We drove to Sea and Sand RV Park in Depoe Bay, Oregon, from Crater Lake. The campground overlooks the Pacific, and the crashing waves plus a couple of magnificent sunsets added greatly to our relaxing time there. I’m going to save the rest of the story for a later date because Easin’ Along is woefully out of step in time, and I need to move ahead to be a bit more current.
We traveled about 250 miles northeast to Yelm, Washington, to meet up with my sister, LeAnn, and brother-in-law, Marty, from Depoe Bay. My sister is a special person and a lot of fun to be around. Marty is a helluva guy, a great husband, and a great dad. He is one of those handy fellows that can do almost anything with his hands. Helen and I always have a great time when we’re with them.
Le and Marty have a permanent home on the east coast of Florida, but a few years ago, discovered a unique community in the State of Washington, not too far from Mt. Rainier National Park. Looking around for a place to park their motorhome, they ventured into a former logging camp that is now a neighborhood of single-family homes and RV lots with full hook-ups. Campers may park their motorhomes and trailers on the RV lots from May to November. Eager to escape the summer heat of Florida, Le and Marty purchased two adjoining lots and established a summer paradise that any RVer would envy
Their shaded lots overlook a lovely lake stocked with trout. A tree-lined path surrounds the lake and affords users a delightful area for a morning exercise walk. Marty put his skills to work and improved both lots by adding terraces and walkways to the deck and adjacent campfire pits, plus improved a small shed on one of the lots for his tools and gardening equipment. Evenings spent around the campfire are always fun. We parked Dora on the second lot and settled in for four days of fun in the forest.
Last summer, we hiked through the wildflowers atop Mt. Rainier (photo at top). However, that opportunity evaded us this year because Mt. Rainier still had several feet of snow blanketing the mountain trails. Le and Marty took us hiking in Deschutes Falls State Park instead. The melting snow from nearby mountain peaks allowed the streams and the waterfall to put on quite a show for us. After our hike, we replenished our calorie count with Chili, Chicken Fried Steak, and Barbeque at Jim Bob’s Chuck Wagon.
The next day, we decided to liven things up somewhat and drove an hour or so to Woodinville, WA, to sample the offerings at Chateau St. Michelle Winery. We arrived in the early afternoon and received immediate seating on the outdoor patio. A very knowledgeable server gave an impressive presentation of the characteristics of each of the four wines in the sample (carefully noting that full bottles are available in the store on our way out). We had trouble choosing a favorite because all were excellent.
For our last full day, Le and Marty wanted to take us for a walk along the shore of Puget Sound in Olympia. The weather was perfect for beach walking. My sister enjoys collecting Agates found on the sand, then smoothing the surface of them in her rock polisher. By the end of our day, she had a handful, as did Helen. I don’t have a passion for Agate hunting, choosing instead to take pictures of the scenery around Puget Sound and the state capitol building in Olympia. I did not lack scenes to shoot. All I can say is, “what a glorious day!”
We left our spot in the woods thinking that we’ve had some great stops on this journey, but this one was hard to top. We can’t thank Le and Marty enough for going all out and making this visit so memorable. Helen and I will try hard to repay them at some point, just not sure how. Hugs and an outpouring of thanks will have to do for now.
We’re Easin’ Along to Whidbey Island, WA, for our next chapter in this adventure. Our campsite is in Sunset Harbor, and it is aptly named. Join us next week–I’m confident that you’ll love the place almost as much as we did.
Good stuff Joe. Clean air off the pacific makes for a healthy day.
Joe/Posey,
Good morning and thanks! We were blessed with some great weather in Washington. It’s a bit smoky in MT right now. Thanks for checking in!
So glad you two are having so much fun!!!
Hello, Foster,
We’re blessed…and grateful! Have a good week! Joe
Looks like you’re making the grand rounds in Washington, Joe! What a beautiful area your friends have found! I need to get to that side of the state soon…so much to do here still. Are you still able to visit Canada? If you do get out toward Spokane or Couer D’Aline, please contact me so we could at least meet up!
Hi, Terry,
Canadian border is still closed and we were very disappointed that we had to cancel our reservations in Banff. As a result, we had to scramble to find campgrounds. We ended up with a series of one-nighters and had to blow by your neck of the woods to get to Glacier. I hated that I missed an opportunity to get together, but we’ll be back, and I won’t miss you the next time. Have a great week! Joe
That looks truly wonderful! And how fun to attend a wine tasting. I frequently do whiskey tastings but haven’t been to a wine tasting since 2016-ish.
Susanne,
We had a lot of fun in Washington. I’m not really a wine person, but I always enjoy tastings. Chateau St. Michelle’s wines are very good! Thanks for stopping by! Joe
Joe, I happen to love Chateau St. Michele’ chardonnay but have never visited the vineyard. I’m sure it was a fun experience. Washington State wines are typically pretty good.
I think the concept of a ‘permanent’ rv site is becoming fairly popular and just recently saw a video about a similar property – can’t remember where. Nice that your sister has an extra space for visitors.
When I saw your title I immediately thought of Terri Webster and wondered if you got close enough to catch up with her. She is an interesting person and someone I’d love to meet one day. Sorry it didn’t work out.
Looking forward to hearing more about your trip. I know it is very hard to post in ‘real time.’ Take care.
Suzanne,
The grounds of the Chateau St. Michelle winery are lovely, and the flower gardens are amazing. I should have posted pictures of them. I really regret that it didn’t work out to meet Terri. When we lost our reservations in Banff, we had to move quickly to make sure we didn’t miss our reservations in Glacier–those were hard to come by. Glad you’re Easin’ Along with us. Hope your move is going well. Joe
I’m drinking a Sauvignon Blanc from them as I read this. They have a wonderful outdoor concert venue where we saw Chris Botti. Wonderful place–glad you were able to experience it.
Sheila,
Chateau St. Michelle is indeed lovely. We’ll return there some day, and I’ll see if we can time it for a concert. Enjoy your Sauvignon Blanc, and thanks for stopping by. Joe
What a wonderful visit with your sister and brother-in-law! It looks like they have a gorgeous, cool spot for a summer home. And how fun that you all enjoy so much being together.
We’re putting Chateau St. Michelle on our list for when we make it back to the West Coast. P.S. Don’t even talk about being behind on blog posting to me, LOL!! I’m still writing about our 2019 travels, as you know. 🙂
Laurel,
My sister is a bunch of fun and Marty is a great guy, so it is easy to be around them. You and Eric would love Chateau St.Michelle…they even have pretty birds all around the winery. As for being behind–we’ll be home in three weeks, and I should wrap up the trip blog by November. Please come back…I need support, and I promise to visit Raven and Chickadee all the way to 2021. Joe
Wine, woods and waterfalls are truly three of my favourite things.
Add is (brilliantly arranged) words and (mouth)-watering food and you have it ALL! I love reading about your travels. You and Helen are very inspiring!
Donna,
You are one of the most energetic persons I have never met (hope to correct that some day), so I consider your comments a real compliment. Thanks! We had a fantastic time with my sister and Marty. Love that part of our country. So glad you are with us, and we would love for you and Richard to come to Tennessee some day. We’ll do woods and waterfalls in the Great Smoky Mountains…then do wine!
Mt Rainier is beautiful when you can see it. I remember looking at it from Fort Lewis. Your pic is a great shot. I can always count on top notch photos from you. My thanx to you for your sharing of your adventures.
Mike
Thanks, Mike,
We wanted to hike Mt. Rainier trails at the top, but it was covered with about nine feet of snow. We visited Ft. Lewis last summer–nice post. Great to hear from you. Joe