Easter
Sunday ; Jackpot, Nevada
Cloudy, cold, windy.
This morning we moved from
Cactus Pete’s Casino’s RV boondocking parking lot to their full
service RV park. AHHHHH … full services ; sewer, water,
electricity. We can run the little electric space heater until we’re
all toasty warm !
This afternoon we went inside
the casino and renewed our Cactus Pete’s players’ club cards.
Then I went to sit in the hotel lobby and use Wi-Fi. DARN ! I
hadn’t checked our phone messages for quite a few days. There was
a request for a trailer towing quote since last Tuesday. DARN !
When I returned the phone call, not surprisingly, the caller no
longer wanted / needed a trailer towing quote from me. DARN ! ! !
I checked phone messages and
e-mail, then uploaded my weekly blog entry.
I returned to the camper
for a very small lunch … have to leave room for Easter buffet
dinner … and an afternoon nap. Late in the afternoon we returned
to the casino to have Easter dinner.
This was the second time we
have had Easter dinner in this casino’s buffet restaurant. And
both times were exceptionally good. Especially the desserts, which
were beyond outstanding both times. We surmise that they must still
have the same pastry chef as last time we had Easter dinner here a
few years ago.
While having dinner I did a
lot of people watching. Because … it appalls me that so many men
wear baseball caps while having Easter dinner in a nice restaurant.
And it appalls me that table manners have become so … lacking. It
seems to me to be a … < cough cough > … “cultural”
thing ! It’s not just the Roman Empire that declined ! ! !
The table behind us was a
family with five young boys, ages about four to about ten. And it
seemed as if the parents told them that they could have whatever they
wanted for dinner. The youngest two ate copious amounts of
watermelon. HA HA HA ! Followed by Jello and ice cream. Lots of it
! HA HA HA ! The oldest boy ate shrimp and … watermelon ! The
father ate a lot of fried chicken and … watermelon ! HA HA HA !
One of the boys in the middle broadened his horizons and had a slice
of cantaloupe. HA HA HA < SNORT > HA HA !
Monday,
Jackpot, Nevada through Idaho to La Grande, Oregon
Sunny and warm.
This morning before leaving
the Cactus Pete’s RV Park we refilled our freshwater tank and
dumped our black and grey waste tanks. We were northbound on Hwy. 93
around 11 AM, and a few minutes after leaving Jackpot we crossed from
Nevada into Idaho. At Twin Falls we crossed the Snake River Canyon
and got onto Interstate 84 heading northwest. We stopped at an
Interstate rest area to have lunch.
We
covered a lot of miles today, and rather quickly. The Interstate
speed limit was 80 MPH / 128
km. per hr. I don’t drive that fast, but I did spend a lot of
today at 120 km. per hr. / 75 MPH.
We
stopped at a Wal-Mart in Boise, Idaho. I refilled Lanoire with (
cheap ) diesel
at Wal-Mart’s fuel bar,
then Joanne went inside the store to refill our five gallon water jug
and to buy some salad vegetables. When we reached our planned
destination for today, a rest area near Huntington, Oregon, we
stopped to feed Ozzie, then decided to keep driving for another hour
and a half or so. We reached La Grande, Oregon about 7:30 PM, just
before dark. We parked at
Wal-Mart to boondock overnight. And to
facilitate our Oregon tax free shopping tomorrow.
Tuesday
; La Grande to The Dalles, Oregon
Mix of sun and clouds, warm,
windy.
This morning we went shopping
in Wal-Mart. While I went to buy a new “house” battery for the
camper, Joanne went to do our Oregon tax free shopping. She bought
everything except one item on our list which Wal-Mart did not have.
I bought a battery for the camper, took it out to the parking lot,
and was almost finished installing it by the time Joanne returned to
the camper with the rest of our purchases. While I finished the
installation and got myself cleaned up Joanne took the old battery
back into the store to get the core exchange refund.
We left Wal-Mart, and La
Grande, shortly after noon. We continued heading northwest on
Interstate 84. When we reached Pendleton, we stopped at Wildhorse
Casino, one of our favourite boondock locations. We dumped our black
and grey waste tanks, refilled our freshwater tank, and refilled with
diesel at their Arrowhead Travel Plaza. Got a good discount on their
already cheap diesel fuel, using our Rewards On The Rez card. HA HA
HA ! We pulled over to their RV boondocking parking lot and had a
late lunch.
After lunch we continued
northwest on I-84 through the Columbia River Gorge until we reached
The Dalles about 5:15 PM. We went to O’Reilly Auto Parts and
picked up the K & N high performance fuel injection “permanent”
air filter that
I had ordered online before leaving Yuma. I decided
recently that it’s time to replace the one in the truck that is now
about twelve years old. We also went into Staples to buy the last
item on our Oregon tax free shopping list. They didn’t have it.
HMPH ! Guess we’ll have to buy it at Staples in Penticton !
We left The Dalles and drove a
short distance to the west on I-84 and stopped for the night at
Memaloose Rest Area, adjacent to Memaloose State Park. It was
shortly after 6 PM when we arrived. We took Ozzie for a long walk
around the rest area, then down the hill to walk around the state
park campground, verifying that their sani-dump station is functional
for the summer season. We’ll probably use it tomorrow morning
before meeting our 97¾
year old friend Eilene in The Dalles for lunch.
While Joanne prepared supper
in the camper I worked on updating our “purchases to declare”
list with today’s purchases. DARN ! We’re a teensy bit over our
annual duty free allowance limit, and will likely have to pay a small
amount of duty / taxes on our winter season’s purchases as we cross
the border back into Canada.
Wednesday
; The Dalles, Oregon to Seattle, Washington
Sunny and warm.
This morning we refilled our
freshwater tank and dumped our grey and black waste tanks at the
sani-dump station in Memaloose State Park adjacent to the rest area
where we boondocked overnight. We left there at 11:15 AM and drove
about ten miles east on Interstate 84 back to The Dalles. We met our
( really ! ) old friend Eilene at her seniors’ apartment building
at 11:45 AM. We hadn’t seen Eilene in two years, and it was great
to visit with her again. < whispering > She’s frail ! I
suppose at her age she’s entitled !
Eilene wanted to go to a pizza
restaurant called Spooky’s so off we went in the truck. We all
shared a pizza for lunch, and chatted while we ate. Eilene’s
hearing has deteriorated, so chatting in a noisy restaurant was
difficult for her. After lunch we drove her back to her apartment,
and said our goodbyes, about 1:30 PM. Before leaving I told her I
want an invitation to her 100th birthday party in 27
months.
We drove to Safeway and while
I refilled Lanoire ( the truck ) with diesel Joanne went into the
store to buy some bread and luncheon meat. We left The Dalles at 2
PM heading east on Interstate 84. Shortly after leaving The Dalles
we turned north on Hwy. 97 and crossed over the Columbia River from
Oregon into Washington. We drove north on Hwy. 97, stopping at a
rest area mid-afternoon and taking Ozzie for a long walk for exercise
for all of us. When Hwy. 97 ( north / south ) reached Interstate 90
( east / west ) we turned west heading for Seattle. Shortly before
reaching the eastern edge of Seattle we stopped at Snoqualmie Casino,
our destination for tonight, around 6:30 PM.
We got parked near other RV’s
out near the edge of their large parking lot, and had supper. After
supper we went into the large casino to look around. Joanne returned
to the camper in the parking lot while I sat in a café
in the casino using the casino’s free Wi-Fi to check e-mail.
Snoqualmie Casino is a very
large, and very busy casino, especially for a weeknight.
Surprisingly, it is a casino only, no hotel. It’s situated in a
lovely forested area of the Pacific Northwest, and has been well
designed to fit in and take advantage of the natural surroundings.
No money spared here ! ! !
Thursday
; Seattle, Washington, U.S.A. to Abbotsford, British Columbia,
Canada
Overcast and mild.
As we left Snoqualmie Casino
this morning I refilled the truck with diesel fuel, then we headed
west on Interstate 90 into Seattle. We turned northwest on
Interstate 405 to get through and around Seattle’s eastern and
northern edges, then headed north on Interstate 5. Our relatively
new to us GPS does a magnificent job !
We stopped at a rest area to
dump our waste holding tanks and refill our freshwater tank at the
sani-dump station. Further north we stopped at Angel of Winds Casino
to have lunch in the camper. And I took a nap, abandoning the idea
of ordering a new mattress in Surrey, BC today. We’ll do it
tomorrow.
About 30 miles / 50 km. before
reaching Canada we left I-5 and dipsy-doodled down country back roads
to reach the border crossing at Sumas, Washington to Abbotsford, BC.
We reached the line up at the border at 4:45 PM. HMPH ! There’s
never a line up at the Oroville, Washington to Osoyoos, BC crossing !
We reached the front of the line precisely at 5 PM. I know this
because … the slightly surly female agent cut her interrogation of
us short when another agent showed up at her booth to relieve her for
her one hour dinner break.
AHHHHH … welcome home to
Canada ! ! ! Joanne heralds our return to Canada as the resumption
of her right to free speech. She feels that America / Americans /
the Republicans that populate our Yuma RV park community stifle the
speech / opinions of anyone who has something to say that they don’t
like or want to hear, which is anything and everything contrary to
their opinions / beliefs ! Harsh, but … she’s right ! Diversity
of opinions, beliefs, religions, skin colours, languages, … and
pretty much anything else … is NOT encouraged nor even accepted in
America … < sigh >. Surely is nice winter weather in Yuma
though ! HA HA HA !
After crossing the border back
into Canada it was a very brief journey to
Trans-Canada Hwy. 1 mile
marker 99 rest area, our boondocking home for tonight. It was
obvious last October and November when we stayed here that the
provision of RV electrical pedestals and free Wi-Fi had resulted in a
semi-homeless “living in an RV” problem here. The electrical
pedestals and Wi-Fi have now been disabled. Nevertheless, a “tiny
home” towed by a pickup truck that was living here last October and
November is still here !
Friday
; Abbotsford to Surrey to Abbotsford to Chilliwack to Hope, BC
Cloudy, cool, windy, light
rain at bedtime.
Well ! ! ! That was a day
that didn’t unfold as it should have ! ! !
Before
leaving the Abbotsford rest area this morning around 11 AM we dumped
our waste holding tanks and refilled our freshwater tank
at
the rest area’s
sani-dump station. We drove west on Trans-Canada
Hwy. 1 to Surrey, and found our way to Royal City Bedding. We bought
a custom made foam and latex mattress there for the camper last
October, and were returning there today to order a custom made foam
and latex mattress for home. A couple about our age walked in the
door right in front of us, and were served before us. This is a “Mom
& Pop” small business, so … we had to wait for “Pop” to
finish with the couple before us. They took about an hour to be
served !
< sigh > Normally my
impatience would have kicked in long before an hour had passed, but …
“building” a custom made mattress is a bit complicated, and this
was the other couple’s first time, so … I understood how and why
it took so long. Despite this being the third time we have ordered a
custom made foam and latex mattress, and the second time at this
business, serving us didn’t take much less time than the other
couple. As I said … it’s a bit of a complicated process.
We
got our mattress ordered and paid for, and were leaving the business
about
2 PM, quite a bit later than we had anticipated. We returned
back to
Trans-Canada Hwy. 1 and headed east. Before reaching
Abbotsford, the traffic ground to a halt, and we were stuck for
about
two hours. Emergency vehicles were passing the stuck
traffic by driving on the shoulder, so obviously there had been a
traffic accident up ahead of us. We crawled along at less than
walking speed for two hours, until we finally reached an exit leading
into Abbotsford. We took the exit, found a Subway, and had lunch …
AT 4 PM ! ! !
When we returned to the
highway about 4:45 PM, the accident must have been cleared, because
traffic was now moving along … at regular Friday afternoon rush
hour pace … < sigh > ! Note to self : DO NOT EVER MOVE TO
BC LOWER MAINLAND … or any other large urban area !
It
was now 5 PM. We had expected to be home before that ! We weren’t
even at Chilliwack yet, where we were planning to go grocery shopping
at Superstore. Our fridge was empty … we had crossed the border
yesterday with no food, as is appropriate. Once
we reached Chilliwack we left the highway again, and did our grocery
shopping at Superstore. We were back on the highway again about 6
PM. At Hope we refilled with diesel at Flying J and decided that it
was time to call it a day. It was 7 PM when we pulled into the rest
area on TCH 1 at Hope.
I
spent the evening working on the computer. Joanne made a late, light
supper around 8:30 PM. She and the animals went to sleep around
10:30 PM. I worked on the computer awhile longer.
Saturday
; Hope to home / Riverside RV Park Resort near Keremeos, BC
It
rained all night overnight. We left the rest area near Hope around
11:15 AM this morning and continued east on Trans-Canada Hwy. 1
briefly, then east on Hwy. 3. Just a short distance east of Hope the
rain turned into snow, and as we approached Manning Provincial Park
it got heavier and heavier, until we were in a winter blizzard ! The
temperature had dropped to 28ºF
/ -2ºC.
And you wonder why we don’t want to return back home to Canada
until the end of April ? !
We stopped for a late lunch at
Princeton. The snow blizzard had ended by then. After lunch I
napped briefly, then we continued east on Hwy. 3 to home, arriving
home shortly after 4 PM. Ozzie was glad to be home. Emma seemed
upset. We don’t know why !
The
previous arrangements I had with a neighbour to share her Wi-Fi
signal can’t be continued. < sigh > It certainly
would have been nice if she had
sent me an e-mail to give me a heads up, and perhaps
I could have made other arrangements even before we returned home.
But NOOOOO … so now I’m blindsided !
I
went to a different neighbour and borrowed her phone to make a call
to have our satellite TV service receiver “refreshed”. So … at
least we have TV service.
But no phone and no Internet. And I need to file our income taxes
electronically. And do a lot of other “return home” work online.
So yes, yes … I’m pissed off !
And
… a
plastic part inside our toilet broke. So
… we
have to temporarily
turn
the water valve to the toilet on and off each time we flush the
toilet.
While walking Ozzie around
suppertime we stopped at our neighbour / friend Jeanine’s to pick
up our mail she collected for us over the winter, and to visit with
her briefly.
This was the first time since
my heart surgery that I have had to reconnect the water supply
underneath our manufactured home. In winter like conditions late
this afternoon, I found it very difficult to do. < sigh >
There’s no doubt … I’m not the man I used to be ! I suppose
that’s a normal part of getting old !
DSK
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