November 23 to 29, 2014 ; Palm Springs, California to Yuma, Arizona

Sunday ; Palm Springs, California to Quartzsite, Arizona

AHHHHH ... Palm Springs ! Temperature in the upper 70's ! Rich old people ! HA HA HA !

Sunny and warm. This morning as we climbed out of the camper to get into the truck to leave the parking lot of the Morongo Casino we got sidetracked. The couple in the Class A motorhome parked behind us were from Thunder Bay, Ontario. They are full time RV'ing newbies. We chatted with them for quite awhile ... too long. We didn't leave until about noon.

We pulled over to the Morongo Casino's Travel Center where we refilled with diesel and freshwater. We drove 20 km. / 13 miles back to Palm Springs where we went to the Palm Springs Dog Park beside City Hall, behind the Palm Springs Airport. Bo loves all dog parks, but especially the Palm Springs Dog Park which is two parks in one. The smaller side is for small dogs and the bigger side is for large dogs. Bo visits both sides, always starting on the small dog side, then finishing on the big dog side. Today ... about twenty minutes in each side.

We drove to downtown Palm Springs to have a very late lunch at Sherman's Deli. MMM ... MMM ... MMM ... MMM ... MMM ! ! ! Once per year Bo gets to visit the Palm Springs Dog Park and we get to eat lunch at Sherman's Deli. Very authentic New York style Jewish deli. I had cold borscht and a hot pastrami sandwich ... of course ! Joanne had sweet & sour beef & cabbage soup and a barbecued meatloaf sandwich. What an amateur ! HA HA HA HA HA ! We finished by sharing a slice of key lime pie.

It was 3 PM by the time we hit the road, eastbound on Interstate 10. It was dark before we even reached Blythe, California. At Ehrenberg we crossed over the Colorado River into Arizona and we arrived at Quartzsite about 6 PM. We drove north on Hwy 95 about seven miles from town to the BLM administered Hi Jolly camping area out in the desert. We found a spot to park for the night and I lit a campfire, our motivation for coming here for a night instead of heading directly to Yuma from Palm Springs. The evening was chilly, but there was no wind and the clear night time sky was filled with stars. We sat around the campfire for a couple of hours before going inside for a late, light supper.

Monday ; Quartzsite to Yuma, Arizona

AHHHHH ... home ! Sunny and warm.

This morning before leaving our campsite in the desert we took Sully outside for some fresh air, then took Bo for a short desert hike. Sully is exhibiting signs of an upper respiratory infection. That's what ended Teddy's life at age seventeen, so I'm very worried about Sully.

We drove south on Hwy. 95 into Quartzsite and drove around the large flea market areas that are just beginning to fill up with vendors. Nothing inspired us enough today to stop and shop. We'll return late in January at Quartzsite's annual peak season. We continued south on Hwy. 95 towards Yuma.

Just before reaching Yuma we stopped to have lunch in the parking lot of From The Farm, a farm gate produce business. Lunch included ... WOO-HOO, WOO-HOO, WOO-HOO ... our first date shake of the season ! Bo was VERY happy about that ! HA HA HA !

When we reached Yuma we went to Fry's in The Foothills for milk and diesel. We arrived "home" at Kofa Ko-op shortly after 4 PM. Before it got dark we got set up in our site and Joanne began weeding our yard. After it became dark we went to the clubhouse where I got online to retrieve e-mail and MasterCard statements.

I cooked supper tonight, creating a variation of Huevos Ranchero, frying the eggs in Crema Salvadoreña. My Aunt Lena would have been proud of me. It was forty-six years ago that she taught me everything I needed to know about frying in cream. HA HA HA ! I still hope my doctor isn't reading this !

Tuesday ; AHHHHH ... sunny and warm. HELLOOOOO Yuma !

There seems to be so much work to do upon our arrival here that we’re feeling a bit overwhelmed, especially by conflicting priorities. I had hoped to move the fifth wheel trailer from storage to our lot tomorrow, but the neighbour / friend that I asked today to move it for us wasn’t able to do it tomorrow, so ... we did it today. Thank you very much, Tom.

Joanne did quite a bit of work on cleaning our yard which had / has quite a bit of weeds that grew over the summer. And I have posted “no weed spraying” on our lot so that the park maintenance staff don’t use herbicides on our lot. We choose to weed by hand instead of by chemicals, mostly because of Bo and Sully.

Sully definitely has an upper respiratory infection, although it seemed a bit less severe today than yesterday. We have been administering antibiotic eye drops, and a dog & cat cold medication, both purchased in Mexico a couple of years ago.

One of the cacti ... a Cow’s Tongue Prickly Pear ... I planted only three short years ago has grown so large that a few days ago it fell over, roots pulling partially out of the ground. Today I cut off each of its four large arms, and replanted the stubby remains in its original location. After I let the cuts dry for a few days I will replant each of the four arms in my cactus gardens in the dog park behind our rear yard fence.

After supper we went grocery shopping to Albertsons. How wonderful to be back in the land of cheap groceries. Four cases of soft drinks for $8.88 ! A turkey for $8.17 !

Well ... how unusual. Sully and Bo are snoozing on the sofa ( at 10:30 PM ) and Sully is using Bo’s butt as a pillow.

Wednesday ; Sunny and warm.

WOO-HOO ... WOO-HOO ... WOO-HOO ! ! ! ! ! I have just verified that my very first Canada Pension Plan payment has been deposited to our bank account ! I'm now "officially" retired. HA HA HA !

We both worked long and hard today on "arrival" chores ; truck camper, trailer, yard, shed, Arizona room. With lots of distractions visiting friends and neighbours. We walked Bo around the dog park. We went to the late afternoon Social Hour / appetizer potluck ; visited with old friends and made new friends.

Thursday ; American Thanksgiving

Sunny and very warm ! That's why we're here !

We didn't get much done today because the park's communal Thanksgiving Dinner was mid-afternoon. I had to be at the clubhouse at 2:30 PM to prepare for my job as a server. Thanksgiving Dinner was very good, as usual. We spent quite awhile afterwards chatting with new friends, from Kamloops, B.C.

Friday ; "BLACK FRIDAY"

Sunny and very warm, temperature 83° F / 28° C, very low humidity, very nice !

Today we fondly remember Toby, our first cat, who died ten years ago on this date while we were WorkCamping at YMCA Of The Ozarks Trout Lodge in Missouri. My goodness, it doesn't seem that long ago !

And on that note ... Sully's upper respiratory infection seems to be getting no worse ... nor any better. After four days of administering "jarabe para las molestias respiratorias" / syrup for respiratory discomfort we have now begun to administer Ciprofloxacin, an antibiotic. AND ... < sigh > ... while giving him the "syrup" a few days ago, which he strongly resists, I think he may have aspirated some into his lungs < big sigh >. So ... while trying to cure him / keep him alive, I may have inadvertently "caused" pneumonia. Time will tell. At this point in his life ... 18 years and 2 months ...
I think any little ailment can / will prove to be fatal.

Today did not go as planned. We had planned to go Black Friday shopping as soon as possible this morning. But our morning routines did not go smoothly, and before we could even shower, brush teeth, etc. we had unexpected visitors. Who stayed until about noon < sigh >. We had a quick lunch and headed out. I dropped Joanne off at the "99¢ Only Store" ( that's its name ) and continued around the corner to Harbor Freight and Staples. WOO-HOO ... I scored the little generator I wanted ... for $88.88 ... as well as a small air compressor, two cordless drills, and a five pack of work gloves. I bought a couple of printer ink cartridges and a label maker tape at Staples, then returned to the "99¢ Only Store" to pick up Joanne.

At home we discovered that she made a slight error as she picked up two cans of a product. She looked closely at one can as she picked up two cans. One of the cans ... was spicy jalapeño frijoles refritos / refried beans. With lard ! Really ? ! ? Did you think Mr. Colon and his ulcerative colitis were going to be pleased with spicy jalapeño refried beans ? ! ? With lard ? ! ? Hope the food bank appreciates them ! HA HA HA !

Back at home we took Bo for a walk around the dog park, and did some more "arrival" chores. At dusk some neighbours / friends came by and asked if we wanted to join them on an ATV outing in the desert. Joanne said "no" ... I said "yes". Off we went ! Tearing around in the desert towards the Mexican border and back for about an hour, at dusk and in darkness on a big ATV. Very dusty ... very noisy ... very smelly. How "Merkin" ! HA HA HA ! My friend / neighbour wants to go out again in daylight so he can take his pistol and do some target practice. < shrug > God bless America !

In the evening I worked online. Paid our November MasterCard billing. YIKES !

Saturday ; Sunny and very warm. Well ... DUH ... it's Yuma !

Got up early this morning to prepare for Kofa Ko-op's park wide "yard sale". I priced and displayed on a table in front of our lot the dozen or so items that we no longer require. Some of them we never did require ! Why do we have them ? Sold one item for five bucks. We walked around the park viewing all the junk everybody else was selling. Spent $5.25 ! Net proceeds for the day ... minus twenty-five cents. Story of my life ! ! ! Late in the day put remaining items ( HMPH ... that's all except one sold ! ) on bargain table in clubhouse. Good riddance !

Picked up a filthy barbecue for free ! Works just fine ! Needs to be cleaned. Will name it Bupkis Barbecue II . Bupkis Barbecue I is in Keremeos. HA HA HA !

Spent the day working on arrival chores ... still ! Camper, trailer, Arizona room, yard and gardens. Examined and diagnosed a dog injury for a neighbour / friend. Napped with Sully, who seems improved today. Let's be hopeful ! Walked around seven acre dog park perimeter twice. Bo completed first lap ... then jumped over fence and went home. Refused to walk around dog park second time. Guess he's getting old, maybe arthritic already ?

DSK

November 16 to 22, 2014 ; Coarsegold to Palm Springs, California

Sunday ; SKP Park Of The Sierras

Sunny and mild. A lazy day.

We slept late. I did a fun Bo-gility session. I puttered around with truck preventive maintenance. I did a glue repair on my shoes. DARN ... got two drips of MAX 1 glue on my pant leg. Another pair of pants ruined ! Oh, well ... I guess that's why they're called work pants. HA HA HA !

In mid-afternoon we headed to the clubhouse for the regular weekly Sunday afternoon ice cream social. We chatted with old friends and new until it was time to get Bo and head for the daily dog party in the dog park, where we spent the remainder of the afternoon.

In the evening I worked online and we watched TV. The last few days we've been watching some American reality shows that are new to us like Airplane Repo and Sex Sent Me To The ER. HA HA HA ! ! !

Monday ; Sunny and mild again. Another lazy day.

I puttered around with camper maintenance chores. We unhooked the utilities from the camper and drove over to the propane refill station to pick up our refilled tank, then over to the pole barn to dump out a six month old tank of generator fuel.

After lunch I napped briefly with Sully. We took Bo to the dog park for the daily dog party. I did some online research, planning our travel from here to Yuma. We spent the evening watching episode after episode of "90 Day Fiancé".

Tuesday ; Cloudy and mild. A lazier than lazy day !

This afternoon I used a headlight restoration kit on the truck. It's chemicals and abrasive pads to remove oxidation and whatever else makes headlights dull and obscured. It made an improvement in the clarity of the headlights, but not as much as I had hoped for. We went to the dog park earlier today, and spent longer there than usual.

Wednesday ; Oakhurst, California

We had a slow start this morning then headed to Oakhurst. We refilled with diesel then headed over to the rehabilitation hospital where our friend Diane is. She already had a visitor so we left to go run some errands. We did some shopping at Dollar Tree then returned to the hospital.

When we visited Diane last Saturday we promised her that we would return for another visit before leaving the area. She asked us to bring Bo to see her. So today ... we all visited with Diane for an hour ; me, Joanne, Bo ... and Sully ! Bo was thrilled. Sully less so. HA HA HA ... he's so anti-social.

After visiting Diane we ran errands in Oakhurst. We had a very late lunch at Subway, refilled a water jug, went into Vons to get the three items lost / left behind last Saturday, and bought some groceries at Raley's. By the time we got back to SKP Park Of The Sierras it was after 4 PM, and there was nobody left in the dog park, but we went in anyway and goofed around with Bo for awhile.

At 5:30 PM we went into the clubhouse for the weekly movie night. Tonight's movie was Jersey Boys, the story of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons. Very interesting. After the movie we returned to our site, hooked everything up again ( electricity, sewer, cable TV ), had a late, light supper, and watched Survivor.

Thursday ; Cloudy and mild. While Joanne did laundry I worked online in the clubhouse. We visited with friends in the clubhouse and in the dog park.

Friday ; SKP Park Of The Sierras, Coarsegold to Interstate 5 Rest Area near Lebec, California

Sunny and mild this morning at SKP Park Of The Sierras, but becoming cloudy even before we reached Fresno.

This morning we prepared for departure after a week at SKP Park Of The Sierras and headed south on Hwy. 41 to Fresno where we got onto Hwy. 99 heading south towards Bakersfield and Los Angeles. At Tulare we exited for what is for me one of the highlights of our year. < insert drum roll here > Our annual lunch and grocery shopping at Vallarta Supermarket. It is the best Mexican supermarket we have been to, including the ones we've been to in Mexico, and ranks as one of the best two supermarkets we've been to in any of the three countries in which we regularly shop for groceries.

We entered the store and I headed for the panaderia ( bakery ) where I selected eight pan dulce ( Mexican pastries ) for breakfasts and bedtime snacks. GAWD ... I love pan dulce ! I'm still looking for a bumper sticker that says "I brake for panaderias". HA HA HA ! We browsed the dry food aisles, picking a lot of Mexican products that just aren't available elsewhere before heading to the in store "lunch bar". Joanne had a couple of freshly made tamales. I had a chicken platter with rice and beans / platilla de pollo con arroz y frijoles. GEEEZZZ ... how do Mexicans make chicken so tasty ? ? ?

After lunch we headed for the butcher counter, stretching about 100 feet across the rear of the store. No meat on styrofoam trays covered in plastic wrap here. We bought marinated chicken legs, beef liver, marinated and seasoned beef taco meat / carne asada de res para tacos, smoked pork chops ( for Joanne ), fresh Oaxaca cheese ( a "stringy" cheese from Oaxaca, Mexico, of course ... pronounced "wha haca" ), fresh ceviche de jaiba ( crab "salad" / ceviche ), crema de Salvadoreña, a thick El Salvadoran style of cream for cooking ( I hope my doctor isn't reading this ), and queso fresco ( fresh cheese ). We spent $66 on groceries, none of it on our grocery shopping list. All impulse purchases, like shopping at Trader Joe's, but Mexican foods. Vallarta Supermarket should be renamed Trader José's. HA HA HA !

We got back onto Hwy. 99 continuing south. At Bakersfield we exited and headed for Camping World where I bought the correct replacement switch for the water pump in the camper. I bought the last one they had in stock, so wasn't able to buy a spare. It was almost dark by the time I got out of Camping World, and by the time we drove to Wal-Mart it was dark. While Joanne went into Wal-Mart to buy a couple of items I went into the camper and replaced the water pump switch in the range hood monitor and switch panel, removing the temporary one I bought at Radio Shack in Oakhurst and installing the correct one I just got at Camping World. We drove back across Bakersfield in the dark, still rush hour traffic, heading for the freeway again. I refilled with diesel just before returning to the freeway, continuing south on Hwy. 99 for twenty miles until it merged with Interstate 5 heading into Los Angeles.

We stopped for the night at a rest area near Lebec, at a high elevation ( read that "cold" ) at the summit of the Tejon Pass, in the area known as "The Grapevine".

Saturday ; Tejon Pass Rest Area to Palm Springs / Cabazon, California

Sunny and warm, temperature finally reaching up into the 70's once we reached the Mojave Desert.

This morning as we were getting our day started, there was a very loud, very hard pounding on our camper door. HEY ... ASSHOLE ... NO NEED TO BREAK THE DOOR DOWN ! Of course, it was a cop ! Do these jerks not know how to knock on a door in a civilized fashion ? ! ? He ordered us to leave the rest area immediately. It was being evacuated. A tanker truck parked nearby that had spent the night at the rest area was leaking some manner of HAZMAT ... hazardous material. Great ! Now we've probably been exposed to some carcinogenic toxin and are going to start growing third limbs !

We drove about a mile south, took the exit, turned around, and returned on the freeway northbound, stopping at the rest area across the road from where we had been. We finished our morning routines then used the sani-dump station to dump our grey tank and refill our freshwater. We drove about a mile northbound then took another exit to get turned around and back onto Interstate 5 southbound. When we passed the southbound rest area where we had spent the night the entrance was closed, there were two HAZMAT fire trucks and seven police cruisers at the entrance with many policemen and firemen standing around in a cluster**** looking like they were awaiting some manner of guidance. Or a sign from the great beyond ?

I suppose you can tell that that pounding on my door really pissed me off, eh ?

We drove south on Interstate 5 for awhile then turned east to avoid getting too close to Los Angeles. We spent the day on a series of secondary roads, driving east and south around Los Angeles until finally reaching Palm Springs at 4:30 PM. We turned west ... the "wrong" direction ... on Interstate 10 and headed 20 km. / 13 miles to the Morongo Casino at Cabazon where we boondocked overnight, arriving just as it got dark. Good timing !

While Joanne prepared supper I went into the casino and found a quiet place to sit ( in an elevator lobby ), plug in my computer to recharge the battery, and use Wi-Fi.

DSK

November 9 to 15, 2014 ; Grand Ronde, Oregon to Coarsegold, California

Sunday ; Grand Ronde to Cabin Creek Rest Area, Interstate 5 Mile Marker 142, Oregon

Cold and windy, especially along the coast, intermittent rain.

This morning as we were dumping our waste holding tanks and refilling our freshwater tank prior to leaving Spirit Mountain Casino we were debating whether to drive west to Hwy. 101 and follow the Oregon Pacific coastline or drive east and return to
Interstate 5.  I wanted to explore the coast if the weather was good, return to I-5 if the weather was bad. In the short duration of dumping and refilling ... perhaps ten minutes or so ... it was both !   I decided that since we were this close to the coast, it would be a shame not to explore. So ... we headed west. And regretted it soon thereafter !

We drove southwest on Hwy. 18 to the Pacific coast at Lincoln City, then drove south along the coast on Hwy. 101, stopping frequently to view the rugged coastline. BUT ... it was cold, it was very windy, and it was raining. Not all that enjoyable ! We detoured briefly to view Chinook Winds Casino. We refilled our five gallon water jug in Lincoln City. We had a lunch break in one of the many Oregon State Park roadside picnic / rest areas along the coast.

By Newport I had had enough of the coastal weather and we turned inland / east on Hwy. 20 to Corvallis where we refilled with diesel, then continued southeast on Hwy. 34 until it reached Interstate 5. The rest of the day driving south on I-5 was in much better weather, still cloudy and intermittently raining lightly, but warmer temperature and no more wind. Shortly after it became dark at 5 PM we stopped to boondock overnight at a freeway rest area just 10 miles or so north of the SKP park where we want to be tomorrow.

Monday ; Cabin Creek Rest Area to Timber Valley SKP RV Park, Sutherlin, Oregon

Cold, cloudy, gloomy in the morning, sky clearing in the afternoon.

This morning when Joanne walked the dog she saw at least three different types of mushrooms in the woods. So ... before we left the rest area we went mushroom hunting with the Mushroom Hunter guide book she bought me as a birthday gift. None of the three types of mushrooms we found were edible, but ... it was certainly an interesting exercise to identify them, and determine that they were not edible.

We drove only about ten miles south on Interstate 5 before reaching the small city of Sutherlin. At Napa Auto Parts I bought the hardware ( nuts, bolts, washers ) I needed to reinstall the truck batteries' hold down clamps. We found our way to Timber Valley SKP Park and checked in. Dumped our grey tank, refilled our freshwater tank, and found a nice site in their unserviced ( boondock ) area. While Joanne prepared lunch
I reinstalled the truck batteries' hold down clamps ... correctly ! I should have known better than to lift the hood of the truck in an SKP park. Within seconds an old man ... and his dog ... were beside me, wanting to peer over my shoulder ( the old man ) and become my new best friend ( both old man and dog ).

After lunch we went to the clubhouse where Joanne did laundry and I worked online, posting my weekly blog entry, checking e-mail, recharging my laptop's battery, recharging the cell phone's battery, downloading recent photos from the camera to the laptop and processing them.

Late in the afternoon, just before it got dark, we were just getting ready to do a fun obedience training session with Bo when ... WAIT ! What the hell is that ? ? ? A half dozen or so ... wild turkeys ? ? ? Roaming through the RV park ? ? ?

Tuesday ; Remembrance Day in Canada, Veteran's Day in U.S.

LEST WE FORGET !

Sutherlin, Oregon to Welcome Center Rest Area on California side of Oregon / California border

Sunny and cool, becoming mild.

This morning we prepared for departure, dumped our waste holding tanks, refilled our freshwater holding tank, then observed Remembrance Day with a minute of silence on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, followed by Joanne's recitation of the poem In Flanders Fields. We were standing at the base of a grassy, treed hill near the entrance to Timber Valley SKP RV Park, facing the sun ... remembering those who served and sacrificed.

We drove south on Interstate 5 to the small city of Winchester where we stopped to view the glass walled viewing area of the fish ladder of the dam on the North Umpqua River. We didn't see any fish using the ladder to migrate upstream today, but what an interesting concept.

We continued south on I-5 to Grants Pass where we stopped to buy some groceries at a Fred Meyer, then had lunch in the grocery store's parking lot, then refilled with diesel at their fuel bar. HMPH ... must have lost my truck work gloves the last time I refilled with diesel. We went shopping at DollarTree at a nearby mall to complete our Oregon tax free shopping list.

We continued south on I-5. We saw a Harbor Freight in Medford, so I took the next exit and went to Harbor Freight to replace the work gloves I keep in the truck to wear when I'm refilling with diesel. More south on I-5 until we reached the Oregon / California border at 5 PM as it became dark. We stopped to boondock overnight at the California Welcome Center Rest Area. I think we've boondocked overnight here at least twice before.

Wednesday ; California Welcome Center Rest Area to Dunnigan, California

Sunny and cool this morning, becoming mild in the afternoon.

We had gone to sleep early last night, so we woke earlier than usual this morning. So we were on the road earlier than usual. So we drove more miles today than usual. I'm tired of cold weather. We know from previous experience that we usually find warmer weather as soon as we are over the Shasta Mountains, and reach Redding, California. And so it was today.

Because we got up early, and started driving early, I took a brief nap after lunch. We stopped for fuel at Pilot near Dunnigan, just a bit north of Sacramento, at 5 PM as it got dark. We decided to boondock overnight at Pilot.

Thursday ; Dunnigan to Coarsegold, California

Cloudy, mild, occasional light drizzle. Today was a very long, tiring, frustrating day of having everything that could have gone wrong ... did so ! Nothing serious, just frustration and annoyance, one thing after another, all day long ! Is it just me ? Or are Southern Californians getting even more obnoxious and stupid ? ! ?

We left Pilot this morning and continued heading south on Interstate 5. As we entered the suburbs of Sacramento from the north ... endless shopping malls ... we got off the freeway to shop at Wal-Mart and Dollar Tree. On the south side of Sacramento, at Manteca, we crossed from Interstate 5 to Hwy. 99 using Hwy. 120. Continuing south on Hwy. 99 we stopped in Stockton to buy some dog food at PetsMart. WOO-HOO ... Bo's first shopping trip in over six months. Bo LOOOOOVES shopping at PetsMart.

At Madera we left the freeway to head east on Hwy. 143, then north on Hwy. 41 up into the Sierra Nevada Mountains near Yosemite National Park. Our plan was ... if we arrived before the office was closed, we would check into SKP Park Of The Sierras near Coarsegold. If we were late, and the office was closed, we would continue a mile further and boondock overnight at Chukchansi Casino. About an hour before it got dark it was obvious that we would not arrive at SKP Park Of The Sierras before their office was closed. Joanne decided that it would save us some time tomorrow if we drove past the casino and another ten miles to Oakhurst to do some grocery shopping tonight.

As we drove past the Chukchansi Casino ... HUH ? ? ? Temporarily closed ? ! ? We drove into Oakhurst, did some grocery shopping at Vons, then drove back towards the casino and SKP park near Coarsegold. We verified that the casino was indeed closed, then parked outside the SKP park's gate to boondock overnight. They have a boondock parking spot outside their security gate for late arrivals.

Friday ; SKP Park Of The Sierras

Sunny and mild. This morning we checked into SKP Park Of The Sierras for a week and got set up in our assigned site. What a beautiful RV park. If we were Americans,
I would choose this place as our summer home.

This afternoon I did more work on our two new truck batteries. I removed, adjusted, and reinstalled a couple of the battery terminal clamps that I was dissatisfied with. I spray cleaned the battery terminal clamps, and ... short circuited the truck's alarm system. The horn began honking and the lights began flashing. And I couldn't get them to stop. Neighbours from all around began to show up, as vehicle alarms in SKP RV parks are usually considered to be emergency calls for help. Starting the truck did not stop the alarm. I had to finally open the fuse panel and remove the horn's fuse to stop the honking. < sigh >

I drove over to this park's "pole barn", the vehicle service garage and woodworking / tools / maintenance shop. I changed the truck's fuel filter, and sprayed protectant coating on the adjusted and newly cleaned battery terminal clamps. I dropped off an empty propane tank at the park's propane refill station. Big RV park, lots of amenities and services within ! We drove over to the clubhouse, parked and ... WOO-HOO, WOO-HOO, WOO-HOO ... thought Bo .... went to the daily "dog party" in the dog park. Bo LOOOOOVES being here because of the daily "dog parties". We ... and Bo ... renewed old friendships and made new ones. We were saddened to learn that one of our friends here has suffered a stroke recently and is in the hospital. We will go to visit her tomorrow.

After the dog party we went into the clubhouse for the weekly Friday afternoon social hour and appetizer potluck dinner. MMMMM ! ! ! We spent quite awhile visiting then returned to our site and hooked up the camper to the cable TV outlet on our site and watched TV for the remainder of the evening. Other than testing the TV to ensure functionality this is the first time we've watched the camper's TV in the eleven months that we've owned the camper.

Saturday ; Oakhurst, California

Sunny and mild.

This morning we went with our Yuma neighbours Joe and Ailene ... who also own a lot here ... to Oakhurst to visit with Diane, another friend who resides here, and is currently in a rehabilitation hospital in Oakhurst. She recently suffered a stroke ( at age 85 ). Diane's recovery is progressing, but she has a very long way to go. I'm doubtful that she will be able to return to living here independently. Our friendship with Diane began, and has continued over the years, at the daily dog parties here at SKP Park Of The Sierras. She obviously misses her two dogs who are currently being "foster" cared for by a neighbour. We promised to visit Diane again before we leave here, and to bring Bo along to visit with her.

Joe and Ailene treated us to lunch at a pizza buffet restaurant in Oakland. We ate lunch and chatted for a couple of hours before returning to SKP Park Of The Sierras. Thank you for lunch, Joe and Ailene, and for taking us to visit with Diane.

In the middle of the night I got up to use the bathroom. When I turned on the camper's water pump switch ... it broke ! So ... there I was at 4 AM, trying to disassemble the monitor and switch panel in the range hood, and "hot wire" the water pump switch, using a kitchen knife as a tool. I succeeded, but not before Joanne woke up, wondering what the hell was I doing ? ! ? Before we returned with Joe and Ailene from Oakhurst
I went to O-Reilly's Auto Parts and Radio Shack looking for a replacement 12 volt rocker switch. I did not find the exact right switch, but did buy a larger switch at Radio Shack to use temporarily. Because the switch I bought is physically larger than the original, it will not snap into the hole in the range hood, so it is hanging by its wires in front of the range hood switch hole. Like a Mexican repair job ! HA HA HA !

After returning from Oakhurst I puttered around briefly with some maintenance work on the camper then we went to the daily dog party. What a lot of fun for all concerned, dogs and people alike. We spent about an hour and a half in the dog park chatting with friends, playing with dogs and "loving up" dogs. And breaking up one dog fight, which Bo wisely chose not to get involved in. Good dog, Bo. In the evening I worked on the computer while Joanne lay in bed watching TV, cuddled with Sully and Bo ... under Sully's "heater blankie".

DSK

November 2 to 8, 2014 ; Omak, Washington to Grand Ronde, Oregon

Sunday ; Omak to Marysville, Washington

Sunny and cool on the east side of the Cascade Mountains, raining and cold on the west side.

This morning we left the parking lot of the Wal-Mart in Omak and drove across the street to Exxon where we refilled with diesel, then dumped our grey waste holding tank and refilled our freshwater tank, the use of the sani-dump facility being free with a fuel fill up. We drove about five miles south on Hwy. 97 to Okanogan then turned west on Hwy. 20.

I had decided a few days ago that I wanted to drive from Hwy. 97 west on Hwy. 20 over the Cascade Mountains, through North Cascades National Park to Interstate 5 at Burlington, about an hour north of Seattle. So ... that's what we did today. It's a route we have not travelled before. It's a high mountain pass with a lot of snow, so the road is closed from late November until late April. Early November was our only chance to drive this route.

We stopped a number of times today to enjoy the lovely scenery. including going on a short hike to the Washington Pass Summit overlook at an elevation of 5477 feet ASL. BRRRRR ... cold at 34 degrees F. / 1 degree C. with snow on the ground. After our short, cold hike we had lunch in the camper in the trailhead parking lot.

From Omak to the Washington Pass Summit it was uphill and sunny. From Washington Pass to Interstate 5 it was downhill, cloudy and raining all the way. We know from previous experience ... and from where we chose to live in the summer ... that the east side of the Cascades at this time of year is still sunny and dry, while the west side is ... wet !

We arrived at Interstate 5 at 5 PM, just as it turned dark. We turned south on I-5 and drove about another half hour to Tulalip Casino near Marysville. The objective was to boondock there overnight, have a nice dinner in their buffet restaurant, and enjoy tonight's free Beatles tribute band show in their cabaret. Well ... two out of three ain't bad ! HA HA HA !

Tulalip Casino is huge and glitzy, rivalling many of the Las Vegas casinos. Their buffet restaurant was very good, although not cheap. After dinner we went into the cabaret lounge to see the Beatles tribute band. Before we even found seats we decided not to stay. I spent the next couple of hours seated comfortably in an overstuffed chair in the hallway of their banquet room area, using the casino's free Wi-Fi to get some online work done, but mostly to be plugged into electricity to recharge my computer and cell phone.

Monday ; Marysville to I-5 Mile Marker 11 Rest Area, Washington

Chilly and raining all day.

We left the Tulalip Casino this morning and before we even got back to the nearby Interstate 5 we found a Bank of America. WOO-HOO ! We were both eager to get rid of the large amount of U.S.$ cash that Joanne has been carrying around in her purse since we left home. We deposited the cash and got back onto I-5 continuing south. About fourteen miles south of the casino we stopped at a freeway rest area to dump our waste holding tanks and refill our freshwater tank. The size limitations of the truck camper's holding tanks make it desirable to dump our grey tank and refill our freshwater tank on a daily basis. And many of the rest areas in Washington have excellent
sani-dump stations ; spacious entry and exit, sewer inlets and water spigots in good condition, sometimes multiple lanes so no waiting.

After dumping and refilling we continued south on I-5 to and through Seattle and Tacoma. < sigh > Very stressful driving. The freeway passes right through downtown Seattle. And as is usually the case with freeways in urban areas, the city drivers lack courtesy and freeway driving skills. And now ... I'm seeing more and more drivers texting on their cell phones while driving at freeway speeds ! Without a doubt, the most dangerous thing we do in our lives is drive on American freeways in urban areas.

We stopped for lunch at another rest area. We refilled with diesel at a Pilot Travel Center near Tumwater. Really ? Tumwater ? They should just rename it "Middle Of Nowhere". We decided to stop for the night just a few minutes before it got dark at 5 PM, at Gee Creek Rest Area eleven miles north of the Washington / Oregon border and the city of Portland. Joanne did not want to arrive in Portland, in the dark, at the end of rush hour traffic.

Tuesday ; I-5 Mile Marker 11 Rest Area, Washington to McMinnville, Oregon

Cold and raining in the morning, slowly clearing by late afternoon.

Today was a long, tiring, frustrating day, most of it spent shopping in Portland, Oregon.

The morning started with Sully puking all over the bed and Joanne and himself. < sigh > Before leaving the Interstate rest area we dumped the grey tank and refilled the freshwater tank ... working in the cold rain. You know how much I hate that ! We continued south on I-5 until reaching Interstate 205, somewhat the "perimeter highway" / "ring road" around Portland. We travelled east and south on I-205 crossing over the Columbia River from Vancouver, Washington to Portland, Oregon. We turned east on Interstate 84 heading for Trader Joe's, Harbor Freight, and Camping World in the northeast section of Portland.

When I was online searching for Trader Joe's in Portland a few weeks ago, the online map did not reveal that the Trader Joe's location was in an older neighbourhood of Portland, with narrow streets, and a small, congested store parking lot. Manoeuvering around and parking with a 9 foot wide, 24 foot long truck and camper was extremely difficult. We spent $87 at Trader Joe's, buying nothing essential. HA HA HA ... we LOOOOOVE indulging ourselves at Trader Joe's, buying exotic / gourmet / unusual foods, including snack food items and pet foods and treats. Like Trader Joe's cat food. Ingredient list ; tuna ! Hope Sully lives long enough to eat all the cans I bought today !

From Trader Joe's we found our way to Harbor Freight, to buy a small generator, to replace the one that died last spring. Unfortunately, the generator was not on sale today at the price that I wanted to pay, but ... I got a flyer that indicated it would be the price that I want, on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. So ... we're not going to have a generator for this trip south, but ... life goes on !

We stopped at a Safeway to have lunch in the camper in the parking lot, then refill with diesel at their fuel bar. From there we found our way to Camping World, a location where we have been before, so it was easy to find ... unlike Trader Joe's and Harbor Freight. I needed four items at Camping World. I got one ! HMPH !

By the time we were finished at Camping World it was after 4 PM. Less than an hour until dark, but no further errands to do in Portland, so ... we hit the road. Rush hour traffic ! ! ! We headed west into Portland on Interstate 84, then southwest through Portland on Hwy. 99W. It was dark by 5 PM, as expected. We made it out of Portland and to McMinnville where we stopped at 5:30 PM to spend the night in a Wal-Mart parking lot.

Wednesday ; McMinnville, Oregon

HMPH ! Spent half the day waiting for a ****ing tow truck ! Haven't had to do that for years ! Not since we bought this Dodge truck 8½ years ago ! Awfully good thing
I renewed my Good Sam Roadside Assistance membership yesterday at Camping World in Portland !

After a slightly slow start to the morning we went into the Wal-Mart and did a bit of tax free shopping. After shopping we did an obedience session with Bo at the far end of the Wal-Mart parking lot where we had boondocked overnight, and which was mostly empty. Shopping and obedience finished, it was time to go. I turned the key in the truck, and ... nothing ! < sigh >

I walked over to the Meineke Car Care Centre next door and persuaded the manager to allow one of his service technicians to come over with his pickup truck and attempt a jump start. Didn't work ! I walked over to a tractor trailer unit parked in the Wal-Mart parking lot, driver eating lunch, and persuaded the driver to come over with his big rig and attempt a jump start. Dodge trucks with Cummins diesel engines with two batteries are hard to jump start, and need a real powerful booster vehicle. I thought a tractor trailer unit would suffice. It didn't ! < sigh >

I phoned Good Sam Roadside Assistance. They arranged for a tow truck. It didn't arrive until two hours later. While we were waiting I had walked over to Meineke Car Care and discussed the situation with them, and decided that there wasn't a snowball's chance in hell that the truck problem would be identified and rectified today, SO ... < sigh > ...
I decided that the smartest thing to do would be to remove the camper from the truck before the tow truck's arrival.

Joanne and I detached the camper and raised it up high enough to allow the truck to be pulled out from underneath it. AND ... we squabbled and sniped at each other a lot. Stress ! ! ! The tow truck finally arrived, and after discussing the situation with the tow truck driver, we decided to attempt another jump start. I was not yet convinced that the problem was with the starter or alternator or solenoid or something other than the batteries. We connected the tow truck's powerful booster cables and ... VROOOOOM ! The truck started ... no problem !

You would think that would almost be the end of the story. NOOOOO ! ! !    I drove the truck out from underneath the camper and drove the 200 feet or so over to Meineke Car Care. By the time they were able to begin testing the batteries a few minutes later ...
I had not shut off the engine ... the batteries and engine were warm AND ... < sigh > ... the batteries tested as "okay". As did the starter and the alternator and solenoid. Their diagnostics indicated "no problem".

Well, fellas ... obviously there is a problem ... you just haven't found it yet. I told them there was no sense in me taking the truck away, putting the camper back on, and ...
not being able to start the truck again tomorrow morning. They agreed to keep the truck overnight and test everything again first thing tomorrow morning when it's cold.

Given how quickly the tow truck boost was able to start the truck, I'm convinced that the problem is the two batteries in the truck. They are 44 months old, guaranteed for 85 months, so should not yet be "dead". BUT ... < shrug > ! ! ! They are Interstate brand batteries. Meinieke is an Interstate battery dealer. But they won't / can't process a warranty claim on my two batteries if their testing indicates they are okay.

Stay tuned !

I spent another hour at Meineke Car Care, until they closed, sitting in their customer waiting area, working on my computer plugged into their electricity, recharging my computer battery. I certainly miss having a small generator with us. Joanne and I went walking around the neighbourhood which was wall to wall shopping malls. I browsed at O'Reilly Auto Parts, planning to return there tomorrow for some items I want to buy tax free in Oregon, and ... maybe two new batteries for the truck ! We went into Safeway and bought a few grocery items. We went into Wal-Mart ( again ) to buy a pack of AAA batteries. Late in the evening we wandered over to KFC to have supper.

Thursday ; McMinnville to Grand Ronde, Oregon

Well ... as travel problems go, this truck dead batteries crisis could have been a lot worse, all things considered.

Chilly and raining for most of the day.

After a fitful night I was up by 7:30 AM and by 8:15 AM I was walking across the street from the Wal-Mart parking lot to the Meineke Car Care Center. They had already tested the truck's two batteries. Yup ... deader than doorknobs when cold in the morning. They had already phoned the local Interstate battery factory representative and he was on his way down. He arrived by 8:30 AM, and when he reviewed Meineke's test results, he authorized a warranty claim on the truck's two batteries. They were purchased 44 months ago, and were guaranteed for 85 months, so I had to pay 44/85 of the cost of two new batteries. Fair enough !

While the new batteries were being installed I was in the customer waiting area working online using Meinieke's free Wi-Fi. After checking e-mail I went to the Spirit Mountain Casino website to check on Penn & Teller tickets. For the entire month of October I had been checking the website daily to see if any tickets became available for this Saturday's long ago sold out show. And ... lo and behold ... a week ago I got a ticket. Just one ! Since I had some time to kill, and Wi-Fi access, I checked again this morning.

HOLY SHIT ! TWO SEATS TOGETHER JUST BECAME AVAILABLE ! ! !

I phoned the casino's box office as quickly as I could. Not that quick, given my ineptitude with my new cell phone ! I couldn't just buy the two tickets online because
I wanted to exchange the one ticket I had already bought. It was a lengthy ( and subsequently rather expensive ... we use a pay by the minute cell phone ) phone call, and a complicated process of exchanging one ticket for another, and buying another, but ... WOO-HOO, WOO-HOO, WOO-HOO ...not only am I going to see Penn & Teller on Saturday night, but ... Joanne will be sitting right beside me ! ! !

When the two truck batteries were replaced and I was leaving Meineke Car Care Center, the rain mercifully and briefly stopped. Just long enough for me to drive quickly from Meineke to Wal-Mart ... a few hundred feet ... and position the truck underneath the camper with the bed of the truck still dry. I had been very concerned about replacing the camper into the truck with the bed of the truck wet from the rain.

We got the camper reinstalled ... it was already raining again by the time we were finished ... and we finally left the McMinnville Wal-Mart parking lot. As we drove through McMinnville we made a few stops to continue our Oregon tax free shopping. First stop was O'Reilly Auto Parts where I bought a few items. Joanne noticed a propane supply business as we drove through town so we pulled in to refill. One of our tanks ran out the first night after we left home. The truck camper's old, horizontal mount, horizontal fill propane tanks need to be refilled by an actual propane supply business. The high school kids typically employed by service stations and convenience stores and other places where propane tanks can typically be refilled do not understand the peculiarities of the camper's propane tanks. So by now, the second tank was already half empty.
I refilled both tanks. AND ... we refilled our freshwater tank from the water spigot on the rear of the propane supply building. Last stop in McMinnville was Walgreens to buy some AA and AAA batteries which are always on sale at Walgreens the first week of November.

We left McMinnville heading southwest on Hwy. 99W, and continued ( in pouring rain ) southwest on Hwy. 18 to Grand Ronde, only about 30 miles / 50 km. or so from McMinnville. We arrived at Spirit Mountain Casino in time to have a late lunch in their RV parking area.

Spirit Mountain Casino has a wonderful "RV park" with many large pull through, unserviced ( boondocking ) sites, and an easy access, well maintained sani-dump station and adjacent freshwater refill station. One could live here ( for free ) quite comfortably ! While I showered Joanne went into the casino to join the player's club, enabling us to stay in the RV park ( and use the sani-dump station ) for three nights for free. After she returned we dumped the waste holding tanks ( overdue ! ) and refilled the freshwater tank again. I had taken a needed and deserved, long, hot shower !

I did a minor repair on the truck camper, and spent time on the computer updating truck maintenance records and credit card accounting. We took Bo for a brief walk while it wasn't raining. While Joanne prepared dinner I went into the casino to work on the computer, plugged into electricity to recharge the battery. < sigh > Surely do miss having that small generator !

Friday ; day trip to Tillamook, Oregon

Sunny and mild. Finally ... a pleasant weather day !

Well ... HMPH ! So much for "professional installation" ! What atrocious workmanship at Meineke Car Care Center in McMinnville, Oregon ! ! ! This morning when I was doing routine preventive maintenance and fluid checks on the truck I discovered ... three of the four battery terminal clamps were tightened appropriately, and one of the four was left completely loose. As if the service technician got distracted and forgot to do the last clamp. AND ... one of the battery's hold down clamps was installed ever so slightly misaligned, while the other battery's hold down clamp was installed ...
< sputter > ... upside down ... AND ... with no nut underneath the bolt ! ! ! ! !

I absolutely hate paying auto repair shop labour rates for work done that carelessly and indifferently ! ! ! ! !

This morning we were thrilled to see sunlight as we were planning a day of exploring. We dumped the waste holding tanks, refilled the freshwater tank, and headed out to explore back roads and Tillamook. We drove northwest on Hwy. 22 towards Oregon's Pacific coast, about 30 miles / 50 km. or so from Spirit Mountain Casino. Hwy. 22 was a scenic winding road through forest. When we came upon a fish hatchery at Cedar Creek we stopped to look around and / or have a tour. There was only one employee today at the salmon and trout hatchery operated by the State of Oregon, and she was too busy to give us a tour, but invited us to wander around by ourselves. While we were doing that, she came over and gave us a large bucket of fish food to feed to the Rainbow Trout in one of the concrete ponds. HA HA HA ... it was fun feeding the trout. And by watching them feed, I was able to learn something about their feeding habits that may help me with my fly fishing next summer.

We continued on Hwy. 22 until reaching Hwy. 101, the road that follows the Pacific coastline. We turned north and drove about another 30 miles / 50 km. or so to Tillamook. Spent a week near Tillamook in 2005 getting the transmission replaced on our previous truck. First stop today was Tillamook Cheese Factory. Our late lunch consisted of sampling cheeses and sharing a five scoop sampler bowl of ice creams. We bought some cheese curds, salad dressing, and a couple of small tubs of yoghurt.

Next stop was Blue Heron French Cheese Company, makers of Brie cheese. We sampled cheeses, dips, jams, salad dressings, barbecue sauces, and ... wines. We bought some smoked Brie cheese and another salad dressing.

I stopped at O'Reilly's Auto Parts to buy some automatic transmission fluid. We bought some groceries at Fred Meyer's. By then it was getting dark. GEEEEEZ ... where did the day go ? ! ? We left Tillamook and drove south on Hwy 101 past the turnoff to Hwy. 22 and continued south to Hwy. 18, a route that we hoped would be easier to drive in the dark than the narrow, twisty Hwy. 22. It was ! We returned to Spirit Mountain Casino for a second night of boondocking. While Joanne prepared supper I went into the casino to use my computer plugged into electricity to keep the battery charged.

What a nice day we had !

Saturday ; Spirit Mountain Casino

Sunny and mild again. How nice !

We slept late this morning. After morning chores we drove over to the sani-dump station to dump and refill. We squabbled viciously. Smartly, we kept it relatively brief. We went to the casino for a very late lunch / very early dinner in the buffet restaurant. Very nice ! We wandered through the Saturday "Marketplace", a weekly Native arts and crafts fair at the casino. I bought a lip balm stick made of beeswax and lavender. I also bought a small package of dried sage with a small seashell in which to burn the sage, a "travelling sage smudge" kit. We walked over to the resort hotel attached to the casino and I used a computer and printer in their Business Center to print my new Penn & Teller tickets for tonight's show. That had been suggested to me by the ticket agent on the telephone the other day, saving me a bit of time tonight and the $2 per ticket box office pick up fee. Thank you, Nicole. I returned to the Business Center late in the afternoon to work on my computer, plugged into electricity, and using Wi-Fi. I uploaded my weekly journal up until yesterday to my blog, needing to add only today ... tomorrow.

I have somewhat mixed emotions about the Penn & Teller show. I expected ... "bigger" ... more "glitzy". More ... WOW !   Perhaps their Vegas show, in their own theater at the Rio, would be "bigger" ... more "glitzy" ? On the other hand, I have great admiration for the "purity" of their magic, the "simplicity" of their magic. No smoke, no mirrors, no laser lights, no loud music, no scantily clad assistants. Just Raymond Teller's superb sleight of hand skills. And Penn Jillette's showmanship. And most impressive in this day and age of magic ... no mirror box routines. I dislike how much contemporary magicians employ mirror box routines.

And as an amateur magician, it gives me great consolation to realize that even at their astounding level of magic show ... a "muffed" routine or two is going to happen. Just "step over it" and keep going !

DSK

October 26 to November 1, 2014 ; Keremeos, British Columbia, Canada to Omak, Washington, U.S.A.

Sunday ; Cloudy and cold, raining lightly until mid-afternoon. When the sky began to clear late in the afternoon, we could see ... snow on the tops of the mountains. Time to head south !

We had a bit of a lazy day due to the poor weather. I puttered around with computer work, including buying travel medical insurance. HMPH ... premium increases due to both of reaching a new "age category". Did a bit of outdoor work when it wasn't raining.

Monday ; Sunny and chilly.

Spent the day puttering around with "fall pre-departure" chores, getting ready to leave Saturday. Loaded stuff into the camper. Visited with a neighbour.

Tuesday ; Chilly, cloudy, very windy until afternoon.

I was up a bit earlier than usual this morning to prepare to head to Penticton for a flight at noon and an afternoon of running errands. BUT ... before we left for Penticton it became obvious that the low clouds and strong winds made it an unsuitable day to go flying. I cancelled my airplane rental booking and we decided we didn't have enough errands to justify a trip to Penticton. So ... we had a bit of a lazy day, then went into Keremeos late in the afternoon to pick up my prescription refills and buy some groceries.

Wednesday ; Chilly, partially cloudy, intermittent light rain.

A very lazy day, waiting for the calendar to change to November 1 ... departure day ! Everybody has "hitch itch". Well ... not everybody ... I suppose Sully doesn't. In the evening I did some trip planning and we watched Survivor.

Thursday ; Partially sunny, cool.

Another slightly lazy day. Departure preparations continue slowly. Can only do so much in advance. Most preparations waiting for tomorrow and Saturday morning.

Joanne did laundry. We went into town and ran a few errands. Back at home we gave Bo a bath. I mounted a fire extinguisher in the minivan.

For the past three weeks or so I have been checking the ticket sales website of the Spirit Mountain Casino in Oregon to see if any tickets might become available for the sold out November 8 Penn & Teller performance at the casino. Tonight ...
WOO-HOO ... one ticket became available. I bought it ! It's my birthday gift from Joanne. Thank you so much, my dear. I would prefer to have her seated beside me at the show, but ... she was gracious and generous enough to encourage me to buy the one available ticket. The one seat ... aisle seat, row three ... must have been held for the magicians as a "stooge seat" until they decided it wouldn't be needed.

WOO-HOO ... I'm going to see Penn & Teller ! ! !

Friday ; Hallowe'en

Cloudy, cool, rain briefly in the afternoon.

We went into town this morning to surrender the minivan's license plates, registration, and insurance for a refund. We purchased storage insurance for the minivan for the next six months. We've never purchased automobile storage insurance before.

This afternoon we continued working on preparing for departure tomorrow morning. Most of the work was done by Joanne today, moving food and kitchen articles from the house to the camper. After watching Amazing Race in the evening we went over to see our neighbour / friend Jeanine to wish her a Happy Birthday for tomorrow, and she wanted some computer help from me to download a passport application.

Saturday ; Keremeos, British Columbia to Omak, Washington

Cloudy in the morning, sunny in the afternoon, windy and chilly all day.

We spent the morning completing our departure preparations. Joanne finished loading stuff from the house into the camper. I "winterized" the house. We had lunch in the camper before departing. We pulled out of the driveway just before 1 PM.

We headed east on Hwy. 3, stopping in Osoyoos to purchase a grocery item to provide me with a receipt proving that we were still in Canada on November 1 ... just in case
I should ever have to prove that to our travel medical insurer. Our border crossing was uneventful, typical for crossing at Osoyoos, B.C. to Oroville, Washington. No line-up, a few minutes answering reasonable and pertinent questions for a Customs & Border Patrol agent, then a few more minutes being inspected by an Agriculture inspector checking fridge contents and pet foods.

For those paying really close attention ... those last two sentences were a "copy and paste" from my journal entry for November 1 last year. We drove south on Hwy. 97 to Omak, Washington. We drove "downtown" to the Bank of America to deposit a fairly large sum of U.S. cash we brought with us. Well. shit ... the Bank of America location in Omak isn't a Bank of America anymore ! We're going to have to haul this large amount of cash around for at least another day ! We drove to the fairgrounds to check out their sani-dump station. Didn't like the sani-dump station there, but ... the fairgrounds had a dog park. With three dogs inside romping around. WOO-HOO ... a dog party with a new pack. Bo had a great time romping around with new dog friends for awhile. A female Chihuahua attacked him, snarling and snapping and jumping right up onto his back. He ignored her. HA HA HA ... good dog, Bo !

We drove to Wal-Mart and did some shopping. We drove across the street and parked in McDonald's parking lot so that I could use their free Wi-Fi to activate our new U.S. cell phone. I purchased it just before leaving Yuma last spring. Third new U.S. cell phone in three years ! < sigh > And as usual ... I had difficulty activating it. I'm not very cell phone savvy. And I screwed things up a few days ago by beginning the activation process online, at home, where the U.S. cell phone was unable to find a signal, necessary to complete the activation process. < sigh >

After I finally got the phone working, we continued south on Hwy. 97 to the next town, Okanogan, where we were planning to boondock overnight at the Okanogan Bingo Casino. When we arrived there, just as it turned dark ( 6 PM tonight ... 5 PM tomorrow ), the dozen or so RV parking spots ... with free electrical hookups ... were filled. DARN ! We had been planning to use our small electric heater ... and Sully's "heater blankie" ... tonight and conserve our propane supply. We drove back to Omak, and boondocked overnight in the Wal-Mart parking lot. While Joanne prepared supper I changed all the clocks one hour back. Daylight savings time ends overnight !

DSK