On the farm again

We stopped to see the special folks on the farm in central Washington as we did last year. We used Arnie's Acres RV Park again..... the view is great the location is super and the rate was the same as last year.... can't beat it.

This is space#1 at Arnie's Acres..... a great spot and the owners are such nice folks!

On Wednesday the ladies went shopping and Arnie and I did the important stuff..... we found a large potato farmer harvesting spuds. the machine digs them and places them in the truck for the short trip to the processing center. Digging starts in July and finishes in October.

The spuds are washed and the rocks and debris removed. They then head up the belt to a waiting semi trailer. These potatoes are destined for Frito lay and you may just eat them if you get a bag of Frito Lay chips.

Frito Lay can't handle all the potatoes that are harvested so about half are stored in a cellar....(big barn) and will be delivered after the harvest is completed. The picture shows the mound of spuds they have harvested to store. When the cellar is filled it will have about 500,000 tons of spuds! That's a lot of chips.

We needed the obligatory departure photo..... Arnie, Ginny and me..... plus Lacy the really great dog.

Thanks Arnie and Ginny for everything... We love farming up there.

Bellevue Botanical Garden

For a quieter experience we visited the Bellevue Botanical Gardens this morning. It's a really neat garden on 53 acres in Wilburton Hill Park

The view from the visitor center across the lawn is relaxing.

The flowers in the Japanese garden are really pretty.

But the waterfalls are the best.

And at the end of the park some pretty white flowers bid us farewell.

We spend the next several days here just enjoying the visit and then off to George, Washington where we'll stay at Arnie's Acres RV Park. More down the road.

Seattle area

Today is the day for posts.... quiet afternoon. We're visiting Kris and spent the day yesterday touring the Seattle downtown.

We spent some time at the Seattle insane asylum know as Pike Place Market. It's a mix of a crowded fair, block party and farmers market all in one.

The market flows inside and outside on the sidewalk. It's great fun if you like to crowd surf.

After the hustle and bustle of the market it was nice to just watch a ferry depart on Puget Sound.

We stopped for Macaroni and Cheese at Beechers cheese factory. The folks there make the cheese in vats and we sat and watched them while we had the best Mac and Cheese I have ever tasted!

Grayland Beach, Washington

Grayland Beach State Park is one of our favorites for a number of reasons....

First, the campsites are large and separated so you can sit outside and enjoy the camp in relative privacy.

Second, the beach is close and it's level so it offers a great place to walk or run. I ran the beach every morning and we walked for three miles in the afternoon. We collected some 40 sand dollar shells.... treasures to bring home.... now what do we do with them?

Then there's the Westport lighthouse.... a really neat place if you like that sort of thing.... and we do!

And last, the town of Westport.... a great working fishing village.... not a tourist trap. We walked the front street and bought Ahi Tuna from one of the boats on the dock. It's sushi mi grade and is great seared on the grill. We also ate fresh silver Salmon and oysters from the Brady oyster farm close by. Guess we over did the fresh seafood a little.... time for a steak now...... but when there we needed to take advantage of the local food.

On the Second of September we bid farewell to Grayland till next time and headed for Issaquah, Washington about 15 miles East of Seattle to visit Kris. I'll do another post before we head East again on the 8th of September.

Stubb Stewart State Park

Good morning all,

It's Friday the 4th and it's time to update the travel blog. Let's start way back in Stubb Stewart State Park 30 miles West of Portland.

Stubb Stewart is a new park... only three years old so not many trees in the campground. It's set in the rolling hills that make up the area between Portland and the coast.

No trees.... no problem.... just relax and enjoy the day!

The best part of this park is the Mountain bike and hiking trails. Here's the start of the trail leading to the top of the ridge above the campground.

The trail winds through the trees.... great to ride single track again after a few years of American river trail!

The view from the top looking west was worth the effort to get there. It's a great park if you want to hike or bike.... but if not there's not much to do.

Off to the Beach

A 50th wedding anniversary Luau

Hi there everyone,

About time I did a short update on this blog.... we've been without Internet service and television for about two weeks..... who said we go crazzzzzzyyyyyyy?

We're in the Westport, Wa library so I will make this short but will do more in the next couple of days.











On August 22 we went to a Luau at Buxton, Oregon for Bill and Geri's 50th wedding anniversary. What a party! The children put on quite a party and it was great to see old friends again. Thanks to all for the great time!

We did get to drive to Nehalem, Oregon on Monday and spend the afternoon with Bill and Geri. It was a super visit!







Just wanted to get this in.... I'll have more from Issiquah, Washington in the next several days. We head up there tomorrow morning to spend a few days with Kris.... More soon

Hi there boys and girls.... Yup... we're on the road again. This time for about 6 weeks to the pacific northwest and as far East as Yellowstone. I'll try to update this as often as we have internet service.... which may not be much on this trip

Last night (Tuesday night) we stayed at the Valley of the Rogue State park just South of Grants Pass, Oregon. The park is a great place to spend the night or a few days. It's only about 350 miles from home so it was an easy drive and we were able to relax when we got there

The Rogue River runs by the campground and is accessible for rafting and fishing or just sitting and watching. The Rogue River empties into the Pacific at Gold Beach, Oregon and the area near the ocean is some of the prettiest scenery I have seen.

Tonight we are in Woodburn, Oregon to visit Sharleen's sisters and their families. Tomorrow it's off to Stubb Stewart State Park west of Portland for a week. We'll attend a 50Th wedding anniversary celebration on Saturday in Buxton, Oregon.

I'll update this as I get the chance but for now..... like Porky Pig says.... Thats all folks.