marvelous settings. But almost no one is ever any more then ankle deep in the water. It's a smidgen cold.<br />
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South of Cannon is a robust little setting at Hug Point State Recreation Site. Intriguing coastline with deep sea caves, tidepools and drama. Yeah!<br />
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North of Cannon we stop at Ecola State Park. A tricky little drive in but this place is way up on a dramatic bluff with more of those dog gone spectacular views.<br />
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Our final stop that day, was at Seaside, another cute beach town known for its 1.5 mile "Promenade" by the sea,<br />
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and for being the end of the Lewis and Clark Trail.<br />
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Nice day.<br />
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Tuesday we ventured across the massive Columbia River, and it is OMG massive, to Fort Disappointment State Park in Washington. They have a Lewis and Clark interpretive center. So here's the deal. If you entered the interpretive center knowing little about Lewis and Clark, you could depart with an impressively full understanding of their truly death defying expedition!!! I don't know when I've enjoyed a more comprehensive presentation. I won't attempt to walk you thru it (aren't you glad?) but if you have an opportunity and an interest put it on your list of things to see in the PNW.<br />
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July 27 we returned to Astoria specifically to do the Columbia River Maritime Museum. Now I have to one up the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center. This museum was the MOST enjoyable museum I've ever visited. We were there for hours and we shall return. First, it's enormous! It addresses, I believe, <i>everything </i>related to the Columbia River including fishing, canneries, the Coast Guard,<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No we didn't hold the camera crooked. </td></tr>
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navigating the river, harbor pilots, WWII, Father Kino (we're thinking of you Craig!),<br />
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and one of the Oregon coast's obsessions, tsunamis. There were endless static displays but what really brought the whole presentation to life were the many many large monitors with live footage of the respective subject. We even watched (for an additional $5 each) a 3D movie about penguins.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Duane sporting those 3D glasses</td></tr>
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Really a fulfilling experience. We concluded the day with some "world famous" fish and chips made with tuna. Way Yummy!<br />
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Update: I have mentioned the possibility of future RV volunteering. Our last evening at Fort Stevens we decided the Astoria area would be a great location to stay for an extended period of time. So, the next morning before we departed, I located the Volunteer Coordinator for the Fort Stevens State Park and secured us a volunteer job for June and July, 2017. Five nights a week for 4 hours, we will be driving around the campground in a "gator" sort of vehicle selling firewood. We're thinking this is a great deal. Quite frankly, we're going to work hard at augmenting that job with some other volunteer jobs for next summer. We're hopeful!<br />
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OK, I'm done for now. Yes, I realize that was a little more than we ate cheese and cruised the coast.<br />
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Duane <br />
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<br />Debbie, Duane, Bo, Laska and Baileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06374229341345414939noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5188748309433780695.post-89013388864254482802016-07-19T10:41:00.001-07:002016-07-19T10:41:10.514-07:00Bullards Beach State Park and the Oregon Coast<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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From Crater Lake we made our way to Bandon, Oregon to spend a week at Bullards Beach State Park. Now our pace is changing. Earlier, we had greater distances to travel and more and larger sites to see. Now, we're simply doing the coast. We're certainly vacationing, but also this trip is all about getting out of the heat back home. I've heard myself say many times that I wasn't bothered by the heat and approached it with a rather stoic attitude. All true. However, having said that, 65 to 75 with a gentle breeze is, in fact, far more comfortable then 105 . So now we're just kinda living life in our little box and enjoying the local highlights. Our days are really quite simple. Some days we only go out for a few hours.Sometimes all day and other days we don't leave the campground. At home I'm a high energy guy involved in several physical activities that produces some level of fitness for this old frame. Given my current pace, I'm certain that I'm rapidly losing that fitness. But maybe I'm just taking a break, relaxing and saving myself for a longer life. I can easily admit I'm rationalizing or simply getting lazy but I've had no problem adjusting to this laid back lifestyle. As I pause I do realize I'm only representing my perspective. For Debbie it's simple. She says, " get me out of the heat"!<br />
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Enough of my pearls of wisdom. Normally I carry you through our life on the road on a day by day basis. I know, you feel lucky. New approach (not that I won't return to the old approach). I'm going to try to generalize.....sorta.<br />
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We are quickly discovering that the Oregon state parks and their campgrounds are extremely well managed and maintained. Bullards Beach State Park is no exception. Paved roads, paved sites, clean ample space and a truly special setting. Bullards has infinite access to the coastal shoreline, a beautiful river, really nice picnic areas, a lighthouse, trails and evening programs. I went to one on cranberry farming (huge in this area) and Debbie and I went to one on search and rescue dogs. While at the Coquille Lighthouse (located in the park)<br />
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we enjoyed delightful conversation with lighthouse volunteers Chris and Marcia Bordagaray.<br />
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They're long time full timers with endless volunteer jobs under their belts. We enjoy learning about other folks volunteering experiences because I'd say there's a fairly good chance we'll return to RV volunteering. We told Chris and Marcia about our blog and assured them we'd make them famous. Hello Chris and Marcia!<br />
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We also went to a robust fireworks display, provided by the city of Bandon, that we watched from across the river while still in the park.<br />
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Wonderful wonderful place!<br />
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One more state park thought. Look at a map of Oregon. The coastal state parks and recreational areas are absolutely shoulder to shoulder. I'm told that from years back the state has been down right aggressive about setting aside public land for everyone's enjoyment. I recently learned that there is a 1967 Oregon Beach Bill which ensures that every inch of the 363 mile Oregon coast is public access. I say well done!<br />
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We LOVE Bandon! Charmingly small, seaside town with endless access to the wonderfully impressive Oregon coast! While here we went to town several different days to go to a farmers market, eat fish and chips, mosey through the shops (we rarely cruise "shops") enjoy coastal views (more on that to come) and fantasize about would we enjoy living part-time in Bandon. Maybe?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSVBUBgvhizrqdU5KCv6S9WzdpDmWbneni05iPMkw53M-ZXMXbogVvjSH4rvxbKYsOjT5o8FLfCRmlIcwmmrh8TFQB81a-fdEBtlkff5CCOyj0CpE7HYOn_ul1ByIw_FzbrZWkG1yObSo/s1600/IMG_6042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSVBUBgvhizrqdU5KCv6S9WzdpDmWbneni05iPMkw53M-ZXMXbogVvjSH4rvxbKYsOjT5o8FLfCRmlIcwmmrh8TFQB81a-fdEBtlkff5CCOyj0CpE7HYOn_ul1ByIw_FzbrZWkG1yObSo/s400/IMG_6042.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bandon Harbor</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bandon Boardwalk</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Duane and Henry the Fish</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUP0lOiD1F3g2DrCfhiIdyDAMVh1I5XeX8mu5dlpigKjZoNdrPOHm-7xwQJdMFF4GAgFlJ_cevKxXZmSeGLDzBq2ngNIddovuBygXRtyoac12f6kvTtxnzdqNbBPcg1E7cogo8OsbOHTY/s1600/IMG_6048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUP0lOiD1F3g2DrCfhiIdyDAMVh1I5XeX8mu5dlpigKjZoNdrPOHm-7xwQJdMFF4GAgFlJ_cevKxXZmSeGLDzBq2ngNIddovuBygXRtyoac12f6kvTtxnzdqNbBPcg1E7cogo8OsbOHTY/s400/IMG_6048.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Henry was made from debris found on local beaches <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">such as plastic, cans and glass</span><br />
to call attention to the harm these items do to fish and other sea life.</td></tr>
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On the afternoon of 4th of July, the merchants of Bandon offered a deal that, for $10, you could wander from store to store sampling wine, rum and finger food. Debbie got her money's worth of beverage delights and we both enjoyed the tasty bites. (I think that was poetic.)<br />
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Now for the coast. It will be difficult for us to not wear you out with coastal pictures. I spoke of it in an earlier post but I must repeat myself. This coastline is glorious!!! From Bandon, you can just wander a few miles north and south and stop repeatedly at completely unspoiled beaches, breathtaking views and endless coastlines jammed full with jurassic sized boulders,<br />
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We saw our first harbor seal.<br />
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One of the more interesting rock formations we came upon is "Face Rock". Can you see the woman with her head thrown back?<br />
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There's drama, energy and serenity simply everywhere. There are so few people. Often we find ourselves at spectacular overlooks or monumental beaches and we're alone. I mean nobody. And driftwood. I really have never seen so much driftwood. I mean mountains of driftwood.<br />
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We were told by a local that sometimes the respective municipality has to come in with heavy equipment to remove it to allow access to the beaches. We've seen some artsy-crafty use of the driftwood but mostly it's just there. It's a marvel! I've become quite the cheerleader (there's a pretty picture) for the Oregon coast. Hopefully you've enjoyed these "couple" pictures!<br />
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Before I leave the Bandon area I must tell you specifically about Shore Acres State Park located a few miles north of Bandon. I often say the $10 spent for our Golden Age Pass is the best $10 I've ever spent. Well, the $5 admission fee to Shore Acres is by far the best $5 I've ever spent. It is the former estate site of a wildly successful entrepreneur dude from the early 1900's. Not surprisingly, the mansion burned to the ground. Fire wiped out a lot of spectacular structures. So then there was the Depression and hard times and finally Oregon bought the property in 1942. Over the years the grounds have been refurbished and the gardens restored. In no way could you improve the view of the rocky coast. It may be PERFECT.<br />
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The garden is the sort of place you just don't want to leave. They profess to have year round bloom. Roses certainly were the star attraction during our visit coupled with so many other visual delights. The garden is not huge, in fact the smaller proportion is part of its appeal. I spent much of our visit just shaking my head commenting on how beautiful.<br />
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Additionally, the weather again was invigoratingly marvelous. Bright sunshine, terrifically blue skies, 65 degrees and a gentle breeze. We're so spoiled!<br />
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6 July we made the easy 50 mile drive north to Umpqua Lighthouse State Park in Reedsport. We'll be here 5 days. This is another great, but smaller, Oregon State Park. Only 11 full hook up RV sites and about 50 tent sites.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2vuwvhTCE9vckqY3_NJR0mAekLX2dQiXv3A5n_qKnhKZV3RS9bKwBUBfG0D1K7Hi9OVl7FboxgyNcRZqs7l5mp_AvThK9KmaUz63Dz65wHvllFuX9YWk6zpEwXVrmm3uwOURxjF26AUc/s1600/IMG_6558.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2vuwvhTCE9vckqY3_NJR0mAekLX2dQiXv3A5n_qKnhKZV3RS9bKwBUBfG0D1K7Hi9OVl7FboxgyNcRZqs7l5mp_AvThK9KmaUz63Dz65wHvllFuX9YWk6zpEwXVrmm3uwOURxjF26AUc/s400/IMG_6558.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our full hookup site</td></tr>
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As I'm sure you have figured out I'm mighty impressed with the Oregon state parks. Even the signs are note worthy. All the volunteer signs are uniformly produced. (I'm guessing they have a sign shop somewhere.)<br />
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and the primary signs are absolutely pristine.<br />
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I'm thinking, that in these times of budget cuts, theses are details that could go by the wayside. Not in Oregon. OK enough. I'll move on.<br />
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So again, after we get settled, Debbie and I motor an hour up the coast to Cape Perpertua.<br />
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Beautiful setting. Dramatic coastline I so seldom mention, an abrupt headland or cliff that rises 800 feet above the shoreline, the highest point along the coast and then, THAR SHE BLOWS.<br />
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Whales. Or maybe just one whale but she put on a show for hours. Too cool. Whale sightings are like deer or hummingbirds, we never tire of seeing them. So we sat with the binoculars and the camera "just a clickin away".</div>
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The next day we again headed north, next stop, the Heceta Head Lighthouse. It is the sister light house to Umpqua, both built at the same time in the mid 1850's. Another pretty setting with that great light house history/culture.<br />
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Although the Umpqua Lighthouse does not enjoy a spectacular setting like Heceta, there is something impressively unique about Umpqua.<br />
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The Fresnel lens is constructed with both red and clear prisms. We took a tour of the lighthouse and were able to climb a ladder to be inside the huge lens. Impressive!<br />
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For my Quail Queekers, our volunteer tour guide was from Saddlebrook, also in the area escaping the heat. Very nice fellow with impressive knowledge of lighthouses.<br />
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During the day the lighthouse is a Plain Jane with a red and white lens. At night, it's more like a kaleidoscope.<br />
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Our night photos were taken about 11pm. Obviously we have become late night partying animals!<br />
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On the way home from Heceta we stopped at the Sea Lion Caves. (Thank you Tom and Fannie.)<br />
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Is this a tourist trap? Yes, and priced accordingly but we felt well worth the time and denaro. Not unlike other varieties of wildlife we never tire of sea lions. Big ole guys and girls lumbering about trying to make kissy face with each other.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3sd4Xhe2W7SFOmIM2mzV0K-xoE6Mh6d8biTTIf4N-ll06LzZxmGdgtTptcJTH4sqYfSCbRoysZ7-leYhrGTOOdPjIbGQwvbQkLxWCGrmuKAvuc37IR2_VxPE8NzSZnl8vZKiKjf8_oqc/s1600/IMG_6427-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3sd4Xhe2W7SFOmIM2mzV0K-xoE6Mh6d8biTTIf4N-ll06LzZxmGdgtTptcJTH4sqYfSCbRoysZ7-leYhrGTOOdPjIbGQwvbQkLxWCGrmuKAvuc37IR2_VxPE8NzSZnl8vZKiKjf8_oqc/s400/IMG_6427-001.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Or are they yelling?</td></tr>
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Here they were a zillion laying around like worms.<br />
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Plus an impressive sea cave,<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Although the sea lions are not always in the cave, they were during out visit. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside the cave</td></tr>
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more of that darn coast,<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv38PRThintmNlsPZP7AZ_oFFr8y-m7cGOxa3OgZXCRPLQvbdYOpnye0R54qzpQxWKmCqgb7OPLCmmG3KAAITymetWsAQOaus-2NX2cIbx58NwAeJO3txr-urHmx5EkDW5Ce-iI2-YNQw/s1600/IMG_6488.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv38PRThintmNlsPZP7AZ_oFFr8y-m7cGOxa3OgZXCRPLQvbdYOpnye0R54qzpQxWKmCqgb7OPLCmmG3KAAITymetWsAQOaus-2NX2cIbx58NwAeJO3txr-urHmx5EkDW5Ce-iI2-YNQw/s400/IMG_6488.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The building you see is the elevator to the sea caves. It descends 208 ft. </td></tr>
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and some wonderful little chicks. That would be sea gull chicks. Very nice and a photo or two.<br />
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As we continue south toward our cozy little home we stop to explore the dunes.<br />
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We are very much in the heart of the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. The dunes are the unique feature of a large portion of this area of the coast and they go on for miles. Surprisingly, at least to me, the ATV'ers have, what appears to be, unlimited access to the dunes. That is not a criticism. Public areas are for everyone's' enjoyment so, in fact, I'm glad someone decided this is OK. Having said that, this is not my preferred area. Too much noise and the mess/stuff that accompanies lots of gasoline engines. Good that I included my non - criticism disclaimer because the next day we paid to ride a sand rail/dune buggy sort of vehicle through the dunes (thank you Bill and Rena) .<br />
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When in Rome etc. It was great fun and only slightly death defying. Throughout the remainder of the day we were trying to get sand out of our ears, hair and yada yadda yadda.<br />
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Now it rains. Like for 3 days. Of course we can't complain. As mentioned, we've enjoyed spectacular weather. Much of the past two weeks we've not had TV. We quickly adjusted. We read, Debbie's on the computer researching every travel notion known to man, we walk our dogs and we try to not sit around eating junk food.<br />
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Before leaving the area we spent an afternoon in Florence, Oregon. This is another charming seaside community. We wandered and soon discovered it was time to take pictures of urban flowers. What we've determined since being in Oregon is that this wonderfully moderate climate is ideal for flowers, lots of flowers.<br />
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Before departing we dined at a food truck. <br />
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We didn't just stumble upon it. Surprise, Debbie's research revealed (she leaves no stone unturned) "this is THE place". It proved to be maybe the best meal we've had since leaving home. The food truck, "A Taste of Hawaii" is marketed as gourmet fusion. We're nearly never gourmet and I'd be hard pressed to give you a comprehension definition of fusion but this meal was killer. Huge portions, fresh ingredients and so dog gone flavorful! <br />
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Plus the owner, Natasha, was a delightfully engaging host. Her husband is the Chef and they are really from Hawaii (Maui). Another great experience!<br />
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Aloha,<br />
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Duane <br />
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<br />Debbie, Duane, Bo, Laska and Baileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06374229341345414939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5188748309433780695.post-71073015780728967022016-07-10T20:45:00.001-07:002016-07-10T20:45:19.203-07:00Crater LakeHi there. Are you growing tired of the blog? It's a bit of a labor of love for Debbie and I. Ultimately, it serves as a journal of sorts when we want to wander down memory lane to recall the many wonderful experiences we get to enjoy together. As I think about it, you and your comments then become a pleasant addition to those experiences. But, if you've grown tired of my blabbering just tune me out.<br />
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So 25 June we drive from Crescent City, Ca. to Collier Memorial State Park near Chiloquin, Or. which is maybe 30 miles from Crater Lake National Park. It's a pretty drive but a smidgen intense. Significantly winding roads with a bunch of hills. Not a big deal but then I notice I have a trailer attached to the back of the truck so I have to pay attention. This is our first taste of camping in Oregon State Parks and it's very nice. Paved roads, paved spacious sites, all very well maintained.<br />
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Our site was close to enormous so we took the opportunity to set up our screen room. We had a screen room years ago and setting it up together was nearly grounds for divorce. Not true of our new room, "The Clam". <br />
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Their video says set up takes 45 seconds. Must be magical! But in fact, total time for set up with one person was maybe 5 minutes. It's a great space for beating the "skeeters" plus we can lounge about with the dogs lollygagging without being tethered.<br />
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Day one we settle in and day two we head for Crater Lake National Park. The lake is profoundly beautiful!! When describing it, the literature always refers to the blue. Think something between royal and sapphire.<br />
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The facts: At 1949 feet deep, it's the deepest lake in the US. It's about 5 miles by 6 miles. (that is darn deceptive as you look across the lake) There are no rivers or streams running into the lake. It's fed entirely with snow melt and rain which explains the purity/clarity of the lake. The constant level is maintained by evaporation and seepage through a porous portion of one of the sidewalls. We hear the rangers speaking of the perfect weather we're enjoying. Our traveling luck is impressive. The lake is like glass which enables the photographer half of this blogging team to capture some mighty nice reflective pictures. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scenery surrounding the lake is also beautiful</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We thought this girl was an elegant addition to the scenery </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If our birding research is accurate, this frequent visitor to the park is a Clark's Nutcracker</td></tr>
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The road around the lake is 33 miles but it's not open all the way due to snow. Regardless, we go with a two hour, ranger narrated trolley ride primarily so Duane can gawk and not drive off the mountain.<br />
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As we all know, the success of this sort of outing is largely dependent upon the quality of your guide. Our guide was outstanding!<br />
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Debbie and I are surprised we haven't heard folks rave more about Crater Lake. We would put it way toward the top of the many wonderful destinations we've enjoyed.<br />
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Monday we have to drive 100+ miles one way to Bend, Or to do some face to face banking. Apparently Bank of America is not particularly popular in Oregon since that was the closest location. It's all good. While there, had pizza and wings Lord we do love the health food! Bend seems to typically receive rave reviews. It did have nicely maintained downtown areas as well as a great riverfront. Ours was a quick in and out visit so I have little else to share (your lucky day).<br />
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Tuesday back to the park. Did some short hikes, strolling really, watched the park film (great as always) and made the mandatory purchase. No no, not chips, T-shirts. Left the park fairly early. There's road construction and mucho traffic congestion so we decided to depart. On the way home we stop at the logging museum which is part of the state park.<br />
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It's "tool time" boys. They may describe it as the largest collection of logging equipment in the NW, or maybe the USA or was it the northern hemisphere? Obviously I don't recall but there's likely more there then you really want to see. So I got my fill of logging stuff.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two man chain saw</td></tr>
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In all fairness I'd say this is a comparatively short segment of our blog so I'll take this opportunity to bring you up to date on some much "needed" information. <br />
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You ask, "just how small is the camper?" So glad you asked. The box is 24 foot with a 3 foot tongue so it's considered a 27 foot camper. It's a Jayco 24FBS. It's a 1 bedroom, one bath! I'm amusing myself. From front to back: The bedroom has a queen size bed that you can walk around, a trio of overhead cabinets, two small wardrobe spaces and two good sized nightstands.<br />
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The mattress that came with the camper is miserably hard and uncomfortable. We put a cheap, two inch foam pad and a fairly expensive 2 inch memory foam pad on top of the mattress and we now just LOVE our little sleeping space. There's a 3 quarter wall dividing the BR from the LR. The LR is a reasonably comfy love seat and about 3 feet by 6 feet of floor space.<br />
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The TV is mounted in an "entertainment center" directly in front of the love seat about 8 feet across the room. The dinette comfortably seats four adults.<br />
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Adjacent is an itty bitty kitchen space. The kitchen includes an 8 cubic foot camper sized frig, 3 burner (who needs even 3?) stove, small microwave and double sink.<br />
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There are a half dozen cabinets of various sizes distributed within the kitchen, dinette and living room space plus 3 drawers in the kitchen.The bathroom has a porcelain toilet (that's an upgrade from plastic), minute sink with inches of counter space and a shower/tub combo that I can use standing straight up (thanks to the skylight). <br />
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The bathroom also has about a 40 inch wide, 3 quarter length wardrobe space. That's a huge bonus. <br />
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All and all the it's quite "compact", especially when you recall there are 2 full sized adults and 3 dogs. As for Bo, Laska and our plus size girl, Bailey, they take whatever space they want. None of them are very good about getting out of the way but that just seems to add to the amusement. Laska and Bailey sleep on the floor around the edge of our bed which does make it tricky to get out of bed in the middle of the night. Bo normally sleeps on the love seat. We've told him not to do this but, if you know Bo, then you know he defies us. Often, early in the morning, he leaps from the back of the love seat into our bed. Also which he's not suppose to do but obviously enough, we don't really care. So, the unbridled truth is that neither Debbie nor I have once said "it's too small." We can't help but speak frequently about how comfortable we are in our little box.<br />
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So how about those interpersonal relationships you ask? You know, "are we ready to kill each other"? Debbie and I are together virtually 24/7. Nearly everything we do, we do together. We occasionally walk dogs separately, I usually carry the trash to a dumpster by myself and today, I drove solo about 5 miles to a tire place for some tire inflation. We have certainly stumbled around with a sharp moment or two but to the largest degree, we have enjoyed terrific harmony! I could rattle on at length but let me just say this has been a wonderful trip!<br />
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Happy Trails,<br />
Duane<br />
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Debbie, Duane, Bo, Laska and Baileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06374229341345414939noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5188748309433780695.post-62141606565825003132016-07-01T07:33:00.001-07:002016-07-02T09:31:37.195-07:00Northern Callifornia and the RedwoodsWe left the bay area on Thursday, 16 June and drove to Willits, CA. 125 miles up Hwy 101.<br />
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Easy drive. Pulled into a KOA about 1230. We rarely do KOAs. We think they are mostly overpriced and offer a lot of amenities that don't interest us. Having said that, if you're a family with younger children this is the place. Pools, water park, nice play areas, petting zoo, miniature golf, frisbee golf and western themed store fronts to play "something." Here is the kicker, our site is immediately adjacent to the water park.<br />
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Also, there are 10,000 children. Bailey is scared to death.<br />
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Thursday afternoon we drove about 35 miles to the Mendocino coast. We imagined it would be a pretty stretch of coast. We stopped at a couple of public areas with coastal access. All very nice.<br />
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Then we stumbled upon a real jewel. Point Cabrillo Light Station and Preserve. I'm telling you just the cutest light house.<br />
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It was closed but a light keeper's house was open as a museum.<br />
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Huge grounds. Easy to imagine what a great assignment it would have been back in the day. If the pictures look a little gray and gloomy there's a reason. We had a little bit of rain, the first of the trip, but not a problem.<br />
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The only downside to the outing was that the drive to the coast was via a death defying, 2 lane, winding road. Deborah Louise is not interested in returning to the coast via Hwy 20.<br />
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Friday was another easy day. Finally got underway about 1100. First stop, the dog groomer. Bailey had developed what we would describe as a curly dew claw that was at risk of poking into her leg. Great folks. Very efficient, confident and competent. Moments and $10 later, all 4 feet nicely groomed. Would you call that a pedi or a mani? On the way home we discovered a little store selling Krispy Kreme donuts. We restrained. Only got 6. So much fun!<br />
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Later, Debbie and I went to a local museum. We thought it was to be about trains and logging. Nope. Neither, but still enjoyable. We did make a great purchase though. As we've traveled we've often bought magnets representing the local area we visited and/or our activities. Debbie has converted some of these to Christmas tree ornaments. So we found 2 unique ones in the museum gift shop we couldn't resist. First, "Forgive quickly, kiss slowly." Come on now, it's a nice thought.<br />
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The second one is the best. "I love you more today than yesterday. Yesterday you really got on my nerves!"<br />
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We laughed all the way home!! <br />
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Saturday, we moved on to the land of the giant redwoods, arriving in Fortuna, Ca. around 1ish. We don't often rush about in the mornings. I do at home but not on the road. We kinda get up when Laska demands it and move on as the spirit motivates us. Also, Debbie has designed our trip so that most moves don't require a long drive. Getting into a campground early seems to make it an easier, less hectic event. So 1ish is great. After we get settled, which always includes giving the dogs a good walk, we head for Ferndale and Eureka, CA. I'll tell you why in a minute. En route we stop at Centerville Beach County Park<br />
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and, adjacent to that, Lost Coast Headlands.<br />
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Both locations are scenic but not really world class. What is notable is that there are zillions of acres of land, to include breathtaking oceanfront property and there's "nothing" there. Few people, a few homes, I don't think any businesses, just open unspoiled land leading right to the ocean shore! Remember when we were young and there was a lot of rhetoric about overpopulation and running out of land. I'm thinking not the concern we earlier imagined. Good!<br />
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Back to Ferndale and, best of all, Eureka. What a great name! Like Hallelujah or Shazam. Both were settled in the mid 1850's. I love to ask the question, "why did people settle here?" Ferndale, primarily with dairy farming pioneers and Eureka due to fishing, farming and the logging industry. Today, much of their tourist appeal is the Victorian homes and hotels. These are in Ferndale.<br />
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Beyond that, Ferndale is small and quaint. Eureka is considerably larger, with a significant harbor coupled with a nice boardwalk,<br />
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many more Victorian homes,<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The "Famous Carson Mansion" now a private men;s club</td></tr>
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and a sizable downtown enjoying impressive restoration. Having said that, we were there Saturday evening and there were few people in town. Puzzling, but what do we know. Came home and ate homemade taco soup. We still don't eat out very often.<br />
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Sunday on to the Avenue of The Giants. This is a 31 mile scenic drive running parallel to Hwy 101 and through Humboldt Redwoods State Park. The "giants" are the wonderful redwoods. Earlier in our trip we enjoyed and marveled at the Sequoias. They have impressive height and massive girth. Kinda like huge football players. The redwoods certainly have ample girth but oh so tall! Like long legged models.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Along the Avenue</td></tr>
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The day was perfect! Sunny, mid 70's and a pleasant breeze. So our day on the Avenue included gentle driving and numerous stops to gawk/enjoy short hikes. The forests with Sequoias include a relatively small number of Sequoias. The redwood forests include a very large number of Redwoods. I know you have to be there to fully appreciate what I describe but imagine: The huge trees standing are complimented with huge trees on the forest floor.<br />
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Even those downed trees contribute great drama. They'll take decades, or maybe hundreds of years to decompose. The stumps! Ladies and gentlemen, you must take a moment to soak up the enormity of the</div>
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Even the splintered trees are a sight to behold! </div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Much of the forest floor is crowded with clover and ferns. </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Thank you decomposing trees. As you stroll you truly think in terms of grandeur and majesty. </span><span style="text-align: left;">The setting genuinely warrants peaceful contemplation. Enough?</span></div>
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Please bare with me. I have to take a moment to tell you a little something about the logging of these huge trees in the days of old. Back in the day, the logging dudes were frothing over the potential of these huge trees. But after you spend a day cutting one down, how do you move it? Now for the rest of he story - Paul Harvey. You don't! Mostly the trees were cut into comparatively tiny pieces to make shingles, grape stakes (think wineries) and railroad ties. Something we read compared it to chopping a grandfather clock up for kindling. Currently, there are about 200,000 acres of Redwoods secured on public lands. There are about 2 million acres of Redwoods in private hands, primarily lumber companies.(So I'm told by a local, third generation timber man.) His observation was that they are currently enjoying responsible stewardship. So there you have it. <br />
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This perpetual vacationing thing can be wonderfully exhausting. Monday we got off to a very slow start. After a full breakfast at home we finally made our way, midday, to a habitat we always enjoy. That would be wetlands. You know, they're just peaceful. Typically you just mosey along a gentle, level trail looking for shore and/or migratory birds. We are wannabe birders at best. My father, rest his wonderful soul, was a highly motivated, accomplished birder. He enthusiastically guided and encouraged us as we would let him. So we're at the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge just north of Fortuna, CA. <br />
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Their peak birding season is winter so there are only a few birds for us to enjoy but any sighting seems worthwhile. A huge element of our visit at the refuge includes an animated conversation with the park ranger regarding volunteering as RV'ers. As our visit winds down it becomes apparent that we're probably not good candidates for the job because they don't allow the public to bring in dogs (lord knows we have dogs) but it generated an interesting dialog between Debbie and I about possibly returning to the RV volunteering world! Very interesting! On the way home we swing by the Loleta Cheese Company located in, stand by, Loleta, CA. Everything about the town and the cheese factory seemed mighty tired but the cheese is quite good. I guess that's all that matters. Despite my "tired" comment, the cheese folks maintain a beautiful garden behind their place of business. We strolled, took pictures and went back inside and bought a couple of chunks of cheese.<br />
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I guess the garden served its purpose.<br />
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We then moved north to Crescent City, CA. Upon our arrival we get into our campsite and, step one for me is to always connect our surge protector. For those of you who know of some of my more stupid stunts, you'll recall I fried some of the electrical systems in our previous camper because I was too lackadaisical to plug in my surge protector at my own home. Consequently, I now ALWAYS go with the surge protector. So, it says the power at the pedestal is not good. I check other vacant sites. They're good. Obviously my site is bad. I go to office. After a little tap dancing, they give me another site. I pull the camper there. New 30 amp plug installed upside down. Can't connect with surge protector. Remember, ALWAYS. I go to office. They find another site. Nothing special but everything works. Phew.<br />
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Our outing for the evening is to ride the coast (beautiful) and we kind of stumble upon another lighthouse. It's not that we're necessarily lighthouse enthusiasts, but they're so often located in such picturesque settings. Plus, the lighthouse career/culture of those "good ole days" is intriguing. This proves true for the Battery Point Lighthouse. You can only walk to the lighthouse at low tide. Dumb luck, it's low tide.<br />
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We hang around the area and enjoy the sunset.<br />
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A large part of July is to be spent on the Oregon coast. But, when we leave Crescent city in a couple of days, we're going inland to Crater Lake. So we load the dogs into the truck (They LOVE TO RIDE IN THE TRUCK) and head north to cruise some of the coast we'll miss with our inland jaunt. It's just a great day. We cruise. Get out. Walk the dogs. Enjoy the scenery.<br />
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Enjoy the dogs.<br />
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Bailey has gone from Desert Dog to Beach Baby. I now refer to her choker as "bling" and her red Easy Walk harness is her "bustier." I'm so amused! For those of you familiar with Bailey's story, think how her life has changed. We are SO pleased to be a part of her life. She's currently laying at my feet as I type. Here's the rest of the family. They do look good! (Debbie said I can't say this, but obviously I can.)<br />
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I think those of you familiar with this portion of the west coast would agree it's exciting scenery. For those of us most familiar with the east coast, the Oregon coast is endlessly OMG scenery. As the sun sets we go home.</div>
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It's 23 June. Just a reference for you and I. We start our day going out for breakfast at a small cafe across from our campground that advertises the "best breakfast in the county". I order an omelette and hash browns. The guy at the next table is having platter size pancakes. I can't resist but I do tame my order a bit requesting only two and I'll have the "sissy" size please. How big can they be? Debbie and the waitress do suggest getting only one but, of course I'm brilliant, so I go with two. I rarely, like maybe never, not finish any meal out. I did not finish the pancakes. They were delicious but for sissy size think a fat, over sized Frisbee. The rest of the day was spent doing laundry, going to Walmart, a little more time at Crescent City coast and thinking why did I eat such a huge breakfast.<br />
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Our last day in Crescent City we're out the door at 6 am. We're impressed. We're driving just a few miles to Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. Our plan is a 6 mile hike on the highly recommended Boy Scout Trail to enjoy more redwoods. It's dense. Few trees are not redwoods. Referring to the enormous trees quickly becomes redundant, but necessary.<br />
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You have to be careful that looking up all the time doesn't cause you to fall.<br />
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Going out we only encounter one other pair of hikers so largely the trail is ours. Debbie, declared it's one of the best hikes she's ever done. Believe it or not, after the hike we, at Debbie's suggestion, go back for more pancakes.<br />
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I may order pancakes again in 2020! That evening we returned to Stout Grove (another area of the state park) for our last fix of redwoods. Such a life. We're grateful!!! <br />
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Next stop, Crater Lake National Park.<br />
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DuaneDebbie, Duane, Bo, Laska and Baileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06374229341345414939noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5188748309433780695.post-29071353472870840052016-06-20T19:03:00.000-07:002016-06-20T19:03:14.215-07:00San Francisco Area<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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9 June we pulled up stakes and made our way to Larkspur, CA. They tell me we're about 10 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge. The drive was only slightly challenging. There was significant traffic as we approached the bay area but it mostly kept moving. One of us maintained the death grip and I drove.<br />
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Our home for a week will be the Marin RV Park. At first glance it appears to be nothing more then a parking lot. And mostly it is nothing more then a parking lot. <br />
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But a very nicely maintained parking lot run by very pleasant, helpful people. Unbeknownst to us, our site was way narrow so they gave us two sites. That made things much better And, it's oh so cheap. Just pennies shy of $500 for 7 nights. But lets be fair. It's San Francisco, nearly.<br />
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One of the reasons we (you know, Debbie) picked this place is because it's an easy walk to a ferry terminal where we can board a ferry to San Francisco.. The other reason is that Aubree and Elizabeth used to live nearby. They recently moved to the Seattle area, but we decided to keep it on the itinerary anyway. So after we got settled we walked to the ferry terminal to check it out. It'll be easy to get on the ferry and go.<br />
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Day two we hung around the camper and did stuff. You know some banking, pay some bills, make some calls. Adult stuff. Debbie feels compelled to remind me that we (you know who) still have a life to manage. Adjacent to the ferry terminal is a hip shopping/eating area so that night we moseyed over there for some health food. Onion rings and pizza! The best.<br />
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Saturday we drove to Point Reyes National Seashore located up the coast from San Francisco. It is 53,000 acres of glorious coastal terrain. It's one of those areas where you must applaud the folks who set it aside for generations of enjoyment. Maybe the primary destination within the park is an 1870 lighthouse. The structure strikes me as average among lighthouses<br />
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but what a spectacular setting.<br />
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In addition to the lighthouse there are miles and miles of trails, shoreline, 100+ year old dairy farms and endlessly beautiful scenery.<br />
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I'm sure the locals really love having this jewel in their backyard to enjoy over and over again. Time very well spent. That evening we had a great surprise. Fireworks!!! I had to check my watch. Was it the Fourth of July? I mean a massive display launched from somewhere very near the campground. Only later did I learn it was a celebration at a local park.<br />
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Sunday we got ourselves on the nearby ferry for a ride into the city. The fare is not necessarily cheap, about $40 for the two of us RT, but certainly much easier then driving. We spent the day walking. I mean a lot of walking! I think it's reasonable to describe myself as a fairly motivated hiker, but believe me, Sunday was a full day of walking. I thought we would walk by the many piers to Fisherman's Wharf and way beyond. Well, we didn't get nearly as far as I might have anticipated but it was still a mighty full day. For you Fitbit fans, Debbie had 20,000+ steps before we got back to the camper. We spent some time at Fisherman's Wharf, a madness of people.<br />
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We ate sourdough bread,<br />
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enjoyed the sea lions<br />
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and got out of the madness.<br />
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Something I must share that I thought was way cool. I noticed several different bicycle rental companies, some with unique names. Blazing Saddles was clever enough but the best was OUTSPOKE'N. Cute, huh? If I could add a smiley face I would! The San Francisco ferry terminal houses many eateries. For about bout $35 we got a couple burgers and fries. In all fairness, they were great burgers. Ferry ride home was pleasant and uneventful. I guess I could have summed up our day by saying "we walked around all day".<br />
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So San Francisco really is full of interesting sights and people. But you may have noticed that we didn't do some of the traditional San Francisco stuff. We didn't because some years ago we vacationed in the city and did the more traditional activities. Also, we didn't really want to deal with driving/parking in the city. Additionally, it was really "cold" and windy many of the days we were in the area so we wimped out on things like walking across the bridge and blah blah blah. OK OK, enough of my excuses and dribble.<br />
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Monday. Muir Woods. Huge Trees. Beautiful!<br />
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Love that brevity.<br />
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Tuesday we did a day trip to the Golden Gate Recreational Area, It's a mere 80,000+ acres. It does include Muir Woods, but much of it was military real estate that has been turned over to the National Park Service. A huge portion of it is north of the Golden Gate Bridge. But also to the north is Mount Tamalpais State Park (appears to be monsterous and pristine) and Point Reyes National Seashore. To the south is the Presidio. If you're looking at a California map you'll see that there is a great deal of green space adjacent to San Francisco. Our day was spent at the Marin Headlands located within the Golden Gate Recreation Area which includes Forts Barry, Baker and Cronkhite. The military presence is everywhere with a great many military buildings, bunkers, lookout positions, and gun emplacements. So we spent our day wandering. <br />
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If you're a fan of american military history, my guess is this is a treasure trove. Interestingly, given the huge military presence and fortifications, nary a shot was ever fired at the enemy from these locations. So the placards tell me. Nonetheless, one must be prepared. Beyond the military stuff, there is beautiful scenery, miles of trails, animal habitat, great views of the Golden Gate Bridge<br />
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and another cleverly situated lighthouse. It was closed, but we do have pictures of it from afar. It's a very cool location.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pt. Bonita Lighthouse</td></tr>
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Speaking of cool, it was like omg cold and windy while we were there. But, I'm thinking, that added to the enjoyment?<br />
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Really a great day. Editorializing: that is one of the great aspects of this type of traveling. You do what you can do. If you don't see it all you simply look forward to moving on to the next location.<br />
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Wednesday was far more laid back. We drove a short distance to Sausalito, CA. Cute, ritzy, seaside town with hillside homes that look like they're built on top of each other. <br />
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We strolled, lets call it promenaded, ate a treat,<br />
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and went home to do some laundry.<br />
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Now, I know you're dying to ask, " how are the dogs doing?" WONDERFUL! When we're traveling with them in the truck we often ask each other, "did we forget the dogs?" They virtually never make a sound. In the camper, they are under foot a little, but nothing even annoying and certainly no more then we expected. We're successfully leaving them now for up to 8 hours and not an accident or eaten sofa of any description. As traveling companions they get multiple walks and tons of attention. If you asked them, I believe they would tell you that they are mighty pleased! <br />
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DuaneDebbie, Duane, Bo, Laska and Baileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06374229341345414939noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5188748309433780695.post-92229953841366915402016-06-19T20:28:00.000-07:002016-06-19T20:28:39.671-07:00Yosemite National Park Sequoia National Park (really Three Rivers, CA) is disappearing in the rear view mirror and we're on our way to Yosemite National Park. It's about 9 am. Fairly prompt for us. The distance will be about 175 miles. El Portal , CA will be our home for the next three nights. El Portal is no more then a gathering of a very few businesses on the southwestern side of Yosemite NP. We arrived about 2 pm. Our campground, Indian Flat RV Park, is nothing special but it will satisfy us just fine.<br />
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After we get settled we head for the park. It takes around 45 minutes to get to the park, through the gate and well into the park before you start to encounter the premium attractions. In one of the visitor center movies we watched, a park ranger stated that it's the water that brings the energy to the park. Mostly, I must say he's about half right (they didn't know to confer with me). As you enter the park the Merced River, which flows adjacent to the road, is RAGING! This sucker, propelled by snow melt, is screaming out of the valley. It's a beautiful sight!<br />
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Now for the other half. As you enter Yosemite Valley the massive rock walls of the valley appear. I mean really really massive rock walls.<br />
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And over some of these walls pour some of the most impressive waterfalls you'll likely ever see.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje96J0kFZrbvbIhmJWrK5bTJulXS8yG7mjtkwnlkRgcBLmFYLD9rnzkzp3W6Qv7PCUWVRqXuijMsVpH4etyHeIXz1tIzajAUJuErIqNFQnWRE5Iv_PFkMXI0UTpaGJli_GfxxZ1WfArLY/s1600/IMG_5288.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje96J0kFZrbvbIhmJWrK5bTJulXS8yG7mjtkwnlkRgcBLmFYLD9rnzkzp3W6Qv7PCUWVRqXuijMsVpH4etyHeIXz1tIzajAUJuErIqNFQnWRE5Iv_PFkMXI0UTpaGJli_GfxxZ1WfArLY/s400/IMG_5288.JPG" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bridalveil Falls</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lower Yosemite Falls</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nevada and Vernal Falls (from Glacier Point)</td></tr>
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So I'd say it's the combination of water, coupled with the rock walls, that produce the energy, or better yet, the aura of Yosemite NP. Phew, that was some exhausting verbiage! The two most accessible falls, which means easiest to view, are Yosemite and Bridalveil. Both required a modest hike, really no more then a stroll. Both will get you a little wet from their spray and both are marvelous (darling). Other highly notable waterfalls include Vernal and Nevada. If you look closely as you travel through the valley and beyond , you'll see other, less notable falls finding their way over a ledge. I must point out that we were there maybe at the peak of the waterfall season. It's my understanding that, by late summer, these waterfalls largely disappear. So day one was a success.<br />
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The next morning we started our day at the Yosemite Valley Visitor Center. Another clarification. Summer is a very very busy time at Yosemite. Busy means there are a zillion people everywhere. Busy means you'd better get there early or you'll be struggling to find a parking place. Busy also means that you must be patient. But we got in without incident and on with our day. We spent a fair amount of time at the visitor center then caught a shuttle to hike to Mirror Lake. We didn't pay attention to the shuttle routing so we enjoyed the first 17 stops equaling about an hour before we got to the trail head. Brilliant! Yes? The hike was a bit of a dud. There were some pretty views, any outdoor exercise is good, but the lake was maybe a glorified pond. We then went home, took care of the dogs and headed back to the park with our bicycles. That worked out very nicely. There are miles of paved bike paths that wander through the park. They carry you through busy areas as well as out to the middle of nowhere.<br />
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So we enjoyed a wonderfully pleasant evening just tooling around the park. As the sun was setting I did have some anxiety about figuring out where I parked the truck but obviously enough we prevailed.<br />
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Our last day at the park was primarily devoted to making our way to Glacier Point. During the busy season, during the busy part of the day, they only allow you to drive two thirds of the way then you must board a shuttle. It was all quite easy. Glacier Point is summed up in one word VIEWS! Really stunning views!<br />
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We stayed at Glacier Point a couple hours, got back on the shuttle and returned to Yosemite Village. The Village includes the primary visitor center, hotel, and numerous stores. Had to get a T-shirt. You know, we may soon be naked. Oh yes, and a bag of chips! Enjoyed a pleasant evening, worked on the blog and looked forward to moving on to our next stop - San Francisco. <br />
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Thanks for reading.<br />
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Duane<br />
Debbie, Duane, Bo, Laska and Baileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06374229341345414939noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5188748309433780695.post-61244700118738454212016-06-10T09:35:00.000-07:002016-06-10T09:35:15.367-07:00Getting Up to Date<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hi!<br />
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We wrapped up 2015 and now we're moving on to 2016. Hopefully you found something interesting in the "gee we decided it was important to update you with all of our travels since the last posting in June 2014" edition of See Ya When We Get There. So it's a new year and I'm going to continue the saga and bring you up to something that resembles today.<br />
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My father moved from assisted living in Florida to assisted living in Ohio October, 2015. My brother Danny and sister-in-law Lorraine, their children and their children's children all live in northeastern Ohio and it made great sense for my father to be there. In February Debbie and I went there for a visit. Had a great time with Danny and Lorraine and a wonderful visit with my father. Proved to be a mighty important trip. My father fell, cracked his skull and died April 12, 2016. He was 87.<br />
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The following week Debbie and I went to Carlsbad, CA for a previously planned timeshare week to enjoy the greater San Diego area. Debbie had never been there and I had been only related to work We had a very nice time. No surprise the weather was great (I think it always is). A real bonus was hooking up with my cousin Anita who I hadn't seen since 1999. We spent a wonderful evening with her and Diane. This included lots of talk, laughter and hugs. <br />
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The rest of the week we did tourist stuff. We took a train, The Coaster, from Carlsbad to San Diego and spent the day doing a hop-on hop-off bus tour. We went to the San Diego Zoo as well as the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Both were great We saw Giant Pandas as well as many other wonderful animals at the zoo,<br />
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but the Safari offered us something a little special. While at the Big Horn Sheep "coral", we watched a mother sheep introduce her 1 hour old calf to the world. But it gets better. Another mother decided to deliver her own new calf while we watched. Pretty cool!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you look closely you may be able to see the new baby to the left of the mother's head. Sorry we didn't get a better photo.</td></tr>
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On the more sedate side of activities we picked fresh strawberries one day,<br />
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and visited acres of blooming flowers that were being raised to harvest the bulbs<br />
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Most nights we took long walks along the beach and watched the sun set.<br />
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Another day we visited the affluent seaside community of La Jolla. It's Cove is famous for it's natural beauty,<br />
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birds,<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brandt's Comorant</td></tr>
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and cute sea lions. They were a delight and highly entertaining.<br />
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We're not "foodies" so even when we travel we don't eat out much. We did organic burgers (it's California) one night, pizza another and scored a great Chinese buffet. We went out several mornings for breakfast and one afternoon Debbie got her all time favorite Hawaiian Shave (no "d") Ice. Think snow cone only much much better! So it was a week of transition for me. Adjusting to my father being gone (my mother died years ago) warranted a great deal of personal reflection. I'm an emotional guy but a realist. It's life. All is well.<br />
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The first several days of May we were back in Ohio. We had previously set this time aside to go visit my father and the rest of the family so we kept it on the schedule. Another nice visit which included seeing my father's sister, Aunt Betty, who is 93 and looks wonderful! We put my father's ashes where they belong, in the ground next to my mother's. Thank you for listening about my father.<br />
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17 May the camper is loaded and moving down the highway. Just a little about the camper. "Little" being the operative word. It's a 24 foot box with a 3 foot tongue so it's classified as a 27 foot camper. It has one slide which houses the dinette. The spaces are compact but quite functional.<br />
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It's Debbie and I plus 3 dogs. That's not a typo, we are traveling with 18, 28 and 72 pounds of mostly very well behaved dogs. They're also on the old side (of course we are not). Thirteen, 12 and almost 9 years of age. Some folks have asked if the dogs will be a bother, inhibit some of our activities and physically be in the way in a small camper. The answer is emphatically, YES! But lord knows we love our dogs so we will be patient (mostly) and make it work.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back seat of the truck has been converted to the mobile dog house</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Found taped on our truck window the morning we left. We suspect our good friends The Reids </td></tr>
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If all goes well (a huge question) we'll be on the road until at least mid-October. The itinerary includes a week at the Grand Canyon, a week in Las Vegas, June in California, July Oregon, August Washington, September into Canada then back to the states and parts beyond.<br />
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As previously stated, 17 May we hit the road. Our adventure starts with a one week stay at the Grand Canyon. The primary purpose of this is so that I, with my good friend Bill, can hike rim to rim of the canyon. I did this last September. Bill and I completed our hike 20 May. Rim to rim presents some logistical challenges. The trick is how to be on one side of the canyon, hike to the other side and have transportation and lodging. Often hikers have someone drive around to pick them up. But it's about a 4-5 hour drive and we didn't want Debbie or Rena (Bill's wife) to have to make the drive. So Bill and I put together plan B. The 4 of us set up our travel trailers at Trailer Village on the south rim of the Grand Canyon National Park.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlVuXTGWlUcDiv_xE5SnSLDHnJSVopupnCqCPJJGP2cusM1AjiualdqV9WPf2FFwuBpYzpJmup4vyiEAXM3iqNuKFid-V_PQ92cMHFsrhc1KoQ8qB54Ty6NP90e5R_eWbI4BcBrhNGuqc/s1600/20160519_144555-002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlVuXTGWlUcDiv_xE5SnSLDHnJSVopupnCqCPJJGP2cusM1AjiualdqV9WPf2FFwuBpYzpJmup4vyiEAXM3iqNuKFid-V_PQ92cMHFsrhc1KoQ8qB54Ty6NP90e5R_eWbI4BcBrhNGuqc/s400/20160519_144555-002.jpg" width="290" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We were welcomed by numerous elk in the campground</td></tr>
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We stayed there Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday, Bill and I took a shuttle to the North Rim. It was $90 each but was a very pleasant ride. Thursday night we shared a great cabin that was positioned nearly on the edge of the North Rim.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the porch of our cabin</td></tr>
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It was pricey, about $125 each but that was the only thing available when we made the reservations. We enjoyed (with some moderation) a great buffet that night then worried a bit a about the weather. It was working on being colder then we expected and the wind HOWLED! It seemed like hurricane strength winds. We were up about 4 am and took a 5:30 am free shuttle from the North Rim Lodge to the trail head. Almost immediately the weather settled down and was pleasant the rest of the day. We successfully completed the traditional hike with a brief side trip to Ribbon Falls.<br />
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Total hike was about 24.5 miles. It was a great event with a great hiking partner!<br />
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Debbie and I then spent 8 days in Las Vegas because it's there and we always enjoy ourselves. Remember, we're now in the camper. We set up at Nellis Air Force Base. Very nicely maintained and oh so spacious!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Probably the largest campsite we've ever been in</td></tr>
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En route to Nellis our truck started to misfire. We also had a check engine light that came on occasionally and the exterior lid of the gas tank compartment was coming apart. It's a 2012 F150 that we bought in September last year. I'm not pleased but things must be addressed. The evening of our arrival I hustle to a Ford dealership, plead my case, and make arrangements to be there first thing in the morning. I'm truly the first guy in line and I'm out by noon. $900 later the problems appear to be fixed. So Vegas was great fun. Hot, but our little camper took good care of us. We gambled little and lost almost nothing. Primarily we're there to see shows. They included: Vegas The Show, Jersey Boys, Terry Fator, Mat Franco and Rock of Ages. A review of all the shows would be too lengthy, even for me, but if you want my critique, contact me and I'll freely share. We also toured the Neon Museum. It mostly resembles a large yard with lots of old rusty neon signs. That's it except they all came from old casinos and places of interest in Las Vegas.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVWlr5GDh8XvY5JDmrobnib8JsTBCafOI3Myz866mm39NnhDXq98QZANdxJYAeoaKKR1dozEMc7GKylnVX-Thc77Yw_RqLn92huqPRnvOG1Tdp4zNRC_Wr0pyiy1kcAONKygOFj-YXb4g/s1600/IMG_5109.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVWlr5GDh8XvY5JDmrobnib8JsTBCafOI3Myz866mm39NnhDXq98QZANdxJYAeoaKKR1dozEMc7GKylnVX-Thc77Yw_RqLn92huqPRnvOG1Tdp4zNRC_Wr0pyiy1kcAONKygOFj-YXb4g/s400/IMG_5109.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh how we loved the Sahara! Sorry to see it gone.</td></tr>
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Surprisingly interesting due in large part to our truly excellent guide!<br />
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So now we're about to become current. 1 June we drove close to 400 miles arriving at Three Rivers, CA early evening. This is a little community outside Sequoia National Park. Our mission is to see Sequoia as well as Kings Canyon National Park. But there's a problem upon our arrival. The water for the campground stopped flowing just before we arrived. The end of this story is it doesn't come back on until about 7 pm of the following evening. Everything about the well had fried as a result of an electrical short. We were not traveling with any water in our fresh water tank. We made things work, were not particularly fresh for a day but all's well. Back to the parks. They are HUGE! Only a small portion of the parks is accessible via automobile. This is particularly true of Kings Canyon. The evening of day one is spent settling in and fretting about no water. Day 2 we drive about an hour into Sequoia to an area called Giant Forest. For those of you who have not been here, not every tree is a Sequoia. But you will know one when you see one. I'm at a loss to proportionally describe the size of these trees. Surprise.......we do have some pictures.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvbcgvl7pnIbIJCqWZmrInzz-zwA-pUnCcJ0mJIA_dx-kSmBgXBjj7ExL3Levas5GH15o714roQuG7zUoF8z9RdLLzabGFAHPbcq5-Wzgy1Ls-gpJCnWS-runoF-AJ2LV7vkpR6X1HbUw/s1600/IMG_5192.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvbcgvl7pnIbIJCqWZmrInzz-zwA-pUnCcJ0mJIA_dx-kSmBgXBjj7ExL3Levas5GH15o714roQuG7zUoF8z9RdLLzabGFAHPbcq5-Wzgy1Ls-gpJCnWS-runoF-AJ2LV7vkpR6X1HbUw/s400/IMG_5192.JPG" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Almost impossible to get a picture of the entire tree </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCk4kje3i5OlXCgO6tygiwCOInD41DUqZu3oS0EeBsgwXKEkofdwVDvn94tMgoLcNSDvo2nLJYcfXXlRhQUmFCsAkRNul4iu5LlwoNncG_z4LOpBunooYnAH-Gck-B9f2vfjhbUOA6WSA/s1600/IMG_5141+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCk4kje3i5OlXCgO6tygiwCOInD41DUqZu3oS0EeBsgwXKEkofdwVDvn94tMgoLcNSDvo2nLJYcfXXlRhQUmFCsAkRNul4iu5LlwoNncG_z4LOpBunooYnAH-Gck-B9f2vfjhbUOA6WSA/s400/IMG_5141+-+Copy.JPG" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maybe this gives some perspective. See Duane at the bottom of the tree?</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFxZoavKy8B38EpXkxLSiPUJIYH_hliljIKlirf-SPoX7S6IQOLi6nSBDguSu9QT_ojueAnm4f12dCOLDd1mlHJYsjw5loBabVJ2mVsZ14Ap2-6S8NU6F_OCb5XjQruOlJjve3OPdB-Jw/s1600/IMG_5145+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFxZoavKy8B38EpXkxLSiPUJIYH_hliljIKlirf-SPoX7S6IQOLi6nSBDguSu9QT_ojueAnm4f12dCOLDd1mlHJYsjw5loBabVJ2mVsZ14Ap2-6S8NU6F_OCb5XjQruOlJjve3OPdB-Jw/s400/IMG_5145+-+Copy.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the Giant Forest, The Congress Trail is an easy 2 mile hike to view the Sequoia's</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwwQNQ96roywrkom1ArseubmdxxB53Fyo4eTiSQPhhZSBnbBhWsAHkTIYoLkRtIT9YV1Tj0s-KGcl88rr97SKTQa9v-u02hl3meQfmKOUTPjrBo4WMgtYBARHX4-zoN8F09WeAUnXxjAY/s1600/IMG_5152+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwwQNQ96roywrkom1ArseubmdxxB53Fyo4eTiSQPhhZSBnbBhWsAHkTIYoLkRtIT9YV1Tj0s-KGcl88rr97SKTQa9v-u02hl3meQfmKOUTPjrBo4WMgtYBARHX4-zoN8F09WeAUnXxjAY/s400/IMG_5152+-+Copy.JPG" width="265" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSIkHhXAdFaXadwf3CYArV8xDB-UmdNhmq5tJLbaNJoe1JZU6BpPbn1nnmL9XbBFlM_SRmfof0P8rxrPouLxt6cPuiRdsrCJ3JmsMDj1aWarITXX1YHmSAtSvRvr7J2MmBu-lM4-FVdmg/s1600/IMG_5179.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSIkHhXAdFaXadwf3CYArV8xDB-UmdNhmq5tJLbaNJoe1JZU6BpPbn1nnmL9XbBFlM_SRmfof0P8rxrPouLxt6cPuiRdsrCJ3JmsMDj1aWarITXX1YHmSAtSvRvr7J2MmBu-lM4-FVdmg/s400/IMG_5179.JPG" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fire damage. But the Sequoia's survive. </td></tr>
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Day 3 we hang around the campground. Day 4 we load the dogs into the truck and head for Kings Canyon. We simply drive (for about 8 hours), frequently stopping to enjoy the sites and take a few pictures.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsC6lwJ5MMFr1FJiIURSpjucK3H6w8tqe6T31popW4UDQdiWvCLaxuZKY_NGRDg27NtZD591sSRIxQxVO-44PFCu4EHSNWcw28zmyvuMGfGHQl4cwq2aV706zM5f64obGckydLWga6tAQ/s1600/IMG_5203.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsC6lwJ5MMFr1FJiIURSpjucK3H6w8tqe6T31popW4UDQdiWvCLaxuZKY_NGRDg27NtZD591sSRIxQxVO-44PFCu4EHSNWcw28zmyvuMGfGHQl4cwq2aV706zM5f64obGckydLWga6tAQ/s400/IMG_5203.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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That evening we join our friends, Tom and Fannie, from our community in AZ for dinner. They are on their way to their summer home in Washington. Dinner lasted 3 hours! It was great catching up.<br />
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Day 5 we return to Sequoia specifically to see Moro Rock. Again, the pictures must speak for themselves.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjahFP8qft47K8osnVg5n5usybdHuq9s4I5esxrzybKpQO0Hgh2gnu9I43MF2SRtS5ho3nF-MdqdQ0LLjDkiggulf_gTPaVBIxdY7EO0nQ8PYkj7SggfXXsXA9ieGRihEKlRF2PE1aeUBs/s1600/IMG_5207.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjahFP8qft47K8osnVg5n5usybdHuq9s4I5esxrzybKpQO0Hgh2gnu9I43MF2SRtS5ho3nF-MdqdQ0LLjDkiggulf_gTPaVBIxdY7EO0nQ8PYkj7SggfXXsXA9ieGRihEKlRF2PE1aeUBs/s400/IMG_5207.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can drive ot take the shuttle to Moro Rock, but we chose to do the 2-mile trail</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7h4qtohtFUGGqDMWja22a-fwQzU59P25XcDi1WJI4TE_uVY0PEVA62iCXA8XmDu4ISVidZjJHZWTdHaoveO6W-TNlwZEEzg-0RITa9vFeXnkJoyRBKmMI9lIcKJnu5U-4w3mNFm_hmg0/s1600/IMG_5217-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7h4qtohtFUGGqDMWja22a-fwQzU59P25XcDi1WJI4TE_uVY0PEVA62iCXA8XmDu4ISVidZjJHZWTdHaoveO6W-TNlwZEEzg-0RITa9vFeXnkJoyRBKmMI9lIcKJnu5U-4w3mNFm_hmg0/s400/IMG_5217-001.JPG" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More sequoia's along the way<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEict7UPxIHJCNEEdR_fvCmBHk04AFXN2RpxPwwQKR5Md-NwNniZ2hkZ0w_hswNWqVsCUFVZ-GKkmEh-bmeaYBEejLlE2Mph6e8Z4R_BqDHDf5p27sTGRksgxdHM4IELrvdvt9eKl3gVhnk/s1600/IMG_5221.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEict7UPxIHJCNEEdR_fvCmBHk04AFXN2RpxPwwQKR5Md-NwNniZ2hkZ0w_hswNWqVsCUFVZ-GKkmEh-bmeaYBEejLlE2Mph6e8Z4R_BqDHDf5p27sTGRksgxdHM4IELrvdvt9eKl3gVhnk/s400/IMG_5221.JPG" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finally we see Moro Rock. We're hiking up there?<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRzJBQ5suOnxd98WcEKbSsD78RcmGgM9iDbIAVd7tYB8XecgqLSkNX7PulI_xM4fJEysJMzQqT_s3Ph8-VB0Glj5xCu2INUk9v9ZFOOZgd6Fzddmq4qtCBOCHtCycLu5K2ybol4yMkbgo/s1600/IMG_5228.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRzJBQ5suOnxd98WcEKbSsD78RcmGgM9iDbIAVd7tYB8XecgqLSkNX7PulI_xM4fJEysJMzQqT_s3Ph8-VB0Glj5xCu2INUk9v9ZFOOZgd6Fzddmq4qtCBOCHtCycLu5K2ybol4yMkbgo/s400/IMG_5228.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Along the way we took a short side path to Hanging Rock<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAHXWZlDFdwHAhv8VViOoxO6X8B1iiRorMpN7N9pgTapeugH3KclbkumewM7MqW9NpHoVQTB0hqjF5okEclLZWtwvC7sls7No7gxtbSmqtLckkCNj6CLZQqaJHmGltoIzGy05s40RMpgc/s1600/IMG_5238.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAHXWZlDFdwHAhv8VViOoxO6X8B1iiRorMpN7N9pgTapeugH3KclbkumewM7MqW9NpHoVQTB0hqjF5okEclLZWtwvC7sls7No7gxtbSmqtLckkCNj6CLZQqaJHmGltoIzGy05s40RMpgc/s400/IMG_5238.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finally we start the climb up the rock</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi48ZRXsNtP_4QHrxE8jWrGcP65pndS-ZYwXYMtFESiHu7lMJVLZLPe4Z1rTuwvzMsq6i3FP_zN4BFA8BcqQmDM_Ao760288jR8W6fsVBQYulxvLGEdYfto-zYfGyjuUC-jtDgEafIUm3s/s1600/IMG_5241.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi48ZRXsNtP_4QHrxE8jWrGcP65pndS-ZYwXYMtFESiHu7lMJVLZLPe4Z1rTuwvzMsq6i3FP_zN4BFA8BcqQmDM_Ao760288jR8W6fsVBQYulxvLGEdYfto-zYfGyjuUC-jtDgEafIUm3s/s400/IMG_5241.JPG" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's about 400 steps</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4C61aUoJByM6tQwhnYOvp9dzKm4j_-6XBc2Ac7bVW33-Xft4OQM6bpWNzTBOcLpPyStYlv7rPiTpl6ubA3FXldDEJM78amQ6zmnU3rrBMgWqklDRrPwrxv8BQobYh4JlevjjFxHh_nB4/s1600/IMG_5240.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4C61aUoJByM6tQwhnYOvp9dzKm4j_-6XBc2Ac7bVW33-Xft4OQM6bpWNzTBOcLpPyStYlv7rPiTpl6ubA3FXldDEJM78amQ6zmnU3rrBMgWqklDRrPwrxv8BQobYh4JlevjjFxHh_nB4/s400/IMG_5240.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Almost there</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl-EhaiHgmkVHJcqIQBbkQZx-svz0FMpTOMkVyOcq8vqJqe_0qGCHfHfYOuWGm9esm4TNMnWrXAaQMspAHGyRsfPuLePz9dkUDDCmIt6WM2uTsph0lJ98K6b7FuIh7zk_09_Q6ftYJazI/s1600/IMG_5258.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl-EhaiHgmkVHJcqIQBbkQZx-svz0FMpTOMkVyOcq8vqJqe_0qGCHfHfYOuWGm9esm4TNMnWrXAaQMspAHGyRsfPuLePz9dkUDDCmIt6WM2uTsph0lJ98K6b7FuIh7zk_09_Q6ftYJazI/s400/IMG_5258.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the top - - 6,725 feet above the canyon floor</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1o7p2uK_Bri2DTpx8GhCnnQPnsqU8WjhzA_DDJrzia_sUfuR_8DTfvpD1_98dTHNH6Gav4p9a73Q50L6LRJbayDru4-1JhWkE7EFYgOw_1IkhTlLuViY0xw3A4l9vuCMk2RPJ6S95laM/s1600/IMG_5261.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1o7p2uK_Bri2DTpx8GhCnnQPnsqU8WjhzA_DDJrzia_sUfuR_8DTfvpD1_98dTHNH6Gav4p9a73Q50L6LRJbayDru4-1JhWkE7EFYgOw_1IkhTlLuViY0xw3A4l9vuCMk2RPJ6S95laM/s400/IMG_5261.JPG" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gorgeous views</td></tr>
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By the time this segment of the blog is posted we will be at Yosemite National Park or beyond.<br />
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Hope we're not boring you. Please comment freely.<br />
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Warmly,<br />
Duane, Debbie, Bo, Laska and our newest addition, Bailey. I'll tell you about her in our next installment. <br />
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Debbie, Duane, Bo, Laska and Baileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06374229341345414939noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5188748309433780695.post-21380901443217178072016-06-03T10:23:00.000-07:002016-06-10T09:29:54.191-07:00We're Baaaaaack!!!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We're back on the road again.....do you hear the song? If my memory (that would be Debbie) serves me correctly, our last thrilling post was of our Galapagos trip June, 2014. So let me summarize.<br />
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We had a 38 foot fifth wheel with 4 slides. We pulled the BIG thing with a BIG one ton dually truck. Recognize the theme? We decided to sell all that at a great profit. Ha ha ha! Do you hear the laughter or is that the sound of sobbing? We sold because it did seem too large for part time RVing, it was too much truck to drive around casually as a second vehicle and, ya know, it seems like the bigger the unit the bigger the problems. So we sold . <br />
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We spent the next 2 years in our home in Green Valley without a camper. I can't say we were idle. In fact we still did some very nice traveling, just no camper. <br />
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In August 2014 we went to Vermont to attend a party celebrating my daughter's marriage to Elizabeth. The event was joyous and held at a huge maple syrup farm. Very nice.<br />
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From there we went to Newport, Rhode Island. There, we were going to act like tourists as well as hook up with friends John and Ann. (They will appear again later). So we toured the infamous "cottages",<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> The Marble House</td></tr>
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hiked The Cliff Walk,<br />
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and enjoyed the varied sites as guided by Ann (who grew up there) and John. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Duane with our tour guides</td></tr>
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We usually eat pretty well on all our trips. Newport was no exception. John and Ann introduced us to Flo's, a rustic seafood shack which has been in Newport for something like 75 years. The best lobster rolls ever!<br />
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Next, it's off to Boston. My travel agent (guess who) scored us a downtown hotel for a fraction of the going cost. Still pricey, but not Boston pricey. We turned in our rental car and walked.</div>
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The city has a little history and some beautiful sites to see.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Faneuil Hall</td></tr>
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Excellent trip!</div>
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December 2014 we practiced our ABC's. That would be Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao via a 9 night cruise on Royal Caribbean. These are all prime locations for snorkeling, one of our very favorite activities!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aruba Sunset</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Royal Caribbean Explorer of the Seas </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snorkeling Bonaire</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fabulous Bonaire coral</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Bonaire </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snorkeling sunken ship in Curcacao </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Curacao</td></tr>
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I believe you must agree that Deborah Louise does some mighty fine underwater shots!<br />
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We were stay at home folks for the first half of 2015 then got busy. In June we were off to Hawaii for 3 weeks with our wonderful friends Bill and Rena. We toured the Big Island, Oahu and Maui. We love, love, love Hawaii! So much to see and do. Here's just a small sampling.<br />
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We enjoyed the beautiful and unique flowers and foliage,<br />
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dramatic scenery and coastlines,<br />
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some wildlife,<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeQgU0Fwj95NQJRXI9juUQocBBh2tsIviafJdQRc1m-ang-4C22Bm39ot7_jarmOzOgNcuhuSL535yqxiqIE7-MGnxHtvqIrcNe_Ze3Ix6SGdJHjpXtpnOA8boLM2DVoOzUvyKn8LyB7A/s1600/IMG_2608.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="332" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeQgU0Fwj95NQJRXI9juUQocBBh2tsIviafJdQRc1m-ang-4C22Bm39ot7_jarmOzOgNcuhuSL535yqxiqIE7-MGnxHtvqIrcNe_Ze3Ix6SGdJHjpXtpnOA8boLM2DVoOzUvyKn8LyB7A/s400/IMG_2608.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See the chicks under Momma?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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waterfalls,<br />
<br />
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a little history,<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCWQMuce0lgi2godi-KozlICJ34BXtIErr4cxQrOM8zH1L_WDImwbrPvUlp-sBgq5WYACQi0DN1j7GoY9i59g0SoehNJ8kdRcS-sGo1i9L2r_nJJAel1MDiwPvBVyXx1pvcC_IxxOmS34/s1600/IMG_2624.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCWQMuce0lgi2godi-KozlICJ34BXtIErr4cxQrOM8zH1L_WDImwbrPvUlp-sBgq5WYACQi0DN1j7GoY9i59g0SoehNJ8kdRcS-sGo1i9L2r_nJJAel1MDiwPvBVyXx1pvcC_IxxOmS34/s400/IMG_2624.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pearl Harbor</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
volcanic craters,<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsX-rTSuXXElnV8cBFtp9WaZxwSCR0nyb_Rc4ZnQ7nBr_aHMCBZWQOEO1jG6Y7cT7rUarKMxz76AThvM7bS9kL2Xs0M3Hf5sQmuUnAUX1GBk1PGEc7u5nsrB_yd0Lw983fIsjR46B-VFg/s1600/IMG_3018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsX-rTSuXXElnV8cBFtp9WaZxwSCR0nyb_Rc4ZnQ7nBr_aHMCBZWQOEO1jG6Y7cT7rUarKMxz76AThvM7bS9kL2Xs0M3Hf5sQmuUnAUX1GBk1PGEc7u5nsrB_yd0Lw983fIsjR46B-VFg/s400/IMG_3018.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Volcano National Park</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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and of course, our traveling companions,<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJNNGQH9ZIKToRGEYExx-z8ycmhNXzGvxCT2_Y_LHRK_lYO6lXNodAz5X_Lhf9LJKQ_mLH7wRZBEbVaiVf2v88jxjhaclPBKBL4XOe-qYz2g82VgyHxLOuMW6C-KDFwo4y8Ae2ValRejk/s1600/IMG_3082.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJNNGQH9ZIKToRGEYExx-z8ycmhNXzGvxCT2_Y_LHRK_lYO6lXNodAz5X_Lhf9LJKQ_mLH7wRZBEbVaiVf2v88jxjhaclPBKBL4XOe-qYz2g82VgyHxLOuMW6C-KDFwo4y8Ae2ValRejk/s400/IMG_3082.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bill and Duane don't really coordinate their outfits. It just looks that way.</td></tr>
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Aloha!<br />
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Next we spent 3 weeks of August in Ireland and Scotland. Every last detail of this trip was arranged by Debbie Rowe Travel. We rented a car and drove and drove and drove. All on the left side of the road from the wrong side of the vehicle. Actually that went very well. The way narrow roads were a little surprising but we quickly adjusted. It would be that or die!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFPHsPz5soc-1YCqa-ltGnK1f51o0JwpZUWSbD_-eFcDdC8atJe8K4Mpj1rlcVPQHE0ujFpgZKVtxK7Rn67Lz2aSUMuZjRbHdthyphenhyphen3pWlsME4qv6Qc0p00jG4NzYzekb6KGCq6c3ybfdNM/s1600/IMG_3358.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFPHsPz5soc-1YCqa-ltGnK1f51o0JwpZUWSbD_-eFcDdC8atJe8K4Mpj1rlcVPQHE0ujFpgZKVtxK7Rn67Lz2aSUMuZjRbHdthyphenhyphen3pWlsME4qv6Qc0p00jG4NzYzekb6KGCq6c3ybfdNM/s400/IMG_3358.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two lane road......really?</td></tr>
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We stayed everywhere at Bed and Breakfasts. These became a delightful element of the trip. So many really pleasant people, interesting dwellings and great food. The ridiculously scrumptious breakfasts always included multiple courses with great quantity. My favorite. Our routine quickly became eat breakfast and then nothing until a late dinner. While in Scotland we tracked down and visited some very distant relatives of Debbie. They could not have been more welcoming and hospitable. Scotland and Ireland were a sensory delight with visual overload. How's that for some travel brochure lingo? Here's a brief look.<br />
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Castles galore!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5783vCBuPD4b0AN0n5t3tHgYO5Xn7-qD2N0v5o2FiSCR6XnrGcRGaYUxTpTTbiTsFny2bT8uYmEpSo8eM8jzaMPkYdMtpiHWs4FKbshYiEAhRtPIIZsN08RQFUc5k_flhGNLbfl7QE_w/s1600/IMG_3325-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5783vCBuPD4b0AN0n5t3tHgYO5Xn7-qD2N0v5o2FiSCR6XnrGcRGaYUxTpTTbiTsFny2bT8uYmEpSo8eM8jzaMPkYdMtpiHWs4FKbshYiEAhRtPIIZsN08RQFUc5k_flhGNLbfl7QE_w/s400/IMG_3325-001.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kilkenny Castle - Ireland<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivy2-w3a7L4DjGw0evcvYrzFJNnQMnflGjUvAcOgbNmIpCQmHlmtBBBHNqZflkehzcke9qPF16Yoh1Uc4nP8E0LrxnZ-SZj8sp0zFC-RfY-Fa1_MUpFk-e1RMr60soj2h7DgKToQV2h3g/s1600/IMG_3350.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivy2-w3a7L4DjGw0evcvYrzFJNnQMnflGjUvAcOgbNmIpCQmHlmtBBBHNqZflkehzcke9qPF16Yoh1Uc4nP8E0LrxnZ-SZj8sp0zFC-RfY-Fa1_MUpFk-e1RMr60soj2h7DgKToQV2h3g/s400/IMG_3350.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rock of Cashel - Ireland<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinpvmd2H2sg1qTDajpjQ8lFthNE4T9ucU6R3JREmg_NRNcBbDbOaSoln2aw5QMFATJH5J4Crpf2-_54SnI1MaDcBnMDHQU5gdF0ptBSQUj5fBRZMPzEAS_TSM6VGG3sqpaN7Uv9UrLgYA/s1600/IMG_4082.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinpvmd2H2sg1qTDajpjQ8lFthNE4T9ucU6R3JREmg_NRNcBbDbOaSoln2aw5QMFATJH5J4Crpf2-_54SnI1MaDcBnMDHQU5gdF0ptBSQUj5fBRZMPzEAS_TSM6VGG3sqpaN7Uv9UrLgYA/s400/IMG_4082.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dunvegan Castle - Scotland</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Sheep by the millions!<br />
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Endless beautiful scenery.<br />
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These from Ireland.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOq-lUGr_t2TiKL4yTIT2pjP01pBAbRyzY4xIUpglF5tQLg7uuLMPFMvF6wHnG963Qmw7JMd993SvPO57kA6RB3wAPJINxmqoSeYjAegQ-6UVgU5wbJ9G6RD3b30C5xq1tHRaWzPgG-Wk/s1600/IMG_3679.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOq-lUGr_t2TiKL4yTIT2pjP01pBAbRyzY4xIUpglF5tQLg7uuLMPFMvF6wHnG963Qmw7JMd993SvPO57kA6RB3wAPJINxmqoSeYjAegQ-6UVgU5wbJ9G6RD3b30C5xq1tHRaWzPgG-Wk/s400/IMG_3679.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Practicing our selfie skills!</td></tr>
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These from Northern Ireland.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwG1aq0w45ee4Ft0Iui88JAoQDk_Mk6xogv3FG2batd9zRnAIB-SQUNO6OsUEKRUjksvZF7GBZaClZPROwswJ2QFxZhU6aEReOMbo0exX8tfa2So2zfO7C7hSqkna-6jys7CRlMdbqv8M/s1600/IMG_3840.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwG1aq0w45ee4Ft0Iui88JAoQDk_Mk6xogv3FG2batd9zRnAIB-SQUNO6OsUEKRUjksvZF7GBZaClZPROwswJ2QFxZhU6aEReOMbo0exX8tfa2So2zfO7C7hSqkna-6jys7CRlMdbqv8M/s400/IMG_3840.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The unique rock formations of the Giant's Causeway</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6jxWu4dCZCBvIAQ6TlRiBaZbkEdt1N0PQw0yLucXRJleLJlgNHRHYarVQqdC4NtyLQt_UnNMUXtteoasYw4kTYXwMc-iNiWsuZz2K1YWmMRiDnoYNBbYDkDPEcw5InVDNNN4SAcE-gO0/s1600/IMG_3820.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6jxWu4dCZCBvIAQ6TlRiBaZbkEdt1N0PQw0yLucXRJleLJlgNHRHYarVQqdC4NtyLQt_UnNMUXtteoasYw4kTYXwMc-iNiWsuZz2K1YWmMRiDnoYNBbYDkDPEcw5InVDNNN4SAcE-gO0/s400/IMG_3820.JPG" width="390" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Giant's Causeway</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More Causeway</td></tr>
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These from the Scottish Highlands.<br />
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And these from the beautiful Isle of Skye.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjphAXc4gVPpB4v2bqdt9nRk3qac2QVx1Xj91Gx77LgLBNs9nu79UAB5VbZy8y04GGtK7UZkYhKKeMlyozBLhZT77GSg9gawq9JvyUgSeaLH_gOGK_MXHmRY17DZ8ZW2f6X4Nt6nArP6mY/s1600/IMG_4110.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjphAXc4gVPpB4v2bqdt9nRk3qac2QVx1Xj91Gx77LgLBNs9nu79UAB5VbZy8y04GGtK7UZkYhKKeMlyozBLhZT77GSg9gawq9JvyUgSeaLH_gOGK_MXHmRY17DZ8ZW2f6X4Nt6nArP6mY/s400/IMG_4110.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See the rainbow?</td></tr>
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We still have one more vacation in 2015 to discuss but first we need to review a little side trip. I'm currently sitting in a 2015 Jayco travel trailer. Yep, we bought another camper. We decided on this particular floor plan but production of this model stopped mid year. Consequently, inventories were disappearing. Locally, prices for this unit remained high but we were convinced that there were clearance prices to be found. Sooo, the research queen went on the prowl to find us a camper. There were a few units available throughout the country at, what we (we almost always means Debbie) believed was a discounted price but they weren't equipped exactly as we wanted. But ta da, Debbie found "our" camper in Portland, OR. So early November we hustled up there with a stop in San Francisco to see Aubree and Elizabeth (they have since moved to Seattle) then jetted home pulling a new camper. Even after travel costs we figured we saved around $3000 compared to any of this particular model available elsewhere. More camper stories to come.<br />
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The last vacation of the year was a 2 week river cruise in Europe. We went with Tom and Fannie and John and Ann (I told you they'd reappear) as well as Ann's brother-in-law, Ron. (He lives in Maine - great fellow.) Outstanding traveling partners!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tom and Fannie</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John and Ann</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ron</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You know who</td></tr>
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Our route, via the Danube was Prague to Budapest. We did this in December returning home 23 December. Sounds like it ought to be winter. Yes? Well, yes it was. When the trip was first mentioned to me I hesitated with some form of brilliant observation regarding the cold weather, not a prime time to be there and blah blah blah. But then I learned of the Christmas Markets. These are glorious bazaars held throughout Europe celebrating the holiday season. As it turned out, lots of stuff to buy (we didn't) but more importantly lots and lots of Christmas spirit. The towns and cities we visited were all beautifully decorated for the holidays. Here's a look at some of Vienna's decor.<br />
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It truly was great fun and seriously wet our appetite to do more of Europe. The ship, designed specifically for river cruising the Danube, was much different from other cruise ships we've been on, but equally enjoyable. I'm betting a picture of the ship will follow this narrative. (I'm the talker, big surprise, and Debbie is "Tech Support" another surprise.)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Vantage River Splendor docked in Budapest<br />
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We spent two extra days at the beginning of our trip in Prague and it turned out to be one of our favorites.<br />
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Another favorite was our stop in Budapest. The evening lights were spectacular.<br />
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Most every day we were in a different city enjoying some form of guided tour. We still had plenty of time to do as we pleased. A little cold at times, but bundling up for the weather was a "jolly good time". It was a really nice trip with many unique sites and experiences. And did I mention our wonderful traveling companions?<br />
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That's it for the moment. Hopefully you'll enjoy this little diddie. 2016 is here so I'll share more soon.<br />
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Au Revoir,<br />
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Duane<br />
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<br />Debbie, Duane, Bo, Laska and Baileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06374229341345414939noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5188748309433780695.post-18969288357564351592014-06-16T15:46:00.000-07:002014-07-11T14:26:24.351-07:00Quito, Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands and Lima, Peru (May 16 - 27, 2014)As of Quito, we are now into a package deal with Celebrity Cruise Lines. Our trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands was maybe our best trip ever, at least the most unique. I feel there is a lot to say so please bear with me. If I peak your interest and you go, or at least enjoy what I have to say, then it won't be time wasted.....maybe. As previously mentioned, upon our arrival in Quito there's a Celebrity man with a Debbie Rowe sign. Quito has a brand new airport. It's very nice but the down side is that it is 25 miles outside of Quito. Worse yet, the new airport did not come with new roads. They're currently under construction. As we later learned the traffic congestion could be horrendous. Not the case at 12:30 am. We get to our JW Marriott room about 1:30am. It's very nice and you can even flush toilet paper.<br />
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We promptly get to bed and rise early for breakfast. It's a buffet, too good. After breakfast we board one of three buses for a tour of Quito.<br />
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We see churches, a plaza (I think all South American cities are built around a plaza) municipal buildings with sentries, shops and a monastery. <br />
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The monks had smart phones! We're not "foodies"... notice my frequent mention of buffets, but we do appreciate a good quality meal. Lunch was delightful and came with a charming opera singer! After lunch we visited the equator. <br />
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That evening we were back on buses to get to dinner. The evening passes quickly, we leave our luggage with the Celebrity people for transfer to our ship and get to bed. Up early, breakfast, slower bus ride to the airport and then a flight to Baltra, Ecuador. We are now in/on the Galapagos Islands.<br />
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After landing at Baltra we transferred to our ship, the Xpedition, via a Zodiac (single outboard motor boat with hard bottom, inflated sidewalls, 16 passengers) and thus began our cruise.<br />
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The ship is about 250' long, designed to carry 100 passengers.<br />
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The rooms are as "spacious" and comfortable as most any cruise ship we've been on.<br />
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There were 3 nice outside deck areas, 1 hot tub, no pool.<br />
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There was one dining area and one common area both large enough to comfortably seat all 98 passengers<br />
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Depending upon what you read (I did Google this), somewhere between 12 and 24 islands make up the Galapagos Islands. A fair conclusion could be that there are 12 "major" islands and maybe a half dozen way small islands. Only 4 of the islands have ANY human inhabitants! The islands are surprisingly hot, dry and barren. Although there are a few exceptions, this is not a tropical paradise.<br />
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I don't mean to imply that there are no beautiful beaches...there are.<br />
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In 1959, 98% of all of the Galapagos Islands were designated a National Park. Since then a significant campaign has existed to minimize the negative impact of homo sapiens. Consequently, the number of visitors is greatly limited and controlled by the Ecuadorian government. The majority of visitors reside on boats during their visit and move from island to island. Tour boats are assigned alternating routes, again to minimize the tromping of our big feet. Typically, we sailed to a new island mid-day during lunch, sometimes in the evening and other times throughout the night.<br />
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So here we go. Rather then giving you an hour by hour, island by island review, I'll attempt a broad summary. Our schedule of events on the ship did not vary greatly. Breakfast (buffet) was 7:00 - 9:00. We then went ashore 8:00 - 10:30. You had a choice of a long or short hike. We always took long, 2 miles max. The emphasis is on observing the scenery and more importantly the wildlife. On several days this outing was then followed with a deep water snorkel. We always went and this was some of the best of what the islands had to offer.<br />
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Before Galapagos, snorkeling with sea turtles was the best. Now, the new standard is snorkeling with turtles AND sea lions.</div>
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Lunch (buffet) was 12 - 1:30 Around 2ish there often was a lecture or film about the Galapagos. Our next shore excursion would then be at 3:00 Again a short or long hike and maybe snorkeling. A few times we just motored in a Zodiac around an island or cove enjoying the wildlife hanging at the shore. One Zodiac ride provided numerous encounters with the Galapagos Penguin. Way cool!<br />
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One morning we saw a flock of Flamingos just hanging out in a shallow pond!!!<br />
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Each evening about 7:00 we were provided an overview of what to expect for the next day. This included pictures of the island terrain, our Zodiac landing site, recommendations for shoes, sun screen, bug repellent (very few bugs) etc as well as what wildlife we should expect to see. Dinner from a menu was about 7:30 and then an evening program/live music/party around 9:30pm. Our cruise package was all inclusive which means all the spirits you'd like, on the house. Our conclusion was that the evening was largely an opportunity to drink with the gang. I don't drink (another story another time) so we passed on these activities. Plus early to bed looked good. About the end of the cruise we thought we should have at least dropped in to see what was happening but we took the old man way out. I don't know what all to say about our island experiences and impressions. The Zodiac ride ashore was always enjoyable and sometimes downright exciting. Life jackets required.<br />
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The landings were either dry or sometimes you were getting off in the surf. We were always in a group of no more then 16 people, always with a guide. As often is the case , a guide can make or break this type of outing. Our guides were terrific. They were endlessly helpful, knowledgeable and highly motivated to share with us the power of what we were experiencing. Once ashore we entered a different world. The pictures will be far greater then my babble. What you don't see is what you feel. It's so cool to be on these islands that in most cases are entirely uninhabited. Consequently the animals have no fear of man. The Iguanas (marine and land), of which we saw THOUSANDS, don't run off.<br />
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The Sea Lions want to play and nuzzle with you. And how many times did we say "they are so cute"? Just a million or two.<br />
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Even the birds don't bolt.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ouch!</td></tr>
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The Waved Albatross are sitting on soft ball size eggs in the middle of the path where you're walking. You're within inches and they don't even twitch.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The waved albatross, found on Espanola Island, have a wing span of 7-8 feet! </td></tr>
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The blue footed boobies were a hit with everyone.<br />
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Oh, and we can't forget the most colorful crabs ever (called Sally Lightfoots).<br />
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Often we were watching species that exist nowhere else other then where we were standing. Not all the islands had great things to see but here we are on a remote island, made of volcanic rock that maybe had nothing else to offer other then serenity. One afternoon outing was to a barren bit of island. Mother nature blessed us with a down pour that never let up (the only day of rain on our entire trip). The rain was fun but the real bonus was that the weather brought the island tortoises out to enjoy the rain.<br />
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The Tortoise is kind of the signature creature of the Galapagos. On the morning of the last day we went to the Darwin Research Center on Santa Cruz island where they breed, study and protect the tortoises.<br />
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Their success rate is something like 95%. And yes, we saw huge tortoises doing the wild thing.<br />
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Our group of mature adults struggled to not act like 12 year olds (with little success) but it also was a moment in nature not to be forgotten! That afternoon we went to an area called the Highlands that was uniquely lush with vegetation where the tortoises roam freely in this wonderland.<br />
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Throughout our time in the Galapagos we endlessly enjoyed the drama and beauty of the ocean, the unique vegetation, the wonderful cliff views <br />
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and the relentless excitement of having the opportunity to enjoy such a unique trip.<br />
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But the fun is not over. After arriving back in Baltra we fly back to Quito and spend another night at the Marriott. Really only part of a night because we're up at 1:30am so we can depart the hotel at 3am for the one hour drive to the Quito airport. Our flight leaves promptly at 6am and we arrive in Lima, Peru at 8am. Don't ask, yes there is a man with a Debbie Rowe sign waiting for us. We are now back on Debbie's ticket so let me take this opportunity to soundly applaud Celebrity Cruise Lines. Simply stated, they met our every expectation and we could not be more pleased with their service!<br />
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So our taxi dude drives us to the Hotel Tierra Viva in Miraflores,<br />
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which is an upscale section of Lima and nothing like the area around Lima airport that we saw at the start of this trip. By now it's only about 10:00am but the hotel allows us to check in early. So after getting settled we head out for breakfast at a sidewalk café. We then spend the day strolling through town, a little shopping, visiting some very nice city parks, enjoying a fun open air doubledecker bus tour of Miraflores and settling for some lousy Pizza Hut pizza. After yucky pizza, we mosey on and find the real highlight of the area. Miraflores is situated high on some cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean.<br />
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We later figure out that Miraflores has taken full advantage of this geographic delight by creating shoulder to shoulder parks all along the coastline. This includes at both the shoreline as well as at the top of the cliffs. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As you can see the parks are full of cats</td></tr>
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But by now we have been awake 30 hours or more so we crash early for some delightful sleep. We begin the next day with a rooftop breakfast (buffet) compliments of Tierra Viva! We then walked at our leisure to the cliffs and spent quite a bit of time just watching the hang gliders take off and land. A very popular attraction apparently, judging by the lines of people anxious to risk life and limb.<br />
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We enjoyed the parks/cliffs until about 5:00 pm then we go back to Tierra Viva. We paid half the daily rate for a late check out which in our case was 7:30pm. Seemed like a good deal. So we go down to the lobby and yes our prearranged taxi is waiting for us. Our man gets us safely to the airport despite horrible traffic and we depart Lima on our flight to Fort Lauderdale at 11:20pm. We arrive in Fort Lauderdale about 6:30am along with several other flights. Getting through Immigration was painfully slow but eventually we're on a 9:30 flight to Las Vegas. After a 2 hour layover we're on the final leg of our journey. We arrive in Tucson at 3:25pm and our good friend Don is waiting to drive us home. Our dogs, we do love those boys, are thrilled and being home is simply nice. We're not in the house 20 minutes and we walk across the street to Don and JoAnne's house for dinner. Very sweet!<br />
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So that's a wrap. We're currently working on selling our truck and camper (downsizing) so we're now into enjoying our first summer in Green Valley. Here's a surprise. Debbie's steadily working on an August trip that we'll look forward to telling you about. Life is too good. We're grateful! Thank you for hanging in there with us.<br />
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Adios<br />
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Duane<br />
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Debbie, Duane, Bo, Laska and Baileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06374229341345414939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5188748309433780695.post-12891040235852040592014-06-15T15:38:00.004-07:002014-06-16T10:06:03.009-07:00Off to South America (Ollantaytambo, Machu Picchu and Cusco, Peru) - May 5 - May16, 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
May arrived and we departed on our trip that we (which means Debbie) have been planning for two years and which we mostly financed with our seasonal job at Amazon.</div>
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May 5 we flew to Tampa, FL to hook up with my brother Danny and his wife Lorraine for a visit with my father. Danny and Lorraine live in Mentor, OH and my father lives in Palm Harbor, FL. While there we went out to Honeymoon Island State Park, pizza in hand to eat at the beach, swat bugs and enjoy the sunset.<br />
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The four of us truly have a wonderful time together. We are so darn funny. Just ask us. It was a great visit! Love you both!!!<br />
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May 9, Debbie and I rented a car and drove from Palm Harbor to Fort Lauderdale where we boarded a plane to fly to South America. So here's the plan: Fly to Lima, Peru spend the night then fly the next morning to Cusco, Peru. From Cusco take a 90 minute taxi ride to Ollantaytambo, Peru. Stay 4 nights then take a 90 minute taxi ride back to Cusco for two nights. May 16 fly to Lima then that evening fly to Quito, Ecuador. Two nights in Quito then fly to Baltra, Ecuador. Spend a great week touring the Galapagos Islands then fly back to Lima for 1 more night. May 27 depart Lima at 11:30pm for a 6 hour flight to Fort Lauderdale. Another long day of flying brings us home to Green Valley arriving May 28. Whew!!!!! <br />
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Now for the specifics. The flight from Fort Lauderdale to Lima gets off late and we don't arrive in Lima until about midnight. Then starts a trend. A man is standing there with a "Debbie Rowe" sign. He drives us to his neat clean home which is a Bed and Breakfast. At night, the neighborhood looks a bit scary. Our room is small and has an adjacent bathroom. In the morning we eat in their dining room where our taxi driver's wife presents us with a very pleasant breakfast which includes cereal, fruit, bread, jam, yogurt and the infamous Coca Tea. Infamous because it's made from coca leaves (you know like cocaine but no buzz) and it's popularity stems from the believe that it will minimize the unpleasant symptoms of altitude sickness. We drink it steadily during the next week.<br />
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In the morning our host drives us back to the Lima Airport. The neighborhood around the Bed and Breakfast looks OK, but the area around the airport looks much worse in the daylight! We then fly on to Cusco. The plane traveled over the Andes Mountains. We were impressed.<br />
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So we arrive at the Cusco airport and our new taxi driver, Ronnie, is standing there with a Debbie Rowe sign. He speaks almost no English but we communicate enough to know where we are going. Our ultimate destination is Ollantaytambo which is about 90 minutes away. However, en route we have 3 stops.<br />
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The first is the weaving village of Chinchero. <br />
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There, a wonderfully precious Peruvian woman demonstrated all the steps of producing Alpaca wool products. She takes us through harvesting the wool, cleaning it with a grated root material that turns soapy, dyeing/cooking the yarn with plant material or crushed bugs and finally the weaving process.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F9vzuYASdkU/U5zoBS1bK7I/AAAAAAAAKwk/B0zoYCxB-8c/s1600/IMG_0729.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F9vzuYASdkU/U5zoBS1bK7I/AAAAAAAAKwk/B0zoYCxB-8c/s1600/IMG_0729.JPG" height="360" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I wish you could hear her voice...so sweet!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wonder what an Alpaca looks like? Here you go!.</td></tr>
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Oh yes, this was capped with an effort to sell some of their product (we bought) but we didn't feel taken, we felt fortunate!<br />
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Next is Moray where we have massive, like 450 feet deep, sinkholes that are uniformly terraced. The believe is that they were there for agricultural use but it may have been for spiritual activities. The Incas didn't leave a lot of written history, like none.<br />
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Next is Salineras. This a site where the Incas collected salt from hundreds of shallow evaporation ponds and the locals continue this practice today.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ktfBF8oPxbw/U5zpXH0N9jI/AAAAAAAAKyE/o8eHp_OexyU/s1600/IMG_0786.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ktfBF8oPxbw/U5zpXH0N9jI/AAAAAAAAKyE/o8eHp_OexyU/s1600/IMG_0786.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The small salt rich stream to the left is endlessly diverted to each pond.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Each pond is only a few inches deep.</td></tr>
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Finally we arrive in Ollantaytambo. This is a 600 year old Inca village. There's one road in and one out. The rest of the community is a network of cobblestone paths and alley ways. It's located in a severe valley with the Andes jetting up around it on all sides. Beautiful!!!! <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from our room</td></tr>
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Unfortunately, it was pouring down rain when we arrived and our room is in a lodge down a cobblestone alley inaccessible to vehicles.<br />
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Not to worry. A fellow shows up with a cart attached to a bicycle and hauls our luggage up the cobblestone hill in the cart. Now that's service. I did stop by later in the day to examine the cart. I guess it solves the problem of no vehicle access quite nicely.<br />
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Our accommodations are at the Apu Lodge which is only about 5 years old. I might have guessed 40. It was neat, clean and nicely maintained but their building standards are nothing like what we expect. All of the construction materials were also rolled in on carts to the construction site, no roads! </div>
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Our time in Ollantaytambo was serene. We spent the evening of our arrival walking around town and eventually having pizza. Early to bed and early to rise. Apu also was a Bed and Breakfast so each day began in a day room with the other guests having breakfast. This included eggs, bread, fruit, granola, juice, coffee and coca tea. At only $65/night we thought Apu Lodge was a great place to spend our time in Ollantaytambo.<br />
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Day two we spend hours hiking a mountain on the "Pinkuylluna" trail that begins minutes from our room.<br />
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The views truly were stunning and, to our amazement, there were Inca ruins all along the trail we were hiking.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Notice the ruins and trail on the mountainside</td></tr>
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Now, the fact is we are not Inca history buffs. But, when you start rambling around these ruins you have to be impressed with their location, the effort required to build, their design and the fact that they're still there. It may be said that we stood there in awe of the structures.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These are granaries, you know like for storing grain</td></tr>
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Additionally, the views from the mountain overlooking the valley are so mighty impressive.<br />
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The trail was steep and rocky, but we took our time and hiked carefully.</div>
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We ended our hike with the increasingly popular "selfie".</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sefie of Duane</td></tr>
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Afterwards, we took an enjoyable walk along the river running through town.</div>
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As we strolled I came upon an opportunity to do my good deed for the day. We found two burros tied up at the edge of the river grazing on the tall grass. The rope of one was hopelessly wrapped around a sign pole though and he couldn't move. Duane to the rescue!<br />
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Later we strolled through town some more and closed the evening with a nice dinner.<br />
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Day three we visit the massive ruins that tower over the village. <br />
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I was particularly impressed with the massive boulders. How did they move them?!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Please note how they're carved to fit!</td></tr>
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Again, the views overlooking the town were breathtaking.<br />
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So you see, each day was a leisurely paced event that included breakfast, hike/walk, visit ruins, stroll through town, dinner and early to bed.<br />
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Day four is off to Machu Picchu. We were up about 4:30am, walked to the train station, departed at 6:45 for about an hour and a half train ride to Aguas Calientes. Then we took a heart stopping bus ride up the mountain to Machu Picchu. We worked hard to see all of Machu Picchu and more in a day, including hikes to the Sun Gate and the Inka Bridge. The only downside of this adventure was that it was no where near as cool as we expected and we dressed too warmly. But at the end of the day we felt that we had FULLY experienced all that this unique site had to offer. I'll skip the narrative, please enjoy the pictures. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Is it a rabbit? Is it a squirrel? Couldn't figure out what critter this was until we googled it.<br />
Of course! It's a Viscachas.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Debbie's personal Sherpa</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Town of Aquas Calientes</td></tr>
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The next morning, May 14, Ronnie our taxi driver is waiting for us as scheduled. We have a quiet, scenic ride back to Cusco where Ronnie delivers us, literally, at the front door of the Hostal Wara Wara.<br />
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This structure is deceiving. The front door is about 12 inches off the road. <br />
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The door is well secured and you have to be buzzed in. Once inside, we find our room to again be small, clean and it has a bathroom. The price was slightly less than Apu Lodge.<br />
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Probably the best thing about this place is the fantastic view of Cusco from their balcony.<br />
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Our hosts, a married couple, live there with their 2 year old son. The young boy apparently has read the book entitled "The Terrible Twos" but his behavior, which really was not so terrible, simply added to the homeyness of the setting. Coincidentally, the wife, who was originally from Lima, Peru had lived in Tucson (we live 25 miles south of Tucson) for a couple years after graduating from high school. Again it was a Bed and Breakfast and we were served eggs, toast, fruit, juice coffee and tea. On day one we were heavily engaged in a robust conversation with a couple from Dallas seated at our table when our server delivered Debbie eggs. I yakked on with the couple while Debbie enjoyed the eggs. We later realized the server had delivered Debbie and my portion of eggs on one dish so Debbie enjoyed an "ample" serving. I had toast. Big laugh! Debbie considered many things when selecting our lodgings. A significant variable was whether or not the hosts spoke English. Folks at both Wara Wara and Apu spoke excellent English. In fact, throughout our trip the fact that we don't speak Spanish was mostly no issue at all. We spent more time with locals in Peru then elsewhere and we were continually pleased with their hospitality. People there just seemed greatly invested in ensuring we understood all that we needed to know. Quite charming! <br />
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So we spend our time in Cusco walking and enjoying the ambiance of the town. Cusco is much bigger than Ollantaytambo, still charming, just not as much as "Ollanta" in our opinion. <br />
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Now let me address three subjects. (1) Altitude - Ollantaytambo was about 9200ft. Machu Piccu about 8000ft. Cusco about 11,000ft. So we (Debbie) planned our trip so we would have the opportunity to acclimate prior to staying in Cusco. We also took prescribed altitude medication and steadily drank coca tea. I would say that to a large degree we successfully avoided the ill affects of altitude sickness. (2) When one is on such a trip one must be careful to not drink the local water, and must be very careful about what they eat. No fruits or vegetables that can't be peeled or are not fully cooked, watch the eggs and be sure all meat is fully cooked. Wash your hands frequently. Carelessness can result in the dreaded heebee geebees. I'm so juvenile. OK, gastrointestinal disorder. I would like to say that we were again quite successful but that is not true. For whatever unknown reason by noon of day two in Cusco I was oh so sick. I woke up not feeling so well and already enjoying the heebee geebees but I figured I would power through the symptoms so we walked way down a hill into town. It was all I could do to get back to our room.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Struggling uphill.</td></tr>
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I believe my "condition" was exacerbated by the altitude because I could only walk a few steps and I would have to sit to catch my breath before moving on. So I went to bed at noon and stayed there until 6 the next morning. I felt like I was going to live but I was slow moving for the next couple of days. (3) Toilet facilities in Peru. Almost without exception you won't find toilet paper in a public restroom, there often is no toilet seat and you never can flush the used toilet paper. There will be a receptacle to dispose of your paper. That applies to hotels as well as public facilities. These requirements were certainly unique but it is somehow managed so it wasn't as funky as you might think. Love that international travel.<br />
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So on the morning of May 16 another taxi arrives at the Wara Wara and takes us to the Cusco airport. We smoothly fly out and arrive in Lima about 1pm. Our flight to Quito, Ecuador does not depart until 9:30pm. Originally we were scheduled to have a driver tour us around Lima. However, due to my delicate condition, Debbie cancelled the tour. Consequently, we sat in the Lima airport for 8 hours. Frankly, that was fine with me. I could rest my "ravaged" body, use the facilities as often as needed (we carried our own paper - Debbie's planning) and save my energy for the next leg of our trip. Our flight out of Lima, Peru was a little so slow getting off the ground, plus it seemed to take forever to get through customs, so we didn't arrive at our meeting place in the Quito airport until about 12:30am. When we did finally arrive what do you imagine we saw? Yes, it was a young man standing there with a Debbie Rowe sign.<br />
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Can you hear the music? I am now singing Debbie's praise. Up until arriving in Quito, we were entirely dependent upon arrangements booked on the local economy by Debbie !!! We had Peruvian money, train tickets and even admission tickets to Machu Picchu in our hands prior to arriving in Peru. Every room was available exactly as planned. Every plane, train and taxi was where it was suppose to be like we had called from the corner payphone. Debbie truly spent hundreds of hours working out every last detail. They even changed one fight by 12 hours but didn't promptly tell us. But because Debbie checks and rechecks, she caught it early and made the necessary adjustments. Even some of the emails and flight info were coming to her in Spanish. "El no espanol." I'm telling you now. It was no accident that there were so many folks standing around with Debbie Rowe signs. MIGHTY IMPRESSIVE!!<br />
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More to Come.<br />
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Duane<br />
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<br />Debbie, Duane, Bo, Laska and Baileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06374229341345414939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5188748309433780695.post-35306213530507294472014-06-14T15:23:00.002-07:002014-06-16T10:05:33.228-07:00March and April 2014 (Green Valley, Grand Canyon and Sedona, Az)We returned from the cruise March 1. This is when the blog really gets interesting. Now you get to hear about normal life in the Rowe family. While in Quail Creek we try to spend our time in a fairly productive manner. Debbie is ALWAYS planning our next trip, she walks frequently, hikes occasionally and tries to go to Dancercize twice a week. Additionally, she dabbles with stained glass and quilting. I hike and bike somewhat consistently and when the temperature's warm I throw in swimming laps. In mid-March I fell about 8 feet down the face of a rock while hiking. I kind of screwed up a knee which has curtailed my hiking for the time being. I'm optimistic that I'll get the knee corrected soon. I then can return to fuller schedule of activities. I hope to add pickleball to my repatoire. Here's a surprise, I also spend a lot of time outside, often just walking around and frequently talking to the neighbors. Debbie volunteers one, I two mornings each week at our local no kill dog/cat shelter where we walk dogs. Very satisfying! We are blessed (over used these days, but true!) with a group of GREAT friends that results in a steady diet of socializing which most often includes eating. See how I cleverly tied in the word diet? <br />
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Debbie's son, Ryan came from Iowa to visit for the last week in March. We went to the Grand Canyon for a few days. That's such a great ditch, always worth seeing!<br />
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And Rena kept her promise and showed Ryan how to make an apple pie.<br />
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In April Debbie and I both had colonoscopies. Does the fun never end?! <br />
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Also in April, Debbie took a 2 night trip with her friend Tommy and the Quail Creek hikers to beautiful Sedona, AZ. No real strenuous hikes she says thankfully, but lots of amazing views!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hi Tommy!</td></tr>
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So this is the mundane life of retirement. It's so wonderful !!!!<br />
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Duane<br />
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<em></em><br />Debbie, Duane, Bo, Laska and Baileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06374229341345414939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5188748309433780695.post-70225757325656047702014-06-04T13:07:00.003-07:002014-06-04T13:07:34.712-07:00Mexican Rivera Cruise ( Feb. 21 - Mar. 1, 2014)After Amazon we went to Dallas, TX to visit my daughter Aubree and arrived home in Green Valley, AZ December 30, 2013. We love our home. Green Valley is mostly a retirement town and our neighborhood, Quail Creek is an over 55 community with every amenity and activity known to man. Our house is small and bright, easy to maintain and we have no grass. We have great friends here, very social and endless activities so it was very easy to settle in!<br />
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Our next outing of significance was a Cruise! On February 21, 2014 we drove with Bill And Rena to Long Beach, CA. California freeway driving on a Friday afternoon requires your full attention but we simply acted like we knew what we were doing. There, for the night before the cruise, we each had a very nice $250 a night room at the Hotel Maya adjacent to the cruise port. However, the DEAL QUEEN (Debbie) got the rooms for around $120 a night which also included free parking for the length of the cruise. The girl is good!<br />
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We boarded the Carnival Miracle the next day with Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas as our destinations.<br />
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For those of you who know us you'll recall we've done many cruises and we just had a "hankerin" to cruise. There are not a lot of choices for easy (which means cheap) cruises on the west coast so this simple itinerary suited us just fine. Also, Bill and Rena had never been on a cruise so we thought this might be an ok intro to cruising. I won't try to suggest that Carnival is the very best of the cruising world but we believe you get a lot of cruise for your money on Carnival. We had aft balcony rooms and the ship was quite nice.<br />
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The one week cruise included two days with an overnight in Puerto Vallarta, one day in Cabo San Lucas and the rest sea days. We arrived in Puerto Vallarta about noon. We were parked (the correct word may be moored) at the pier so it was easy to go ashore and check out the town. We moseyed along the Malecon (walkway along the ocean) for a few hours checking out the sights,<br />
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The "sand men" are real people<br />
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then returned to ship to prepare for our evening.<br />
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As best we knew we were going to take a boat from the ship to a distant location (island or remote peninsula - I'm not sure) for dinner and a show (Rhythms of the Night). It was great! The boat ride was about 45 minutes, pleasant. The island was BEAUTIFUL. As you entered the tropical paradise you were greeted by huge, ornately costumed creatures hanging out in trees, hiding behind rocks or frolicking in the path. <br />
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Yes, they were actually humans that would later be seen in the show. The island was covered with lengthy paths that ultimately took you to dinner, the show and I guess beyond. Dinner was a wonderful, maybe even gourmet, buffet ( my kind of eating) that was, you know it's coming, "to die for"! The island was lighted entirely with hundreds of torches and candles. Couldn't have been prettier. <br />
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The show was in an open air theater with kind of a Cirque du Soleil flair. Our creatures were on stage, in the adjacent trees and flying through the air. The nighttime boat ride back to the ship was even more pleasant then the ride out. DELIGHTFUL evening!!!<br />
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The next day we had scheduled a jeep tour of the area. The four of us were in our own jeep and another couple and the guide were in the other jeep. We mostly just travelled the countryside, visited a little rural village, <br />
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and stopped at a tequila factory for a tour and lunch.</div>
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I'm the designated driver so Bill drove out and I had the wheel after the shots of tequila. They were really just sips of tequila, I don't want to paint Bill or anyone else as a drunk! Ultimately we ended up back in town sitting at a beach front location enjoying some drinks and the company of the other couple who were on our tour and also our cruise ship. All very interesting and nice. Later we were back on ship and headed for Cabo San Lucas.<br />
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Cabo is a beautiful location with great whale watching. We're off the ship at 8ish and on to a Zodiac with guide. We never tire of whale watching and Cabo offers some of the best. The boat ride, water and views are great and coupled with the pursuit of whales makes for a great outing. We saw some whales fairly close and others not so but it was still a very satisfying event.<br />
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Later, on the ship, as we left the Cabo harbor the whales put on quite a show at the rear of the ship, right in front of our balconies.<br />
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Because I'm brilliant I had gone to the front of the ship to watch our departure so I missed the show but I'm told it was spectacular!<br />
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Overall, it was a great cruise. Food and service was good and we all found <strike>the</strike> entertainment enjoyable. We resisted the on board photographer's suggestions to get our picture taken every time we turned around, but did take a few of our own.<br />
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So after Cabo we enjoyed another sea day, arrived back at Long Beach and drove home without incident.<br />
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A great time!!<br />
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Duane Debbie, Duane, Bo, Laska and Baileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06374229341345414939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5188748309433780695.post-34500178758479790912014-06-03T13:43:00.002-07:002014-06-05T06:24:56.533-07:00Amazon (Oct. 10 - Dec. 23, 2013)If my math skills don't fail me I believe it's been about 8 months since we last spoke. I have a multitude of excuses but quite frankly I was thinking my blogging days were done. But then there were nice people in our life who kept asking about the blog and were telling us that they enjoyed what we had to say and especially enjoyed Debbie's pictures. So we're back. We humbly appreciate the kind encouragement and will try to be a little more motivated.<br />
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Given the passage of so much time, I will paraphrase much of the past months and give more details about some of our more recent adventures.<br />
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The last you heard of us we were arriving in Coffeyville, KS for the purpose of a seasonal job with Amazon.<br />
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We were there from Oct 8, 2013 until Dec 23, 2013. Coffeyville is a quiet town of about 10,000 people. For most of us the major attraction in Coffeyville was the SuperWalmart. The closest towns of size are Tulsa, OK at about 75 miles away and Joplin, MO at about 65 miles. The job was in an Amazon distribution center (i.e. warehouse). There are 3 such locations in the country where Amazon hires RVers to fill their need for seasonal employees to meet the demands of holiday shopping. The other two locations are Campbellsville, KY and Fernley, NV. They gave us a free campsite which in our case was right across the street (there were numerous other campgrounds throughout town serving Amazon RVers), $11 an hour, time and a half over forty hours and a $1 an hour bonus for every hour worked after completing the season.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our campsite at Big Chief</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The huge Amazon warehouse was just across the street</td></tr>
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So life at Amazon was "interesting." We had a few days of orientation and training beginning on the 10th. We were then off for the weekend and began half days for the next 4 days. Amazon calls this "hardening" which means getting use to the work. We were off for 3 days and then began our normal work schedule. Our first surprise was that we were assigned to the night shift. We worked M-TH, 5:30pm to 4am. As soon as our half days began we started living the nocturnal life of the night shift. We surprisingly adjusted quite quickly. Our only purpose for being in Coffeyville was to make money so we worked all the overtime they would permit. The max allowed was 56 hours a week. We consistently worked 50 - 56 hours every week. The work was not particular hard but it was not great fun either. During our ten weeks we primarily worked three different areas. Initially we were in Receiving where we processed in tons of merchandise as it arrived in the warehouse. Then we worked Receiving as well as Stowing. In Stowing you stow (clever) merchandise in bins where it will later be picked to fill orders. Lastly, we worked in Picking. Keep up! In Picking you pick merchandise from the bins and forward it via conveyor belts to the shipping people. I also worked the dock area processing/moving pallets and Debbie often worked Prep where she wrapped stuff in bubble wrap, etc. So it was 10-11 hour days mostly on a concrete floor with lots of bending, lifting, stretching and miles of walking. In the end while picking we were covering 10 - 12 miles a night in the 1.2 million square foot warehouse. Debbie and I had our share of aches and pains but they eventually went away. My guess is we all speak of how quickly our Amazon orders are filled . After working there we're surprised this is true because it often seemed like unmanaged chaos but some how it works. The quality of training for each assigned task left a lot to be desired but everyone seemed to figure things pretty quickly. I thought the floor managers were great. They were all upbeat, highly motivated and did a good job of dishing out positive reinforcement. We all made mistakes but they never made us feel stupid.<br />
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An added bonus of this sort of life experience is that we met so many wonderful people. There is great camaraderie among the RVers and we all bonded very nicely. <br />
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Looking back there was one GREAT blemish! The weather was mostly horrible. Very cold with a fair amount of snow and then the dreaded ICE! Many of us wrestled with frozen water lines and valves as well as just keeping the camper warm. The last two days we "enjoyed" what amounted to an ice storm. So I spent the first few hours on the day of our departure with a rubber mallet beating about 1 inch of ice off the camper so the slides would come in.<br />
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Together we netted about $11,000 which we later spent on a great trip (soon to be addressed in the blog) and had another unique life experience.<br />
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DuaneDebbie, Duane, Bo, Laska and Baileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06374229341345414939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5188748309433780695.post-67788366071018027152013-10-12T18:18:00.000-07:002013-10-12T18:18:04.638-07:00The Long Way to Kansas (Sept. 15 - Oct. 8, 2013)With NJ in the rear view mirror we're first headed south. Our day of departure included a relatively short drive to Joppa, MD. Our mission is to visit with Dick and Sue. We met these fine folks at our first volunteer job in NC in 2010. We, as often is the case means Debbie, have kept in touch with them but we hadn't seen them for about 3 years. It was very nice. We simply picked up where we left off three years ago. Dick has a 30 amp plug at his drive for a motor home they have since sold so it couldn't have been any easier. We yakked, had a GREAT Italian meal at a local restaurant and finished the evening with some outstanding cake by Sue. In the morning Sue put out an enormous spread of breakfast delights.<br />
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She is such a great cook! Much of Dick's working days included driving a bus for Trailways followed by years of long distance trucking up and down the east coast. Consequently he was well prepared to provide us a route that threaded through the Baltimore/ DC area without any challenges. Thanks Dick. Love to you both!!<br />
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After a full day of driving we spent the night in Wilson, NC then on to Myrtle Beach, SC arriving September 17 at Ocean Lakes Campground. Myrtle Beach is a great destination for just about everyone. There is the beautiful ocean, over 100 golf courses, numerous campgrounds, hundreds of restaurants and tons of entertainment. We spent 30 years in SC and have been to Myrtle Beach many times. It remains an exciting destination. Ocean Lakes is a terrific campground. It ain't quaint, it's huge. And it's not cheap but we think it's worth the price. It includes 310 acres with endless beach frontage, 893 pull thru campsites (many paved), eateries, store, laundry, pool as well as 2500 annual lease sites that are occupied by homes ranging from converted campers to huge stick built homes. I share this little review because it's such a unique location. It's fun to be able to be on the beach in moments and it's a great location for endless walking and gawking.<br />
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There, we were meeting up with Glenn and Linda whom we have known for many years. An added bonus was to also spend time with Roger and Maria who we have come to know in the past couple of years while visiting Glenn and Linda. So the six of us are lined up together in 3 adjacent sites that enables us to just have a wonderful time....non-stop!!!<br />
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We stayed 4 nights. We ate, jabbered, laughed, ate, walked many miles, ate, and enjoyed the beach.<br />
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One evening we totally overindulged at The Original Benjamin's, one of Myrtle Beaches' glutinous seafood buffets.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Duane, Roger and Glenn</td></tr>
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Later, we enjoyed a great variety show at the Carolina Opry. We are still telling, or at least trying to remember, some of the outrageous jokes we heard at the show. So funny.<br />
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But the fun is just beginning because we're driving about 3 hours to Irmo, SC (immediately north of Columbia, SC) to spend 4 more nights with Glenn, Linda, Roger and Maria. They live next door to each other. Glenn and Linda own a piece of rental property about a mile away from their home. It has 2+acres. In preparation for our arrival, Glenn had installed 50 amp service and leveled a pad for our camping comfort. It is a delightfully peaceful setting. Thanks Glenn!<br />
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A special treat during our visit with Glenn and Linda was a get together with a wonderful group of people we've come to know during the past 15+ years. The common denominator is employment with the SC Dept of Corrections. So we had a great visit with Barry, Carlette, Janice, Hugh and Emily as well as Glenn, Linda, Roger and Maria. It was particularly nice to see Hugh, who was recovering from a recent fall and doing so well. Janice had the great idea to bring a cake for Carlette who was celebrating her birthday that day, but in addition decided to recognize everyone's birthday that we may of missed over the years.<br />
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Before departing, Debbie went on a shopping spree compliments of Linda. Over the years Debbie some and Linda to a much greater degree, have worked with stained glass. Now, if Linda were sitting right here with me I'd say that she is the consummate consumer. Consequently, she had all products known to man related to stained glass. But now she's moved on to other interests and was motivated to liquidate her glass tools and sheets of glass. She had several thousand dollars worth of stuff. Linda insisted that Debbie take what she wanted and she would only accept payment equal to a fraction of the value. Both Glenn and Linda are notoriously generous people!! We ended our SC trip with a great meal (what else?) at a Japanese steak house. <br />
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Big Hugs to all our SC friends. And to Linda and Glenn, thank you again so much for all your genuine southern hospitality. Love you!! <br />
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September 25 we headed for Florida. My cousin Beth, that I haven't seen for about 13 years, wrote me a letter just before we left AZ. So we stopped in Lakeland, Fl for a visit. It was nice spending time with Beth and her parents. We'll have to do a better job of staying in touch.<br />
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From there we went on to the area of Dunedin Florida to visit with my father. We stayed there 5 nights. My brother Danny and his wife Lorraine were there as well. We had a nice visit with my father and the 4 of us Danny, Lorraine, Debbie and Duane had a rambunctious good time. We particularly enjoyed our afternoon together in Tarpon Springs walking, laughing, eating and visiting the sponge docks.<br />
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I know this is somewhat perverse or something, but we all couldn't help but laugh when we came across this sign in one of the restroom areas.<br />
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And our evening games of pinochle were always good for a laugh or 20. We think we are just sooo funny!!! Before we left we decided to try our hand at taking some more "formal" family photos. Here's a few of what we thought were the better ones.<br />
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The night before we left Florida Debbie and I managed to let our camper toilet overflow. Apparently the flapper didn't quite close, the bowl filled with CLEAR water faster then it could drain (it ran for about 3 hours while we were gone) and the result was a fun filled mess. Mostly the water drained to the basement space and underside of our fifth wheel. We were up until about 1am sopping up water, removing everything from the basement and dropping the underbelly skin because it looked like a water balloon. That was several days ago and there appears to be no lasting damage......that is unless I later find rot and warping?<br />
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October 1 we broke camp with Branson, Mo as our next destination. Along the way we spent one night in Macon, GA at Lake Tobesofkee. Very nice pull-thru full hook-up sites right on the lake.<br />
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The next morning we were awakened by we didn't know what. Opened the door to find some friendly turkeys looking for breakfast I guess. <br />
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Bo sent them on their way.<br />
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The next afternoon we arrive at the Tom Sawyer RV Park in West Memphis, Arkansas. <br />
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Despite the condition of their sign, it was an OK place. The campground and our site are right along the Mississippi River and apparently very susceptible to flooding during the spring.<br />
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Nice and dry when we were there, but we sure were surprised by the water line marks from 2011.<br />
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All in all a pretty setting and lots of fun watching the barges go up and down the river.<br />
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October 3 we arrived in Branson. We stayed 5 nights at the Stage Coach RV Park. It was very nice and a deal at $22 a night with Passport America.<br />
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Branson is all about shows. We saw 5 in 3 days for about $200. We bought tickets at the half price place. My guess is they weren't the very best shows in town but among the five they ranged from outstanding to at least pleasantly entertaining. They were: (1) The Texas Tenors - OUTSTANDING!<br />
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We would go see them again in a heartbeat. They placed 4th on a recent season of America's Got Talent (AGT). I'm thinking they should have won. (2) The Haygoods - EXCELLENT high energy variety show. Five brothers and their sister. Time very well spent.<br />
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(3) 70's Music Celebration - hosted by Barry Williams who was Greg in the Brady Bunch. It was a fun show especially if you enjoy reminiscing about the lighter side of the 70's.<br />
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(4) Todd Oliver and Friends - Quite funny for the dog lovers (like us). He's a ventriloquist and his dogs and lap dummies talk and sing. He also placed 4th on AGT.<br />
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(5) Smoke on the Mountain - This gospel comedy play takes place in a church. The venue for this program was a very small theater and the audience served as the congregation. As in most things in our household, Debbie decides what we do. I have "input" but Debbie does the research and I rarely find any reason not to agree with her choices. If you know us then you probably know we're not really the gospel type so this may appear to be a surprising choice for us. Nonetheless, the show was quite enjoyable with one character in particular stealing the show.<br />
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We also spent some walking time at the Table Rock State Park and the adjacent dam.<br />
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Our last day in Branson we visited the College of the Ozarks. It's a Christian college where none of the students pay tuition but they are required to work 15 hours a week in exchange for their room, board and tuition. We were impressed. <br />
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Green house full of Orchids<br />
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Antique tractor display<br />
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Delicious Fruitcake<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great views from an overlook at the school</td></tr>
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This was our first trip to the Ozarks and we feel that it was a great success. A 3 hour drive brought us to Coffeyville, KS and our adventure with Amazon. We'll start reporting on that soon.<br />
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Ciao!<br />
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DuaneDebbie, Duane, Bo, Laska and Baileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06374229341345414939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5188748309433780695.post-89891166380066360862013-10-11T15:29:00.000-07:002013-10-11T16:45:00.417-07:00New Jersey (July 15 - Sept 15, 2013)NEWS FLASH!!! No, we were not abducted by aliens. I guess we've just been busy moving onto the next adventure. Since last "speaking" we spent two months volunteering at the Edwin Forsythe Wildlife Refuge in Oceanville, NJ. <br />
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You may recall, if not I'm here to help, that our primary reason for being in NJ was to attend the wedding of Bill and Rena's son. More on that later. So yes, we live beside Bill and Rena in Green Valley, AZ and yes, we followed them to NJ. We're still honing our stalking skills! They arrived about June 1 and we got there July 15. Our RVs were set about 15 feet apart. We normally worked opposite days with some exceptions.<br />
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The wildlife refuge was great! It includes 47,000 acres stretched along the NJ coast in the area of Atlantic City. The central area of the refuge, where we were assigned, includes an 8 mile wildlife drive. This is a dynamic area for birders and the wildlife drive provides a sterling vantage point to view birds. We drove it many times trying to hone our bird identification skills.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some very serious birders and photographers!!</td></tr>
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Our campsite was quite acceptable and we met lots of nice people. Debbie worked 3 days a week in the visitor's center. I worked maintenance 2 days and 1 day in the visitor center. Our work day was 8 hours. Work in the visitor center included some light cleaning, (that did include indoor and outdoor bathrooms but it wasn't too funky) selling refuge related stuff and park passes (the cash register was easy), meeting/greeting visitors and sharing information.<br />
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Maintenance included mowing and weed eating, lots of tree trimming and related grounds maintenance and cleaning/organizing refuge maintenance buildings. Some of this maintenance work was done at locations outside the refuge area in Oceanville. Bill and I would work the same days for these outings. We trucked off together to go work, spent the day on our own, then scored a Pepsi and Tastykake the ride home. They were fun events. Debbie and I both enjoyed the visitor center and I really had a good time with maintenance. My immediate boss, Tom, is a great fellow. I had a great deal of freedom in deciding how to spend my work day and he was forever telling me to stop working so hard. I also spent a fair amount of time on a mule. This would be four wheeled, not four legged and it's name was Kawasaki. It was all very nice. There were some negatives. The biting bugs adjacent to the wetlands were HORRIBLE!!!!!!! This included mosquitoes, gnats, no see ums, black flies, chiggers and the world famous green headed fly. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hate green-headed flies!!!</td></tr>
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My outdoor working ensemble included jeans, long sleeve T-shirt, work boots, hat, gloves and sun glasses. Daily I would hose down with Off so I suspect I will die of Deet poisoning. All this in a hot humid environment. But you know, after spending some time taking care of a piece of property you develop a sense of ownership so I kind of hated to leave. But our next adventure, whatever it is, always has great appeal.<br />
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So it was not all work. The wedding was a gala event. Debbie and I were invited to the rehearsal dinner along with Trisha and Alex, nearly lifelong friends of Bill and Rena from Alaska. Bill, the old dog, made a great father toast that included this pearl of guidance "say you're sorry when you're wrong and say nothing when you're right". I think that's about a quote. Also, the food was great. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bill, Rena, Brian, Jen, Debbie, Duane, Trisha and Alex at Rehearsal Dinner </td></tr>
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Wedding day included threatening showers but the clouds parted and the outdoor wedding went as planned. Brian and Jen are a beautiful couple, you know more Jen then Brian but you get the picture. There were quite a few bridesmaids and groomsmen (obviously I don't know the exact number) but it was wonderfully informal. The reception was full of love, energy, dancing, a great DJ, open bar and wonderful food. Notice my theme? I think all the parents were mighty pleased so it was a great success.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Craine and Yue Families</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Food!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wfkP84pHD0w/UhVEFshdkEI/AAAAAAAAKAA/OmEfaK7TsMQ/s1600/DSC01034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wfkP84pHD0w/UhVEFshdkEI/AAAAAAAAKAA/OmEfaK7TsMQ/s400/DSC01034.JPG" width="311" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love!!</td></tr>
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We had some other nice outings. The four of us took a train into Philadelphia. The train experience was pleasant. Upon our arrival, we spent 90 minutes on a narrated tour bus. The guide was from Philadelphia, loved his city and never stopped speaking for the entire ride. We also spent time at some of the many historical sites.<br />
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We all enjoyed an authentic Philly Cheesesteak from a street vendor.<br />
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The four of us also went to the American Idol show when it appeared in Atlantic City. Debbie and I have been to American Idol shows twice before in two different locations and the most obvious difference is that the productions have become huge. They used to be a bit bare bone but not anymore. This show was in the Trump's Taj Mahal right on the boardwalk. As always, we had a great time.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Winner Candice Glover (from SC!)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All the girls were great this year!!!</td></tr>
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Bill and I did a lot of cycling together. Typically we did 20 -25 miles. It was a good fitness activity and especially enjoyable to tour the area up close and personal.<br />
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Rena and Debbie had a unique outing together. Rena won a door prize at our volunteer appreciation luncheon. The prize was a 2 hour air boat ride for two with biologist Paul through the refuge. Because Bill and Rena are such wonderful people, Bill insisted that Debbie join Rena rather then Bill. Thanks Bill!<br />
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Debbie grew up in the Philadelphia/New Jersey area so it was fun for her to spend some time going down memory lane. This included multiple trips to Atlantic City which is located right across the bay from the refuge. Maybe a 20 minute drive. We did gamble a time or two but mostly we went to walk the boardwalk. We try to keep up our walking and, as said, the bugs were horrible at the refuge but no bugs on the boardwalk. So we walked and road the boardwalk. Sometimes up to 10 miles at a time. Occasionally, we ate health food like steak sandwiches or pizza that certainly whittled away at the benefit of our walking but it was consistently an enjoyable activity. Lots of interesting people, ocean views and endless boardwalk stuff. <br />
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Other outings included a couple trips to Wildwood Beach (to walk their boardwalk), a trip to Victorian Cape May<br />
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and several trips to visit Debbie's sisters, nieces, nephew and other family. We even got to visit with Debbie's cousin Cathy and her husband. Debbie and her cousin hadn't seen each other in about 40 years!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Debbie with sister's Heather and Chris</td></tr>
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The last, but certainly not least outing worth mentioning is unique to our lifestyle. Friends of ours, Lee and Belinda, were in the area (3+ hard driving hours away in Maryland). We (including Bill and Rena) had all met while volunteering in Spearfish, SD. So the six of us made plans to meet at Longwood Gardens in PA to spend the afternoon together. The gardens were beautiful but the opportunity to hook up with friends was far more special. Thanks again, Lee and Belinda for driving all that way!!<br />
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So we departed NJ September 15 and headed south. We'll share more later.<br />
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DuaneDebbie, Duane, Bo, Laska and Baileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06374229341345414939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5188748309433780695.post-16666733242604791452013-09-09T18:46:00.000-07:002013-09-09T18:46:57.873-07:00Back in the USA!! (Dover-Foxcroft, Maine) July 10-13, 2013) July 10th we backed the 5th wheel into Dave and Ardie's driveway at their home in Dover-Foxcroft, ME. Their home site includes about 8 acres with several hundred feet on the riverfront. Very nice! Backing down their long, steep driveway to a site alongside their beautiful log cabin was a bit challenging but it all went well. <br />
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We met Dave and Ardie at our first volunteer job in NC in 2010 and have been friends since. They have visited us at our home in AZ and we did our 3 day jeep tour on the White Rim Trail at Canyonlands National Park with them. So nice to stay in touch . <br />
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We spent our first evening chilling and catching up a bit. The next day we were off to what appears to be a largely uninhabited portion of Maine. Our destination was Baxter State Park which is the home of the northernmost point of the Appalachian Trail. We spent the whole day rambling around this area, hiking several small trails and driving dirt roads.<br />
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The dirt roads serve as major thoroughfares. You compete for road space with the logging trucks and pray your suspension can take the beating. Dave has a Subaru SUV. He doesn't baby it. We finished the evening with a nice meal out, then headed home to the dogs. They were thrilled and oh so relieved!<br />
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July 12th we loaded up again and drove to Borestone Mountain Audubon Sanctuary. This is a spectacular 1600 acre refuge owned by the National Audubon Society. It's a beautiful location with lakes, forests, mountains and a waterfall.<br />
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We did a great hike that, at the end, was a little too threatening for Debbie so she didn't finish. Dave waited with Debbie and Ardie and I went on to the top. We have no pictures of the fabulous view from the top because I failed to take the camera, so believe me....spectacular! <br />
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We spent the13th and 14th of July driving to the Edwin B. Forsythe Refuge in Oceanville, NJ (about 10 miles from Atlantic City). We'll be here until Sept. 15th serving as volunteers. We work 3 days on, 4 days off. Debbie's in the Visitor's Center and I work maintenance 2 days and the Visitor Center one day. We'll share more soon.<br />
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DuaneDebbie, Duane, Bo, Laska and Baileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06374229341345414939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5188748309433780695.post-56939485440998735862013-09-01T13:09:00.001-07:002013-09-01T16:12:22.921-07:00Glen Margaret, Nova Scotia (June 28 - July 9, 2013)June 28th we moved to Glen Margret, Nova Scotia which is just up the road from scenic Peggy's Cove and a little west of Halifax. We're staying for 11 days at the Wayside Campground.<br />
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The original owner is still in place and it's a pleasant place across the road from a pretty inlet with memorable sunsets.<br />
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That evening we drove to the cute little town of Peggy's Cove. Enroute we stopped at a very nice memorial site for Swissair Flight 111 which crashed about 5 miles off shore in 1998.<br />
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In Peggy's Cove there's a nice Visitors Center and we spent some time there. We didn't go out to the light house because the weather was......brace yourself......TERRIBLE. We'll try again another day. The weather has become the primary variable of our time in Nova Scotia. With little let up it's been cold and rainy. I apologize for the now well defined WHINING!!!!<br />
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June 30th we drove into Halifax to see the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo.<br />
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This is a huge military themed production that includes enormous choir groups, individual singers, marching bands, bagpipes, dancers, bicycle and motorcycle acrobats and endless military pageantry. We have no pictures because cameras were not permitted and Debbie's cell phone just doesn't take great pictures, but please believe me, it was extremely well done! Please recall we spent 30 years in SC. A marching band and bagpipe group from the Citadel performed. It was nice to see a bit of our former home. They also did a memorial production for Sandy Hook. The tears flowed heavy. Made us feel good about our northern comrades. Speaking of which, Canadian folks have been endlessly friendly and helpful. But our less then wonderful weather continues so we're spending Canada Day (July 1) at the camper.</div>
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July 2nd the weather continues to be lousy (stop complaining Duane) so we drive to Halifax to visit the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic.<br />
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Somewhere we read you could do it in a couple of hours. False. We are not big museum people but we could have spent 2 hours then another 2 hours. Lots of varied exhibits, including one on the sinking of The Titantic. We went late in the afternoon because that evening there was to be live entertainment. The afternoon passed quickly and the entertainment arrived. She was a talented singer, maybe not quite our taste and the crowd was minute. Too bad for her. We watched from a second floor balcony and eventually slipped out.<br />
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Hunger cried out so we scooped up some fish and chips at a kiosk, The Battered Fish, on the wharf walk. Way good and the first food bargain of our Canadian experience. $10.99 for 3 sizable pieces and a pile of fries! We<em> are</em> gourmet diners!!<br />
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July 3rd. Clear weather. Yea! The four of us pile into the truck and get on the Coastal Heritage Trail. This route wanders along the southern coast of Nova Scotia carrying you through all the picturesque towns tucked into the shoreline.<br />
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We spent the day driving, taking pictures, enjoying the views and reading historical placards. The boys just cruised. By evening we were in the wildly colorful harbor communities of Mahone Bay<br />
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and Lunenburg. </div>
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Both these are very worthwhile destinations. Endless maritime architecture, harbor activity and lots of charm.</div>
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We spent our Fourth of July doing our return trip to Peggy's Cove. We actually made two trips. Trip one was early afternoon and we spent our time wandering the little town, taking pictures, walking the rocks and enjoying the rugged coast. <br />
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That evening we returned to capture the sunset and take more pictures. Mission accomplished.<br />
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July 5th we went back along the southern coast to Chester, Nova Scotia.</div>
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Chester is a pretty, high dollar, yachting town with a $5 ferry that carries you to Big Tancook Island. The "attraction" element of this outing is a bit murky. The ferryboat is a bit industrial but for $5 it's a great opportunity to be out on the water.<br />
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The island is a simple, remote lobstering community. Probably not one of the most scenic places we've been, but nice enough.<br />
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We took our bikes so we could ride the island.<br />
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There might be 2-3 miles of gravel, hilly roads and the weather was now unseasonably hot.<br />
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For me the pedaling was fine but I'm thinking Debbie didn't really enjoy the biking. Plus she had to pee in the woods :) And there was an attraction that we really didn't grasp. This like almost never happens, but Debbie failed to research "sea glass" which we knew was somehow associated with the island. We just didn't know exactly what sea glass was. But we now know, sea glass is glass trash that over the years has been thrown into the ocean and washed ashore. The result is you can find along the shore tiny bits of glass that have been tumbled smooth. Prize finds include deep blue pieces that were Noxema or Milk of Magnesia bottles, green, brown and clear that were beer bottles and the most rare, bright red which were vehicle tail lights. Typically, the pieces are very small and a popular usage is making earrings and pendants with the glass. So we looked around on the beach and since we didn't know exactly what it was that we where suppose to be looking for, we didn't find anything!<br />
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We met a charming old couple on the ferry who, on the return trip filled us in on sea glass and gave us a small handful they had collected. I think Debbie's going to give it to Rena. After we returned to Chester we attempted to pedal a rail to trail route but the trail was not in as good of shape as most are. plus it was now very hot, so we abandoned that plan pretty quickly. A side note of minuscule interest. I met a woman at the Chester Visitor Center who has a winter home 15 minutes from our home in Green Valley, AZ. Small world.<br />
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Now much to your relieve I'm going to combine July 6th and 7th because both days were nearly identical. We went to a great farmers market in Halifax and spent about 4 hours each day walking the wharf area and enjoying a free jazz festival.<br />
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The event we attended was in an enormous tent adjacent to the wharf walk in downtown Halifax. The festival was going to run for 8 days with free afternoon concerts each day. In the evening there were numerous performers at venues throughout Halifax. These required tickets. We expect to be up this way again in a couple of years and could easily schedule out trip to capture this event again.<br />
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On the 7th we also took time to visit the Halifax Public Gardens. It as very nice.<br />
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July 8th we cleaned the camper inside and out and also washed the truck. That's a full day of scrubbing!<br />
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July 9th we packed up and headed back to the states. Goodbye Canada. What a wonderful place to visit!!<br />
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DuaneDebbie, Duane, Bo, Laska and Baileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06374229341345414939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5188748309433780695.post-62528158063354170042013-07-23T18:23:00.000-07:002013-07-23T18:23:06.576-07:00Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia (June 21 - 28, 2013)June 21st.we move again, on to Baddeck, Nova Scotia. Baddeck is the jumping off point to the Cabot Trail. This is a 185 mile drive that encompasses the very northern portion of Nova Scotia which includes the Cape Breton Highlands National Park. June 22nd we load up the dogs and head out for the day. Our route will be along the western portion of the Cabot Trail drive.<br />
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We only do about 60 miles for an up and back route of maybe 120 miles. It's one of those drives where you stop repeatedly to enjoy beautiful overlooks, historical placards and other local highlights.<br />
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For us this included a stop in Cheticamp at Les Trois Pignons a combination Visitors Center/Museum that includes an extensive hooked rug display.<br />
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Now I don't pretend to be a hook rug extraordinaire but this place was mighty impressive. Hook rugs are the premier craft of the area and a Dr. Elizabeth LeFort, born 1914, became the artisan and ambassador for all things hook rug. Her rugs have hung in the White House, the Vatican and the House of Parliament. You really do have to see it to believe it. Some of her more famous rugs depict life like facial imagines and keep in mind, it's all done with yarn.<br />
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Very cool.<br />
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We also spend some time walking a short boardwalk around the Cheticamp Harbor.<br />
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We drove a little farther and stopped to hike the 4.7 miles on the Skyline Trail. Now folks, here are some views that must include massive in their description.<br />
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We also strolled a boardwalk in an area known as the Bog. Later in summer it's home to wild orchids. We enjoyed what was there now to see. <br />
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(Footnote: Thus far, we have been a little early for many of the Canadian flowers. However, the tourist trade doesn't really get in gear until after July 1st so we are beating the crowds which is a delight). <br />
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The next day we were back on the Trail. We got an earlier start, did less hiking and ultimately drove the entire trail. This drive included a 2.4 mile hike at something called Middle Head behind the Keltic Lodge. <br />
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If you would like us to drive up your dirt road just say waterfall. We're easy. So at another stop off we go about 4 miles up this dirt road to Mary Ann Falls.<br />
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It was nice but, sinner know thyself, we're spoiled. I don't know if I would encourage you to make the bumpy dusty drive. At the top (northern most portion of the Cabot Trail) is a side road to Meat Cove. It's about an hour and a half drive round trip to a dead end in some body's driveway. It's a quirky little route with expansive views of the coastline that may include miles.<br />
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This drive I would recommend. Eventually we had dinner, nothing special, then on home.<br />
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I don't think I've adequately credited the "boys" with being such outstanding travelers. Bo and Laska ride with us, hike with us and look out their windows waiting for our return without complaint. In a weak moment I could kiss their lips! I won't, but you get my drift. Quite frankly I'm a little tired of driving for the time being. We've covered about 6200 miles since we left Green Valley. Hours and hours of driving the sports car dually complimented, at times, with a 38 foot camper has worn me down a bit so today we're taking the day off. We'll work on the blog and get busy with our applications to work at Amazon this fall. Our wants exceed our wallet so we'll again make an effort to generate some income.<br />
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So we stayed home the next day and had a productive day at the camper. Did our blogging and completed a cumbersome application process to Amazon. The next day we had our phone interview and we're hired. If all goes according to plans we'll work Oct 10 - Dec 23.<br />
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We started June 25th with a visit to The Gaelic College located in St Ann's, Nova Scotia.<br />
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(Did you know that Nova Scotia means New Scotland ? I didn't.) The grounds are pretty, the museum is OK but the highlight is the cultural demonstrations. First some ladies shared with us the history, construction and wearing of the kilt. You may be surprised what all that includes.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No, it's not CPR!!</td></tr>
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Next a very pleasant young man came in and gave us a very brief intro to the Gaelic language.<br />
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He next walked us through the process of a "milling frolic."(This really means a group of folks pounding a rough wool blanket on a table with their hands to make it soft) accompanied with a song that we sang as a group.<br />
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After that a man introduced us to some Gaelic music while he played the devil out of a fiddle.<br />
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Lastly, a women came in and demonstrated the use of a loom for the purpose of making wool blankets. <br />
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The series of demonstrations were most informative and most enjoyable. I couldn't help but think how nice for these folks to be immersed in the study of there unique culture and take such pleasure sharing it with others. <br />
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June 26th we made our way to the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site.<br />
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He had a summer home in Baddeck and died there in 1922. The telephone was the money maker but he produced that little gem early (1871) in his career. Much of his life thereafter evolved around flying machines.<br />
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The interpretive center was very nicely done.<br />
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After our visit with "Al" we moved on to the Highland Village Museum in Iona. <br />
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This is a 43 acre site with a collection of 11 buildings depicting the history of the Scottish migration to, and their evolution in Nova Scotia. This included homes, general store, church, blacksmith shop barns, and we even got to play school.<br />
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To some degree, the buildings were manned with folks in period costumes interacting with tourist as if it were back in the day. </div>
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The weather unfortunately was cold and raining. This, coupled with the fact that the tourist season hadn't really kicked off yet resulted in minimal activity but it was still a fun outing. My guess is that the site could be bustling with activity during prime season. <br />
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The next day we again put on our "tourista" hat and drove about 75 minutes to Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site.<br />
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This is the site of a huge 1713 French settlement. It eventually grew to be a massive fortress community with 2 and a half miles of wall surrounding the community.<br />
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It guarded a strategic harbor and was wildly fortified with weaponry. <br />
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So the French prevailed until 1745 when the English took it in battle. France got it back via treaty and lost it again to the English in 1758. Those two seemed to always be fighting. So more then a couple hundred years pass and now it's a pile of rubble. In the late 1950's, the coal mining industry of the modern day community of Louisbourg vanished leaving the area financially destitute. In the interest of salvaging history and, maybe more importantly to the local citizens, to create jobs for the coal miners, the Canadian government decided to restore the fortress. Today one forth of the community is restored and it's something like the second largest restoration project in North America. We're thinking maybe Williamsburg, VA is number one? It's a huge complex and again manned by lots of folks in period dress that share endless historical info.<br />
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And not that I know a thing about chickens, but there were some wandering around that just looked so unique.<br />
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And again, the WEATHER was COLD and RAINY resulting in minimal activity. Still it was a very worthwhile outing for us.<br />
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While in Baddeck we stayed at the Adventures East Campground. It's another Passport America Park and like the others, was a great deal. No complaints.<br />
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Our next stop is Glen Margaret, Nova Scotia, close to the popular Peggy's Cove. <br />
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Duane Debbie, Duane, Bo, Laska and Baileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06374229341345414939noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5188748309433780695.post-52107819750868528992013-07-22T07:28:00.000-07:002013-07-22T07:28:36.587-07:00New Brunswick Again (June 18 - 21, 2013)June 18th we drove from Harrington, Prince Edward Island to Shediac, New Brunswick. The roadway was good. That's worth mentioning because many of the Canadian roads are sometimes really lousy. Up to this point of our travels we have occasionally heard the locals speaking French but as of Shediac, it seems to be the predominate language. It's charming. We camped at the Parasol Campground which is nice.<br />
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The owner, Jean Claude (how French) is a hip, personable, lively character. In 3 days he and I had several animated conversations. So after getting set up we cruised town some and eventually made our way to Walmart. At the risk of whining, food is more expensive here and the cost of fuel makes grown men weep! Then we chilled.<br />
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Allegedly Shediac is the lobster capitol of Canada.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They even have a statue to support their claim.<br />
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So we started our morning with a stop at a lobster store where they process (I think that means take meat out of shell) and sell fresh lobster. We bought a pound. $25. Nothing but tail, claws and knuckles. That evening it was delish!<br />
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But for the day we were headed to Hopewell Rocks.<br />
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This is along the southeastern coast of New Brunswick. The star of the park are HUGE rocks they like to call flowerpots that reveal themselves as the dramatic tide recedes. We spent a couple hours (the window of opportunity I think is about 6 hours) walking the ocean floor revealed with the tide out and gawking at the rock formations. It was good.<br />
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We then went home but were back out in the evening for a unique event in Moncton, New Brunswick. The mountainous tides of Fundy Bay produce numerous oddities which includes a "wall" of water in a coastal river as the tide returns. So off we go to Moncton to see the Tidal Bore.<br />
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I now know that the locals refer to it as the Boring Tide. Due to factors like the collection of sediment and the building of a causeway, the "wall" is now only about a foot high. Last night I met a woman about my age from Moncton and she tells me that when she was a little girl the wall was 20-30 feet high. Alas, those days are gone. Nonetheless, it was fun.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Boreless" River</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can you see it coming?</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Closer</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's here</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's it.</td></tr>
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June 20th we drove up the east coast of New Brunswick to Kouchibouguac National Park (pronounced "koo chee boo quaack" all French like with some flair!)<br />
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The plan of the day was to ride bikes along a coastal trail.<br />
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Well off I go with "Louise Armstrong" on her trusty "Lazy Boy" bike.<br />
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Her real name is Deborah Louise. We did 19.5 miles. Louie was fussing because it wasn't 20. We wrapped up our visit with a very pleasant walk out a boardwalk to the beach. As a desert dweller I always conclude that there's a lot to be said about the seaside environment.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artic Tern, we think.<br />
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That's a wrap for New Brunswick. Next stop Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia.<br />
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DuaneDebbie, Duane, Bo, Laska and Baileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06374229341345414939noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5188748309433780695.post-62471101585172997332013-07-01T20:38:00.001-07:002013-07-22T06:58:17.461-07:00Prince Edward Island, Canada (June 13 - June 18, 2013)June 13 we drove to Harrington, Prince Edward Island (PEI). Now I've got to tell you about our campground. <br />
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First of all it was a deal. $15 a night with Passport America. There's well over 100 sites. For most of the 5 days we were there we were the ONLY ONLY ONLY campers!!<br />
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The only other camper stayed for 2 days. Their brochure says $25 a night, it's $30, they say there's a grocery store - there's not even one can of soup, miniature golf - rotted and a horrible hazard. They advertise Wifi. We could never connect. They mow grass constantly but apparently don't own a weed eater and at least one huge barn has COMPLETELY collapsed! I kind of got the impression that they were just sort of trying to get their act together to be in business. They were only barely successful. But it was a beautifully green piece of property, in the country, convenient to what we wanted to see and oh so quiet. Our first night in PEI we went to have a lobster dinner. It was quite tasty. But for me, a whole lobster is not worth the price, the funky innards or the work. <br />
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Now maybe the rest of the world knew this but I didn't until we started heading this way. If you speak of PEI then you must speak of Anne of Green Gables. For those few who may be in the dark like me, it's a series of books written in the early 1900s by Lucy Maud Montgomery. The books are all about a delightful red headed girl and all her tales and woes. Everything Green Gables is nearly the logo for PEI. Debbie and I both read and enjoyed the first book. We wanted to be in the know. So June 14 we did all things Green Gables.<br />
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There's a Visitor's Center, barns,<br />
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the Green Gables house,<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anne's Room</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Remember how much she yearned for a dress with puffy sleeves?<br />
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gardens,<br />
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trails,<br />
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and even some wildlife.<br />
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And yes, if you really want to experience what it might have been like to be Anne yourself, you have the opportunity.<br />
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And if you think that is silly, how about this?<br />
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It was really all very nice and lots of fun. <br />
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We spent the rest of that day enjoying one of several coastal drives. The truth is you could spend days doing nothing but cruising coastal drives and we did. PEI is really so beautiful. The coastal areas, picturesque fishing wharfs, light houses, churches and I do mean beautiful beautiful farms. Everything is so darn cute.<br />
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Oh, and all those beautiful Lupin (or Lupine) growing wild along the roadways. <br />
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June 15 we did Charlottetown. It's PEI so it's so pretty. We had a very nice lunch (really breakfast) at a street café,<br />
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then spent hours walking the city. PEI is surrounded with water so there's endless harbor/sea views, as well as beautiful old buildings and parks full of flowers.<br />
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June 16 we went a little north of our campground to a portion of the Prince Edward Island National Park near Brackley Beach . This particular area of the park is strictly seaside. We took our bikes and did a 16 mile ride. 8 miles out with a tail wind and 8 miles back with.....duh....a terrific head wind! Now Debbie was not voted most athletic in high school. But I must say, to my surprise, she's a champ on a bicycle. She has a beach cruiser model, with 3 speed gears and a seat that says Lazy Boy. But she is relentless! Bravo to you sweetie pie! Since it's PEI we saw some very cute sights along the bike route.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hard to see Bald Eagle</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Biker Chick</td></tr>
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On the way home we stopped at The Dunes Gallery and Café.<br />
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Now I've been in a million too many gift stores but this one is, bar none, the best. It includes impressive gardens, fountains, statuary and huge driftwood carvings.<br />
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Then you go inside. Very unique stuff, furniture, clothing and jewelry. Plus the building is maybe 4 stories high with more gardens, balconies and lookouts on the upper floors.<br />
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Then on to more coastal driving. This included a stop at a Visitor's Center (Canada does a great job with their Visitor's Centers) adjacent to the Confederation Bridge. This is a hum dinger of a bridge. Eight miles long, the longest in the world crossing ice covered water, and lets just say darn impressive.<br />
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It opened in 1997 and is the only way to drive on or off the island. Prior to that time the only way on or off the island was by ferry. <br />
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This day's drive ended at Port-la-Joye National Historic Site. It sits on a grassy bluff overlooking Charlottetown from the opposite side of the harbor. There are 3 nice light houses, great water views, lots of historical info and several miles of trails.<br />
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Our last day on PEI included, yes, some more coastal drive. But on the way to the coast we stopped in at Jewels Garden Store.<br />
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Their showroom space for flowers includes large scale green houses. They should charge admission just to go in regardless if you buy anything. As an old landscaper I've always enjoyed such places and have been in many. NONE compared to this place. The flowers were a explosive blaze of color. Too impressive!<br />
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Our coastal drive took us to Greenwich, PEI which is another portion of the PEI National Park.<br />
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This is another coastal area but primarily preserved due to dunes. The views from the tower were great. </div>
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The boardwalk to the beach and surrounding short hiking trails were nice. </div>
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The mosquitoes were not!<br />
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We continued on around to the NE tip of PEI and visited a restored light house.<br />
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It was cool and the host was quite a friendly gal of Eskimo decent. Our conversation eventually got around to politics and our host became, shall we say, oh so colorful! It was funny.<br />
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June 18 we packed up and left the Harrington Family Campground. There wasn't a crowd. We returned to New Brunswick because, due to the ghastly cold rainy weather we had when we first arrived, we didn't get to see some stuff so we went back.<br />
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In conclusion, if you remember nothing else about what I've said, please just remember that PEI is just TOO CUTE!<br />
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DuaneDebbie, Duane, Bo, Laska and Baileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06374229341345414939noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5188748309433780695.post-30457558648717214542013-07-01T16:00:00.001-07:002013-07-01T16:33:54.428-07:00New Brunswick, Canada (June 7 - June 13, 2013)We arrived at the very nice Century Farms Campground in the small fishing village of St. Martins, New Brunswick on June 7. It was cold and rainy until June 9. <br />
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The campground is waterfront and we really enjoyed our site and the view once the weather cleared.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beach at Century Farms</td></tr>
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Our first New Brunswick outing was an urban event. The four of us loaded up in the truck and headed for downtown St. John, New Brunswick which we learned is Canada's oldest incorporated city. Our mission was to walk this historical/scenic route. We did. It was fun. We checked out the waterfront and downtown areas.<br />
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And particularly enjoyed hanging out with some of the locals.<br />
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These are actually wooden statues by Canadian sculptor John Hooper. They are located throughout Market Square in downtown St. John and in other locations throughout Canada. Apparently St. John loves statues. Also in Market Square is this life-size bronze statue of a moose. <br />
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We read it was a very popular place for tourists to take a picture. Of course we couldn't pass up that opportunity.<br />
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Continuing on our little tour of downtown, we came upon the Three Sisters Lamp.<br />
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The story goes that in 1849, a post containing the three red gas lamps was placed at the end of Prince William Street. If all three lamps are clearly visible, sailors would know they were heading straight into the harbor, however if only one or two could be seen sailors knew they needed to alter their course. End of History class.<br />
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Then we moved on to the Irving Nature Park.<br />
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Irving is a popular name in the area. It's an oil company. Anyway, the park is a marvelous resource for the people of St. John. There's about an 8 mile driving loop and miles of hiking trails. Lots of scenic overlooks to the open sea, wooded areas and I suppose lions and tigers and bears oh my! <br />
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On the 10th Debbie and I and the boys moseyed to the Fundy Trail/Parkway.<br />
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It's located just outside of St. Martins where we're camping. It's a 14 mile out and back drive with an adjacent foot trail along the southern coast of New Brunswick as well as the Bay of Fundy. Everything about this location is first class. The Visitors Center, <br />
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roads,<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Best not to bring your RV here!!</td></tr>
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waterfalls,<br />
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scenic overlooks and views,<br />
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river and bridges,<br />
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and even the quality of the decking,<br />
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are all terrific! This area is also the site of the former Big Salmon River Settlement. It was a hustling logging community until the 1940's. The Visitors Center has a great movie as well as nice pictures on the walls telling the history of the community. There is now hardly a trace of the old community.<br />
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This is where we also had our first opportunity to check out the changing tides that the Bay of Fundy is famous for.<br />
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This was taken at low tide,<br />
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and here's the same area about 4 1/2 hours later.<br />
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But our day is not done. Late in the afternoon we drove about 75 miles to the Fundy National Park. This is also located on the southern coast of New Brunswick.. It's a very pretty chunk of land but is mostly a wilderness area best seen via some ambitious hiking. We strolled a nice trail to the wonderful Dickson Falls. The whole area struck us as very GREEN.<br />
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Otherwise we simply drove the park. We had dinner in Alma, then motored home.<br />
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It rained like crazy for the next two days. Consequently, we extended our stay in St Martins an extra day because we didn't want to break camp and drive in such ugly weather.<br />
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So in between the raindrops we managed to find some time to enjoy the small town of St. Martin. Very cute area that includes a lighthouse,<br />
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covered bridges, <br />
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a small harbor,<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BLd7sTaY8Lk/UdH9o1aqUUI/AAAAAAAAI44/R_ym45kdbGE/s1600/DSC09565.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BLd7sTaY8Lk/UdH9o1aqUUI/AAAAAAAAI44/R_ym45kdbGE/s400/DSC09565.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Obviously low tide</td></tr>
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and an impressive area known as the caves. The caves are only accessible at low tide and since we accidentally arrived at a good time we checked them out.<br />
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Even the houses are cute.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IhEx3JwCcys/UdH-gJNF9qI/AAAAAAAAI54/yXXmgYgXD1M/s1600/DSC09346.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IhEx3JwCcys/UdH-gJNF9qI/AAAAAAAAI54/yXXmgYgXD1M/s400/DSC09346.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First time we've seen chairs on the side of a house.</td></tr>
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June 13 we left New Brunswick for Prince Edward Island. We'll talk all about that next time .<br />
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Duane<br />
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. Debbie, Duane, Bo, Laska and Baileyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06374229341345414939noreply@blogger.com0