From the farthest Northwest USA to the farthest South East USA - A very long but fun RV trip

The farthest NW USA (not including Alaska)

HE SAID:   Once again on Boxing way we made our way south to Florida. This time we had my sister-in-law Dusty and brother-in-law Ted Hunter. Everyone seemed concerned we were going so far with four people in the RV, but I have always enjoyed our trips with them before i.e. when we went camping on the Sunshine coast and we have been on a couple of cruises together. 

We first made our way to Sydney BC to take the ferry to Annacortes. So much cheaper then BC ferries. After entering the states we had some reconnecting with the outside world by getting SIM cards for Dusty and I at AT&T, so we only made it just outside of Seattle the first night.

We stopped in a Carrabellas parking lot overnight, then made our way to just outside Portland where we stayed in the same RV park as Twyla and David (Josh Chilcutt's mom and step dad). They are camp hosts and got us three free nights. 

David had a really bad cold so we didn't see him much. Twyla was very kind in showing us the scenery. I stayed home the first day to make a good supper and to stay with the dogs (Pat will talk about their day). I did go into Portland the next day. An amazing city. Even though it was cool out there was at least no rain. I definitely want to go back again.  It was good to catch up with Twyla again.

Best place to get donuts in Portland.

After leaving Portland area we went over to the Oregon coast where we drove for about  a half a day. Beautiful scenery. The roads were very tight on the RV so we decided against driving all the way to LA on the coast. We stopped at the Sea lion caves which was a great hold your breath "it's fishy in here" place.

Sea Lion Caves

After a couple of more days on the road we finally made it to San Fransco area. Pat found us a great campsite it Vallejo, about an 45 minutes from the city.

Unfortunately here, Ted had caught David's cold and he was holed up in the RV the whole time we were here. We did manage to go over the Golden Gate Bridge (which was really on my bucket list). We lucked out as the weather was cool but very clear.

Golden Gate Bridge

Pier 39 still decorated for Christmas

We did go back to Pier 39 and see all the great shops and sour dough bread (yummy) and of course more sea Lions.  The best part of the trip was taking the cable car ride up those really high streets. Even though we had to wait over an hour it was well worth it.

Cable Car ride

I have to admit one of the fun times we had in the area was visiting the Jelly Belly Factory

I have never seem so many types and flavours of jelly bellies. We did buy all the kids some Jelly Flops which we are told are well worth the money.

The saddest part of being in this great city was losing my brand new iPhone six. We went to see a movie at a local theatre and I had taken my phone out to silence it. But stupidly put it in my sweater pocket. It must of slipped out when I stood up.  I didn't notice it missing till we got back to the RV. We put on the locate my iPhone app and saw it was still at the Theatre. Called there and they said nothing had been turned in. Luckily Ted was well enough to go back with me and he and I and the manager went back into the theatre (which was showing the same movie (but no one in the row we were in) and searched every chair. We searched the whole theatre ...nothing. But the app said it was still there. Anyway left name and number with manager. Around midnight, the app showed it had moved to a pizza hut. I erased all the data and in the morning Pat and Dusty went on the hunt again. It was a total loss. I really felt so stupid and really pissed off that I lost my "Precious". Hopefully Pat can get me a new one in March. I feel so lost without it.

Our next stop was Anaheim California. On the GPS this place doesn't look that far, but the trip took us almost the whole day. The roads were really terrible and the traffic was just as bad. Finally arrived at Aunt Zenia and Uncle Dave's house. They let us move out of the RV for three nights which was really nice. We even got to Park the RV in their driveway. We took advantage of being in a house to get some repair work on the RV. On our way down from Oregon, the bat wings (how you get antenna TV) didn't come down all the way and it broke off. Got a new system that doesn't have to be cranked up and down anymore. (Much better).

Had a great time in Santa Monica pier being in some great warm weather.  We made Aunt Zenia and Uncle Dave a really nice meal for letting us stay there. It was also nice to visit with my cousins John and Linda.  I really picked Aunt Zenia's brain for genealogy. She really gave me a lot of information, that I keyed into my program as fast as she talked.

working on the family tree.

 It was sad to say goodbye but we had to be in Florida by the 22nd of January for Ted and Dusty to catch a flight to the DR. Our next stop. Yuma Arizona. It felt like we were on familiar ground. Once again Pat picked a fantastic RV park. The first full day there, we went over to Los Almonds with Bas and Jean Visser (Beth's in-laws).  I expressed some desire to check a dentist out to get much need implants. Bas took me and introduced me to his dentist of 12 years. I couldn't beat the price. Over 18 thousand at home was only going to cost me 4 thousand there. I said let's do it....what I didn't know that we would end up doing it that same day. It was quite the ordeal.  I had my old bridge taken off, two new implants inserted, a sinus lift and a bone graft all in one afternoon, plus a temporary new bridge installed. Good thing they had great pain killers. 

This dental worked, meant we had to stay in Yuma for an extra three days. I stayed in the RV the first day , but needed to get out day two. Got to see the site of the Mormon Battalion. 

which we didn't know was there last year. Got the all clear from the dentist on day three and we proceeded further east. We overnighted in some free spots on our way to Houston. Decided to RV park it there to allow us to go to the Houston temple, which was beautiful. I'm glad we stopped for a break. 

Finally made it to New Orleans. RV parks are very expensive, but Pat found one that was not bad, and still near the city.  The weather was really cold and wet so we had to limit our sightseeing to indoors. Going to the Mardi Gras museum was a hit. But seeing the rest of the city was not as good as last year. We really missed seeing a parade. 

Happy to continuing east as we finally made it to Florida. The sun was out and it was so great to be back.  

Made our way to Crystal River where we got to swim with the Manatee. I recommend it to anyone. It was so much fun. 

After a couple of nights there we made it to our last stop with Dusty and Ted. Key West. It had to have been the tightest RV park I ever had to back into. The beauty though, it was right in Key West which is a beautiful city. Stupid me got sick again though. Like last year had to go to an urgent care and see a Dr.  This year it was  for a sinus infection. Funny thing is the Doc said I probably got it from snorkelling with the Manatee. 

It was sad to see Ted and Dusty go. Even though they took up much needed space in the RV it was nice to have  the company. We covered a lot of country and had some really good experiences.

SHE SAID:

It really was great to be back on the road again.  It was fun to bring Dusty (my sister) and Ted along with us for our trek across the continent to Florida.  Our first 'real' stop in Oregon, visiting with Twila and Dave was great.  The day John stayed home, 4 of us - Twila, Dusty, Ted and I, went for an adventure to a monastery outside of Portland.  

We had a few minutes discussing if we REALLY wanted to do this, however upon discovering they made fudge and truffles it was added as our first top.  The candy was very good - purchased some for ourselves and as thank you gifts along the way.  It was a beautiful setting and very interesting.  On the way back towards where we were staying, we saw an aircraft museum.

 We decided to stop and look around - to our surprise the 'Spruce Goose' (giant airplane built by Howard Hughes) was inside.  It never flew very high, but it did make it off the ground.  The museum was an interesting stop.  The day lasted longer than expected, but was fun.  The next day we went into Portland and took in more eating sights - yes we had a theme - Voodoo donuts, a delicatessen featured on Dumps, Dive and Drive Ins - all was tasted - all was good.

San Francisco was action packed, with Ted being sick and John losing his iPhone.  I really won't go into much detail (food theme continued with the Jelly Belly factory).  Good thing I have my contract coming due later this year, so I will early renew my contract in March when I go home for a Dr. appointment.  John has been without his iPhone since early January.  It's been a real challenge for him.  My not making any 'funny' remarks has been a real challenge for me.

It's been a few years since we have seen John's Aunt Zenia, Uncle Dave, his cousins Linda and John. As John and John have aged I think they have started to look a lot alike.  Those Ukrainian genes really run strong in that family.  It was enjoyable to visit and catch up.  John (my John) and Aunt Zenia spent an evening going over family information and names - it was very interesting as she is certainly an expert on the Evasiuk family.  I guess that's what comes from living in Anaheim :)

We left for Arizona - the trip was somewhat uneventful, other than a few wrong turns in San Diego in an attempt to find gas.  From the wrong turn route we took, it would appear San Diego doesn't have many gas stations, but I know that would be an untrue statement.  Our drive was much easier on John, with Ted along to share the driving.  We made it to Yuma - planned on meeting up with Jeanne and Bas (our son in law Patricks parents) to go to Mexico for the day.  They have had dental work done a number of times in Mexico, so we figured an introduction, maybe an estimate on the work that needed to be done would be in order - John and Bas went to the office, and that was the last I saw of John until about 5 hours later - wow they did an enormous amount of work on him.  The dentist had EXCELLENT reviews, and was trained at Harvard so it wasn't as bad as I think it sounds to others (MEXICO??? Really???).  All went well and we have saved over $14,000.  We do have to go back next year to have the implants placed.  

John as talked about the trip pretty thoruoughly so I won't go on much longer.  He did omit our stop at the roadside gas station outside of Tucson which housed 'The Thing'.

This was "The Thing"...just a mummy!

 The Thing was pretty ugly - a mummy found in the desert - in a small museum set up in metal Quonset  buildings.  As the billboards advertise this for many miles, and it was ours second time by it my curiosity got the better of me.  The other "I need to see what the billboards are talking about" was a stop outside of Houston at Bucees - a very large convenience store/gas station.  It was enormous - we had lunch - I now know - if I see one again I will most likely stop again.  Lots of food choices for lunch, lots of interesting stuff to look at from tee shirts to cast iron pots - nothing was too small for Texas.

Crystal River was fantastic - swimming with Manatees was a lifetime thrill.  They are so enormous, yet they are very gentle and curious.  As they are wild, you are not allowed to approach them - basically you float, snorkel down, and they may or may not approach you.  The certainly approached us.  I visited with four different creatures - they allowed me to touch them and rub their bellies.  One guy became enamoured with Dusty, as he held her with his arms (very short) and held her close to him.  The guide figured she was in no danger - she survived, so it seems he was correct.  

Travelling with four adults and 2 dogs was tight at times, but we all survived it.  It was awesome to have a second driver with John and someone else to pop out and look around and shop with.  Anyone who thinks I am the shopper in the family hasn't gone to outdoor markets with my sister.  We dropped them off at the Miami airport for them to continue to Dominican Republic to meet with their twin sons and their families.  We went on to Orlando to drop off the dogs for our next four weeks - Daytona Beach, Cruise, and 2 weeks at resorts in Orlando.  Will tell you about all of that next time.

The farthest SE USA!!!

Welcome to Vancouver Island...guess what .....it raining again!!!

Our RV Park for three months...just inside Nanaimo city limits

HE SAID: After a beautiful drive from Lethbridge to Anacortes Washington, we took the ferry over to Victoria and drove up to Nanaimo.  It felt really good to be near the ocean again, and I was really stoked about being on Vancouver Island.  It was an uneventful trip until we hit Nanaimo and our GPS took us down a country road, then into somebody's drive way and told us we had reached our destination. Except of course it wasn't. On top of it all we couldn't back up which required us to take the car and dolly  of the mother ship and back up.  But it was worth it to get to the above.

We had an ocean side view and the whole RV park was covered with beautiful trees and vegetation.

We arrived just in time for Canadian Thanksgiving. All of Dusty and Ted's girls (9 of them) now live in or near Nanaimo. We had no choice but to use the church gym. It was fun to be with so many relatives, but I missed having leftover Turkey and stuffing.

For the first bit of our time here, we did some minor upkeeps to the motor home and did some touring around the island. Went up to Comox to see Aunt Dorothy, went to a corn maze

 toured Tofino and Long Beach.

and of course Cathederal Grove.

Just before the end of October, we decided to join Ted and Dusty on a trip to Edmonton to attend a baptism and confirmation of priesthood for Mike and Bob's boys. It was a beautiful trip and with four drivers it was easy driving. We first stayed with Mike and Miriam at their house then on to Bob and Lisa's. We had a great time in both homes and it was really nice being back in Edmonton. The city has really grown since the last time we were there.














When we returned to Nanaimo, we offered Dusty and Ted our help with some home renovations. It started off with just some reorganization, which turned into a major change. We started off ripping out the cupboards in the kitchen, and had a whole new set up installed, including a new dishwasher, fridge and microwave. Dusty then decided to redo all her floors with new laminate tiles.  I was great at the demolition, but left the installation of the kitchen to the experts. We had to move room to room to do the flooring, so their was lots of rearranging and purging. They went through two big dumpster bins in the process. I did a great job of the new trim and baseboards if I can brag. Of course it helped having a brad nailer to do the job. Overall the Hunter home looked fantastic when it was all done. Everyone helped when ever they could. Our goal was to get it done before Pat and Dusty's mom got there for Christmas and we just made it.

Just after we started renovations, we booked a trip for Black Friday in Seattle. It was really different then any other Black Friday. We had troubles finding the right stores. Even went to one store and waited for it to open. (was attached to a mall). Someone in the mall line said we would be waiting a long time because that store had closed last year!!!  Got some good sales, especially new shoes for the car.

Waiting for the "closed" store to open.

This was our first Christmas without at least one of our kids. It was kind of sad. With all the other relatives on the island though, we were kept busy. Once again the big Christmas dinner was held at the church. Pat and Dusty went all out with dollar store decorations and the food was really good. It was nice having Pat's mom spend Christmas with us.

Overall the three months in Nanaimo were great. Even though it rained almost every day, it wasn't the weather we had to shovel. The RV park was the best we have ever been to and it was really cheap. I was in the zone with having our own cable modem thanks to an awesome Shaw deal. We were able to watch Netflix all the time as well I download the entire 7 seasons of Star Trek Voyager (almost finished the first season). 

We are now on the road again heading to Florida via the Oregon and California coast. Ted and Dusty have joined us for this long journey. I'm looking forward to Ted helping with the driving. 

SHE SAID:

Well, I did cop out on the last entry.  It seems so long ago!  I will do better going forward, probably.  Our trip to BC, and Vancouver Island was very pretty and it was great to be on the road again.  I am still enjoying the Nomad lifestyle and am not quite ready to settle down yet.  We left Lethbridge on a beautiful day in mid-October, after a couple of hold back items were taken care of.  We went through the US, as gas prices were cheaper and I think the mountain passes are a bit easier.  We spent the night in Spokane – no real excitement on the trip at all.  None of our first year trials – thank goodness.  We caught the Anacortes Ferry, as it was ALOT cheaper than using any of the BC Ferries.

John got the munchies in Duncan, and decided to turn into a Tim Hortons, with his designated co-pilot (he says backseat driver) saying we should keep on going to an easier spot – he was hungry, though.  We found ourselves in a VERY tight parking lot, with no real spot for 45’ of RV and car to turn around in.  We were having an animated discussion about this, however the parking lot fairy saw our predicament, cars pulled out allowing a big swing and we vacated the spot.  John did eventually get something to eat, but not at Timmies.

We arrived in Nanaimo, following the GPS to find the campground we were registered at.  Following instructions very closely, to ensure timely arrival we found ourselves at the dead end of a lane – with no easy turn around.  Looking closely at the GPS map, I did see that we could have taken a winding walking trail to arrive at our destination – not a big help.  We unhooked the car from the mother ship, turned it around, attached the tow dolly to the car and got that straightened out.  We then were able to use local driveways to back the RV up and turn it around.  We drove separately to our site, ignoring the GPS instructing us to take the next legal U Turn…

Our campsite was absolutely gorgeous – at the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean.  Can’t ask for a better spot – WOW!  Time in Nanaimo went very quickly – we took a couple of side trips – one to Edmonton/Lethbridge – to visit Dusty’s (my sister) twin sons – Bob and Mike and their families.  It was great to reconnect with them.  Mikes youngest daughter took to calling John ‘boy’.  So sweet!  The other was to Seattle for Black Friday – and yes the deals were good.  It was a lot of fun spending time with Dusty’s girls and their children.

Anyone that knows me knows I do appreciate a challenge – the Nanaimo one was Dusty’s house.  I didn’t realize how far a suggestion to move a couple of freezers could go.  After moving the said freezers out onto their deck, all I said was, that there was a lot that could be done to make the kitchen a much nicer space.  A full kitchen renovation later – cupboards, sink, backsplash, dishwasher, microwave, fridge, lighting and a new floor later, it was done.  We also put new flooring down throughout the main floor (thanks to awesome Black Friday deal).  It was a huge amount of work, but we did most of it ourselves, with her built in family work crew.  She does have the advantage of 7 daughters and partners living nearby. 

Christmas was spent with the Hunters.  Mom came for the week before, and it was nice to spend some time with her.  Our time on the island went VERY fast and on Boxing Day it was time to move on…again. 

Home for the Summer

HE SAID:  
What a great way to start the summer with an annual Canada Day Parade in Raymond with 6 of our 9 Grandkids.   As said in our last post, we took all the Visser grandkids from Winnipeg to stay a few weeks with us in Lethbridge.  The trip across the prairies was great. The kids loved being able to move around the RV including getting into the fridge for a cold beverage and dropping some eggs on the floor at the same time.  Jillian loved the RV so much that once we set up camp in Lethbridge and told her we where going to Halls for supper she ran to the bedroom in the RV and said she was ready to go...she forgot about the car that we were towing in the back.
We booked a site at Elbas Farms just outside Lethbridge. A nice little RV park attached to a fully working farm. The kids liked seeing the animals on a daily basis. The cousins loved spending time together. It was times like these that we miss having our own home again where they all could be together. The RV is just too small for a visit, and unfortuanately, even though the weather was great, the mosquitoes were terrible, making staying outside impossible.
We decided to treat the Visser kids to their first Calgary Stampede including the Stampede Parade.

 We had a great time at both and made sure we stayed overnight so we could get to a Stampede Breakfast. I have lived in Alberta most of my life and this was my first time too. It was a lot of fun and the food was actually pretty good.

It was sad to see the Visser kids go, and we look forward to the next time we get to watch them without mom and dad next year. 

We decided to spend the rest of the summer with the Hall kids and Hayden once a week with a sleep over and an excursion. 

Our first outing was to Fort Mcleod and the RCMP Fort. Again since moving back to Alberta in 1992, we have never spent the time going to this fort and museum. It was really fun. Little Callie even got to be the Honorary Inspection Guard.

One of Drew's many rides.

Our next trip was to Heritage Park in Calgary. Thanks to the Jensen's van we were all able to go together in one vehicle.  I haven't been to this Park in years. There are some new attractions and a lot more rides. Poor Drew wanted to go on all the rides, but Ben and Hayden had other plans. That didn't stop him one bit. I don't think he missed a ride and some he went on more then once.  I really love all the old buildings especially the sweet shop!

Callie in the one room School!

Hayden just robbed a bank!!!

On the Paddle Wheel Boat

Another one of our favourite places to visit in the area is the Birds of Prey centre in Coaldale. For this trip we were joined by Stan and Carolyn and two of their grandkids Josh and Jordan.  We were late meeting them because Drew forgot to wear shoes and we had to get something for his feet. This happened a lot this summer with Callie and Clark also forgetting their shoes on outings. Oh to be a kid again and not having to worry about what is on your feet. Anyway the kids had a great time. 

In August we moved our RV to Russ and Amanda Jensen's driveway as they were going to be gone most of the month and we offered to house sit.  This summer we also house sat for Heather and Jay Dee and Sandy Burbank. We became quite proficient in bouncing from house to house, but in late August we decided to abandon our storage locker and move all of our belongings to Heather and Jay Dee's house. We also took over their basement, and will continue to use their place until we have done all of our travelling. 

We  also took the opportunity this summer to visit our dad's gravesite. It had been a long time for me to have seen my dad's spot and it is always nice to take the grandkids to Ken's spot in Lethbridge. We owe the Visser kids a trip there next time they come to visit us here. 

Stan Tanner and I made some fun trips to Saskatchewan and BC to pick up old trucks for Stan to fix up. Needless to say the trips didn't go off without a hitch of some sort. But I still had fun having guy time with Stan. And of course it was great going to movies all summer with the Tanners. We miss this treat when we are on the road. They are great movie buffs like us.

Well the summer quickly came to a close (but the mosquitoes kept bitting right till the end). We did lots of repairs on the RV and trailer while we where here. The biggest thing was getting our generator working (took two full weeks of getting it right). We were planning on being gone by the end of September, but last minute trailer repairs didn't have us moving west to Nanaimo to the first week of October. We had a great summer but we were excited to be on the road again.

SHE SAID: 

What he said!!! LOL

Missy loved joining us on all the Scottie walks.