It’s really easy to drive by New Brunswick’s capital.  The Transcanada highway just meanders around the city and offers little hint of the magic that waits just out of sight.  Truth is Fredericton is one of Atlantic Canada’s treasurers but you need to pursue it.  I'm back on the road and doing just that.

It doesn’t look that special when you pull off the TransCanada Highway.  As is often the case with modern cities the first area you enter is one of motels, fast food, gas stations and shopping plazas.  The good news is that just down the hill the downtown core, the historic area along the St. John River and a bounty of parks and fantastic walking trails are waiting to be discovered.  The area has a huge offering of eateries, ranging from old time diners, to fine dining.  Personally I love the pubs and especially one called The Lunar Rogue; where the seafood is great and the selection of Scotch whisky absolutely amazing.  Not that I drink Scotch, I don’t but I do love the atmosphere the dozens (or hundreds?) of bottles lining the walls gives the place. Makes me wish I did like to tipple now and then.

During the past year we have had two Fredericton escapes.  Last summer we spent a week in camping at Hartt Island RV Resort on the Woodstock Road, right in the city.  This time I’m living the high life, dividing my time between the Delta Brunswick Hotel, a  lovely property overlooking the river which is just a short walk along the river to Government House  (pretty good company!!and they like visitors), and the Crowne Plaza Lord Beaverbrook hotel.  It is situated between the world renowned Lord Beaverbrook Art Gallery and the Historic Garrison District.  Both hotels overlook the river with lovely patios perfect for tipping back a cold one on a warm summer day.  I’ve never been an art gallery person, but I have to tell you both Jack and I were in awe when we stood gazing up at the huge and stunningly beautiful Salvador Dali that greets visitors at the Lord Beaverbrook. We developed a real appreciation for art, captivated by the works from the past as much as the more modern exhibits.  And I have to tell you a couple of hours here is perfect on a hot, wet or cold day.

This city boasts more artisans per capita than any other in Canada inspiring one to create themselves.  The good folks in Fredericton recognize that most of us want more than just shopping and eating.  We want to do.  To experience. To meet people and savour the satisfaction of accomplishment. They came up with a program called EdVentures which offers workshops in all manner of things. I’ve been fortunate enough to enjoy a sort of sampler package.  We made silk scarfs and did pin hole photography today.  I must say it was one of the nicest days I’ve had for a long time.  Just sheer pleasure spending time with creative people.  Chatting while we learned new skills, the pride of accomplishment, and the relaxation factor made for an awesome day.  Tomorrow I’m creating rings in a jewelry making session.

Anyone who wants a revitalizing few days should check out the more than 120 workshops they offer each summer (www.edVentures.ca).  Small groups, personalized attention.  Love it.  Some of the programs are held at King’s Landing, others at the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design.   I’m going to round up my buddy this summer and come back for a creativity fix.

There is lots to do for families, singles and seniors.  Awesome variety which includes a terrific Saturday market, history coming to life at Changing of the Guard Ceremonies, bicycle, zipline, paddle the river, hike, or delve into history with a step back in time at Kings Landing Historical Settlement.

This is the main route between Quebec and Ontario and points east. I’m saying don’t overlook one of the best stops along the way. For us Maritimers, Fredericton is a perfect escape for a few days R&R.  With gas prices what they are, and with our tourism industry suffering for it, we should all consider vacations and escape weekends close to home.  It’s a good thing.

More next time

Julie

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April 20, 2012

After three lovely days in Arnprior, visiting with ‘the boys’ and generally relaing.  We hit the road today, heading east.  Jack tried to play golf, but his hip gave him a lot of grief.  Roll on surgeon’s appointment.  He still had a nice visit with Terry, got to drive George’s new -to-him BMW Sports car, watched hockey with the boys and we had a really nice visit with Wayne.

Trip through Quebec was busy, very busy, and rained most of the way so was not particularly enjoyable.  Also turned cold!  Can’t believe the amount of traffic on the roads - and the poor condition of the highway.  Snow lurking in the woods and ditches, and we had some sleet for a little while.  The one saving grace for today was the number of birds on the move, particularly Canada and Snow Geese.  In some places fields were white with Snow Geese. 

We pushed through to Edmundston, New Brunswick bee-boppin’ to the music of Buddy Holly, Abba, Country Artists Collection, and a few more CDs.  One blue’s collection put me to sleep for a few minutes just before Quebec City, so I switched from calming and relaxing to foot tapping, sing-along.

Looking forward to a more leisurely day tomorrow. Should make it home.  I am absolutely dreading unloading the RV!!!!

Julie

For those of you new to reading this blog please note that it is my means of keeping in touch with friends and family, and other interested folks, while the spouse and I spend the winter in Vancouver - and during the trip here and back to PEI.  I update when I can, aiming for every few days.  It is very simply my thoughts, observations and details I want to share about our travels.  Scroll down, way down, for details of the trip across the continent which began our odyssey and our adventures living in our small, 22 ft, Rialta RV, for the winter........

By the way.  If you want to get in touch, share a thought or comment on the blog you might want to email us at julie@seacroftpei.com

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I sat staring at the computer screen, holding my breath and sending up silent prayers.  On screen, son John and daughter-in-law Chrissy, were receiving a delivery from Fed-Ex.  It was a very large box (50x36x17 inches), accompanied by a small carton.  Ever since Jack and I packed ‘em up and delivered them to FedEx we has been nervous about the outcome of our latest flight of fancy.

You see when my Mom moved out of her apartment Jack and I were left with the task of disposing of her stuff.  Among the big items was a big 42 inch Sony TV which we had paid $2,700 for just over a year ago.  She also had a new 32 inch flat screen which she took with her for her new room.  And she had a smaller flat screen which is now in our RV.

Since John and Chrissy had an older TV which had a few issues, Jack decides we should ship the big one to him in Vancouver.  First challenge was finding a box to pack it in.  The original was long gone.  We visited several stores to see if they had a box it would fit.  No go.  Finally ended up buying a TV shipping box from U-Haul for $89 plus tax.  Getting it, putting the box together, and then packing the TV in it basically took us a whole day.

It was with some trepidations that we took it to FedEx.   Hear so many horror stories about couriers and such but they were the only ones who would insure it.  With Jesse’s help we took it to them Wednesday morning.  It wouldn’t fit in our car (box was 50x36x17 inches). So for the last few days we have been anxious.

I happened to be on Skype with John and Chrissy when the TV arrived so I got to watch them unpack it, set it up and turn it on.  What a relief it was when that Sony came to life!  Chrissy gave John the entire Mash series in a set for Christmas - that was the first DVD that played on it.  

“Wow!  Mash is huge,” exclaimed John.  “The colour is awesome,” said Chrissy.  It was one of life’s great moments. Their pleasure in moving from the old box TV to this one made all the work and expense of getting it to them worthwhile.  The China tea set from China, and Mom’s glass slipper condiment set also arrived in good shape.  Score another one for Fedex.

Now J&C just have to get rid of all the cardboard, styro peanuts, air packs, bubble wrap, and strofoam sheets that we packed it in.  Tee Hee!!!

Julie

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Sunday, April 15th, 2012

Where oh where does the time go?  Can’t believe I haven’t posted to ye olde blog for two weeks. It has been a busy time.  My only excuse.  But I can't leave without filling you all in on the miraculous surprise waiting for us in Niagara Falls.  My mother is happy!!!!

Since we arrived in Fonthill we have spent our time clearing out Mom’s apartment, visiting her at her new home everyday, running the many errands necessary when someone goes into a long-term care facility, visiting with my cousin Jenny, her husband Jesse and some other members of the family.

Over the last few years my mother had turned into a bitter, mean-mouthed old lady with a caustic tongue   She was very unhappy. It began before my Dad died, got worse when he had his stroke and even worse when she had to leave her house for a seniors apartment and give up her car.  In the same time period her eye sight really deteriorated and her health with it.  Mom had a real hard time accepting the changes, and her age.  She was born in 1919 and kept telling me she may as well die as life wasn’t worth living.  

Very difficult to hear, repeatedly, when she had what many her age would consider a good life.  A nice place to live, family who cared about her, a constant stream of people in her life helping her. I won’t go on about that, but believe me it was very difficult for myself because I called her every day, and especially for cousin Jenny, who is her main source of help here in Fonthill.  Mom alienated so many people.  Yet, everyone kept on giving her as much time and energy as they could.  We could all see her failing. Everyone who was in touch with her worried about her health and well-being. She was confused about almost everything, scared of being alone, angry, and showing signs of dementia or something.  In fact Jack and I had decided that after our trip I would have to move up to Fonthill to care for her until we could get her into a place where she got care.

By the time we got to Fonthill Mom had been in her new home, Millennium Trail Manor in Niagara Falls, for two weeks.  We approached her first visit with some dread.  Jenny had assured us that things were going very well, that Mom was much better, but no words could prepare us for what we found.

The improvement in my Mother, in just two weeks, seems miraculous.  Her over all health, her outlook, her ability to feel some joy and appreciation for life and the people around her, her attitude towards her family - all of those things are so much improved we can’t believe it.

Twice I have been to visit Mom when an entertainment afternoon was happening. The second time, I arrived with cousin Carol after she had gone down to the second floor for the music so we went looking for her.  There she was, my Mom, hair freshly done, dressed in clean matching clothes, clapping her hands, beboppin’ in her chair, smiling, yelling out ‘Excellent’ after he sang her favourites.  We sat with her through the whole performance enthralled with this new Mom.

“I just can’t get over it,” she says.  “It is so wonderful.  He’s so good.”  Where did all this come from and how did I get here.”  This is the theme of of much of her conversation now. She can't believe how nice it is, how them look after her, and so on.  Her only complaints are about the food.  Frankly, its different from what she likes and is used to.  She eats it all however, has gained a bit of weight and we resolved the problem a bit by getting her a small fridge and stocking it with things she likes - Fresca, Iced Tea, extra old cheddar cheese (sliced up for her), yogurt, fresh fruit.

Jack and I have taken Mom out to lunch twice, and I’ve taken her for drives.  She loves the outings, but is always anxious to get back.  A couple of hours is about all she wants to be away.  How wonderful that is.  To know that she is happy, well looked after and safe means so much.  I can’t say enough about this place!

It certainly makes it easier for us to head home.  And we are ready to do just that.  Its been a real tough two weeks cleaning out the apartment and disposing of all of Mom’s things.  Jack was in toss-it-and-get-rid-of-it mode and I was in sentimental-hard-to-let-go mode.  She was able to take some with her.  Jenny did a wonderful job of personalizing Mom’s room with some of her own furniture, pictures and ornaments.  Even so there was a ton of furniture, dishes, nick-nacks, clothing, books, papers and etc. to find homes for.  

I would have like to be able to sell some of it to reinforce Mom’s bank account, but unfortunately, these days it isn’t easy.  No one wants the larger, older furniture.  Some went to family, some with her, and a few things like coffee tables, dishes, small appliances, ornaments and such to Good Will and to a great place called “For the Needy, Not the Greedy” which specialized in medical and assistance things.

Mom’s situation with her stuff, first at their large house, and then with the apartment, is a real good example of how important it is to organize your life as you age.  More about that one later.

In the meantime, Jack and I are now tidying up odds and ends, packing the RV and saying our goodbyes, ready to hit the road tomorrow.  Heading to Arnprior for a couple of days then a careful trip through Quebec and New Brunswick back to the Island.

The RV is really loaded down with our extras we picked up on our travels, and boxes of stuff from Mom’s. Decided to stick to Canada, rather than risk problems with Customs.

More later.

Julie

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Saturday, March 31st, 2012

The Watsons have landed in Fonthill after three long days of driving.  Trucked on through Iowa, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan.  Two nights in Best Westerns set us up for a 12 hour day today and we arrived at Jenny and Jesse’s at about 9 pm.  

Must say the further east we got the less enjoyable the trip.  For starters are our glorious sunshine it became overcast and grey.  Traffic is also much heavier, more congestion and so on.  In fact yesterday, we had kind of had enough so got off the interstate and took country roads across Indiana.  Cut off enough miles to justify the slower speeds.  It was nice seeing the small towns and farms up closer.  And eating at local, community places rather than fast food.

I find it rather depressing that we are at the end of our winter holiday.  Am eager to get home for some things, but still hate the thought of leaving John and Chrissy and family and friends out west, and having to face the reality of work and such that awaits us in PEI.

Still, we were getting tired.  Eight days of steady driving left us ready to get off the road for a while.  On that happy note I’m going to put my feet up and relax.  More later.

Julie

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Wednesday, March 28th, 2012

Left Evanston, Wyoming with some frustration/sadness whatever.  The hotel was wonderful - two kingbeds - so comfie, a flatscreen TV, but more importantly the people were so friendly.  Jack and I indulged in Chicken Fried Steak just because we have always wanted to try it.  We were convinced we wouldn’t like the white gravy or the steak, but it was melt-in-your-mouth good.   Leaving we just wanted to follow one of the roads north to the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone, or simply to take out time and explore.  Next time.

Wind was still high but nothing like as bad as yesterday.  Not much snow around so we made good time.  We love Wyoming with its arid landscape, ever changing mountains and hills and constant changes.  Enjoyed every minute of our drive through this state.  Saw lots of pronghorn antelopes, herds of them down from higher altitudes for grazing.  Lovely day today.  Sun shining, great temperatures and clean, fresh air.  

RV is running great - check engine light is still on, but we are ignoring it.  

Stayed in Sidney, Nebraska last night in a Comfort Inn.  Frustrating that we can’t find decent campgrounds open.  Tried a couple as we left Wyoming but they were either creepy, scuzzy (Pine Bluff) or closed (everywhere else).  It’s a bit frustrating having to pay for hotels but we just can’t spend 12 hours boondocking at this time of year with no electricity - at least not after 10 hours driving.  Wish we had been able to follow our original plan to go a bit further south, but these things happen so we are enjoying the trip.

Nebraska is not as enjoyable to pass through, it gets very flat and nowhere near as interesting.  However we have had high points.  As some of you know I’m very interested in the pioneers of the Oregon Trail etc, the Pony Express and such things.  Our route takes us where much of this rich history took place.  We were also extremely lucky to see huge flocks of cranes, and some pelicans who migrate though Nebraska.  This week is right in the middle of their migration.  We saw a lot of wild turkeys today.  Pretty cool.

Also indulged in a quick visit to Fort Cody Trading Post and Museum in North Platte.  Home of Buffalo Bill Cody.  Thrill was finding that this was “free homemade pie Wednesday” and The Village Restaurant beside the fort.  Yum

Now we are holed up in a Motel 6 for the night.  Had some frustration finding a place to stay.  They make it very difficult to get off the highway to lodging - especially through Omaha, where I-80 was the far left two lanes on a 6-8 lane highway (each direction) with a 75 mph speed limit.

We have enjoyed out route very much up to this point and hope to do it again with lots of time to stop and explore, but I will say one has to be prepared for trucks.  There are probably 4 or 5 to every car.  Jack thrives on this kind of driving.  Speed limit today was mostly 75 mph and he just bombed along with the traffic.    We’re traveling to Cd’s of “Various Country Artists” a gift from our buddy in Arnprior, Terry.  Thanks guy they keep us awake and boppin’ our way along.

Well folks, bed for this chick.  Gotta get some zzzz’s before hitting the road again.

All the best to all of you

Julie

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Monday, March 26th, 2012

Two days have passed since my last entry and we have run a gauntlet of weather and scenery.

We set out early on Sunday - 7 am - from the Comfort Inn in The Dalles on the Columbia River and continued enjoying the Gorge.  The Columbia is a huge power resource.  There are several large dams and soon they are joined by hundreds and hundreds of windmills atop the cliffs as far as the eye can see.  

We also noted a lot of silos along the river - wheat - but they must be growing it up top.  We are still basically a road and railway tracks on both the Washington and Oregon side flanked by mountains, weather and time sculpted cliffs, rolling hills and the river between them.  All too soon a transition from rain forest type growth to arid began.  By 25 miles past The Dalles we saw our first sage brush.  The roads are excellent, except for some noisy pavement.  Side roads going off into canyons or ravines see to go nowhere, but sure do tempt us to go find out.

Without warning we suddenly traveled uphill, out of the gorge to what I best describe as prairie or grasslands, and find ourselves driving among cattle and windmills.  The next leg is flat, flat, flat if you look to the distance.  But up close you see small ranches in canyons cut into the earth.  Here instead of the mountains rising up, the landscape cuts down from what might be termed messas. It’s a totally different environment from the river we left behind.

A sign, “Blowing Dust Area Next 40 miles”, was not surprising.  The land here was cultivated as far as you can see.  Wheat, tree farms (looks like Poplar and is planted in big squares that seem totally out of place.  Land that isn’t cultivated is prairie grasses and sage brush. 

The towns tend to be built down in natural low points in the landscape.  There are many Indian Reservations, but they don’t look run down or poor as so many do in Canada.  There seems to be great pride here.

We saw snow at the Summit of Blue Mountain (4193 feet, but not on the road.  The air is snow cooled but lovely and fresh. We’re traveling to the music of George Strait admiring the Lodgepole Pines and just plain lovin it.  The land is very similar in Idaho, the prairie, broken here and there by mountains.  In Bliss we started to see evidence of the lava flows that we saw two years ago at the Craters of the Moon National Historic site.  Not as pronounced here, they show as the occasional black, smooth flow of rock, or bursts in the surface that look like it bubbled up from below and burst, cracking the surface.  They range in size and for many miles the land is littered with black rock amongst the prairie grass and sage brush.  The only wildlife we’ve spotted has been a glimpse of Prong Horns ( small antelope) and many, many hawks circling over the land.

Next time we travel this route I want to follow the signs such as the “1000 Hot Springs Scenic Byway”.

Camped for the night at a KOA near Twin Falls, Idaho, pulling off at 7 pm.  Its so warm we sat out at the picnic table for ages.  Jack went for a walk and spotted a large owl up a tree, so we went to take photos before turning in.

Today, Monday, we woke up to rain but it cleared before we had been on the road long.  Good thing.  Our “Check Engine Light” came on.  Bother.  Filled up with gas before the highway turned south towards Utah.  This section of the trip was totally awesome.  Snow capped mountains ahead. and to the sides but we continue to pass through these flat valleys.  You can see for miles.  The sky is huge and filled with a mix of looming black clouds, and blue skies filled with white puffy ones.  When the black clouds get close to mountains or hills you can see the rain.  Its awesome.

Passed a proliferation of signs, repeated many times, designed to put the fear of God into our hearts:

“Dust Storm Area - Do Not Stop on Road”

“Beware of Ice”

“Severe Storm Area Ahead - Next 20 Miles”

“Chain Up is snow or ice present on road” - noted there was no chain up area

“Deer Migration Area - use extreme caution”

“Game Crossing”

The roads were wet - a storm had just passed over.  It was very windy among the hills.  We passed Sweltzer Summit, 5,573 feet or close to. (Surprised to see them cultivating fields close to the summit.   And so we passed into Utah where the prominent sign was:

Drowsy Drivers Exit 1 mile”

We were so we did.  Hauled into Snowville for coffee and a pit stop at a Flying J Truck Stop.  Hoped to pick up one of those reader thingees that you can plug into the RV to get a reading on the “Check Engine” light.  The power was out so it was closed.  Went down the road to the Ranch House Diner.  Met a bunch of guys in the parking lot and asked, “Are they open?”

“Yup.  Powers out but they got the gas.  Good cooking and lots of coffee.”  Sure enough they cooked with gas and had a generator.  We indulged in coffee and a home made cinnamon roll.  Glad we carbed up.  We trucked on through country that was getting badlands sort of rugged.  Long upgrades, long downgrades, roads that disappeared into narrow passes.  This land is very empty of human life.  The occasional exit for a ranch - yup ranches have their own exits, including bridges to get to the other side of the divided 4 lane highway.  I loved one exit, “Exit to Rattlesnake Pass, No services.”  That was OK, we weren’t going there anyway.  You have to see some of my photos to understand this landscape.  I can’t begin to describe it.

Just know its awesome.  The storm clouds ahead began to look more and more dangerous.  Clouds feathering down mean snow or rain.  The winds are getting more and more gusty and strong.  The rain began.  At Ogden (just above Salt Lake City) it began to snow or rain every time we came close to the mountains or hills.  To the west it was lovely blue skies but our weather deteriorated quickly.  By the time we got onto I-80 it was snowing hard, a sleet snow mix depending on where you were in the valley which twisted and turned through the hills or mountains depending on the moment.  It started to build up on the roads so we decided to head into Evanston right after the border into Wyoming.

Filled up at a Flying J - mileage was awful today because of the winds and ups and downs. Flying J are one of the few gas stations to question our US credit card.  They want you to enter your ZIP code and of course we don’t have one, so it’s a bit of a hassle.  Must say I’m disappointed in the Flying J and Pilot truck stops.  Lousy food service, basically a small store and fast food take out.  None of the great shopping we think of.

 Talking to a couple who had just come from the east where they had driven through both blizzard and dust storm.  Its was 3 pm.  Cold and hard to stand up in the wind. We called it quits.  Found a lovely Best Western, had lunch and settled in for the night.  Amazing, 2 king size beds in a huge room, seven - count ‘em - layers of bedding, feather pillows, big TV, breakfast, etc. etc. $89 Cool.

Only disappointment on trip has been the lack of wildlife.  After all the deer crossing signs! I mentioned to our waitress that we hadn't seen a single deer and she said, "Really, they're everywhere."  Folks at campground said same thing.  Is it us?

Forecast is for sun tomorrow and hopefully the winds die down.  Sorry about too much detail.  I love to relive my days when I’m traveling so I do.

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Saturday, March 24th, 2012

Well, the sun is shining and we’re on the road again. Our wallet is a lot lighter, but we have some new injector bits or something.  We got the Rialta back at suppertime yesterday.  Took her for a test run after a delicious supper courtesy of our angel, Elizabeth.  Then spent an hour or so at the Legion where Rob and Elizabeth belong to a recreational pool league. Met some fellow Rvers and exchanged some tales.  Mellowed us out so after a good night sleep and lovely breakfast we are on the road again.

Counting our blessings at this point.  First on the list - Elizabeth and Rob who took us in, fed us, drove us around and turned our stall time into a delightful interlude.  Thanks again guys.  They even shared Spike, the Yorkie, who loves to snuggle with Jack in front of the TV.  Kept the big fella sane through our frustration with the Volkswagon dealer.

John and Chrissy - we didn't do everything we wanted, but its been so wonderful to spend time with them.  Hate to say goodbye.

We also recognize that we have had some frustrations, some costs and annoyances, but we are healthy - well gimping and wincing a bit, nothing major has happened other than a delay getting to Mom and some dollars out of our pockets.  Pretty lucky in the grand scheme of things.

The day was glorious when we started out.  Drove along the beach road through White Rock - a lovely place with a wharf, ocean and grey misty mountains in the distance. Opted for the border crossing a couple of miles inland from Peace Arch thinking it would be faster. Man were we wrong.  Spent an hour and 55 minutes creeping towards customs.  Frustrating, but part of life here where popping over to the US to shop is a popular weekend choice.  Stopped in Bellingham to pick up some shiny bits for Jack’s motorcycle.

While there I chatted with one of the clerks who said her aunt had set out on I-90 east the day before but got stopped by an avalanche and was still waiting for them to clear the pass.  Firmed our decision to go south to Portland, then turn east.

The traffic down the I-5, I-405, I-5, I-205 (in that order) is awful. Worst was the 50 miles or so in the Seattle/Tacoma corridor - eight lanes in places and bumper to bumper.  We persevered and got onto I-84 East about 4 pm.  At this point the highway is clear of snow, beautiful and not as busy.  It follows the Columbia River through a region known as the Columbia Gorge.  Today we went from rain forest environment with lacy cedars, ferns growing in trees and the rock walls beside the highway to a more arid land of hoodoos and such.  Its rocky, mountainous, peppered with waterfalls (many of them because of snow melt), park land and the wonderful Columbia River.  This is the western portion of the Lewis and Clark Trail, and where the Oregon Trail Covered Wagon Trains passed.  We’ve had great views of Mount Baker, Mount St. Helen’s, Mount Hood and Mount Ranier (I think).  Awesome with the sun shining on the snow capped mountains.  We also saw many orchards in blossom.  Ahh Spring.

Our adventure of the day was missing the last exit for gas before we entered the park and gorge area. We were below a quarter tank and debating turning around and going back to Trout River when I spotted a small sign that said gas.  So off we went.  Another sign said steep hill - 10% grade for 1 ½ miles.  Seemed like much longer as we made our way around hairpin bends and steadily climbed up this narrow little back road.  Finally got to a little village, followed a couple more “Gas” signs and came upon a General Store with one battered rusty gas pump tucked in beside the porch.  Cost $73. To fill up.  The most expensive fill up we’ve ever had I think.  Coming back down the hill was awesome - great views.

We drove till 7 pm, and stopped at The Dalles, a small town in the Gorge. The Gorge is not what I think of as a gorge - narrow with shear rock walls up one side, and drop offs on the other.  It’s a valley with this very wide river passing through, the highway - four lanes most of the time, railway lines and a small community every 20 miles or so. The rocky mountainous landscape means many tunnels for trains, a few for the highway, and a road that is never straight or flat. 

The weather was great for driving, so we decided to push on while we can.  Want to get through the mountains before any more snow or heavy rains.  They have been in the forecast, so we are being a bit cautious for now.

Anyway, the day has been a good test for the Rialta and she seems to be doing great.  Keep your fingers crossed for us!  Really looking forward to the drive ahead, some interesting country to pass through.  In Oregon and Idaho and whatever comes after that.  The plan is to follow I-84 to I-80.

More next time

Julie

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March 23, 2012

You know what they say about best laid plans of mice and men......

When I say Rob just came in complaining about the pollen when he mowed the lawn......

If you see a black cloud of doom hanging over our heads like it does in Charlie Brown cartoons...

Got a clue yet???

Well all I can say is progress is not being made.  We left Fort Langley Wednesday a.m. amid rain and hail.  Got about 34 km and Jack started complaining about the rough road.  A few more km and he said, that isn’t the road, the RV is running as rough as it did before we took it in to the Volkswagon dealership a couple of weeks ago.  Since we had just paid them $1,000 to fix the problem we decided to go back to the Volkswagon dealer - a decision we totally regret, and will for months to come.

As we speak we are on Day 3 of them having the Rialta, and it doesn’t look like we will be getting it back today.  That means Monday before they start to work on it again.  Jack and I alternate between feeling sick with fear of what the bill will be, angry with this dealership that we feel is royally ripping us off, powerless because they have it in pieces and us over a barrel, frustrated that a rig that ran beautifully coming out here now seems to have a number of expensive problems; and on the flip side of the coin: lucky that it happened here, close to Rob and Elizabeth who have taken us in, and not out in the boonies.  We could have been in the mountains or the middle of the prairies and got into trouble.

I think the worst part is the negative feelings we have for the dealer and the fact that we now feel we should have pulled over to the side of the road and arranged to have it towed into Vancouver to a garage and mechanic John has a lot of faith in.  Would have meant a very long tow but probably better in the long run.

Anyway, we have enjoyed a longer than planned visit with friends.  We hope it doesn’t prolong into the weekend.  It’s a bit nerve wracking to have days passing by when we have to be in Ontario by the 4th of April for an appointment.  Can of course deal with that, but we still have Mom’s apartment to clear out and to get home.  We all know waiting is the hardest thing to do and its very hard under these circumstances.  I just keep looking at the positive side of things.  Met folks who came up from California today.  They drove through all kinds of snow storms.  The weather here is delightful.  Rob and Elizabeth are delightful.  We are not having to pay a hotel bill. 

Send up a prayer for us folks.  We need all the help we can get!

Julie

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March 21, 2012

Since my last post life has been a mix of battling some kind bug which laid Jack low for a few days (it triggered his virtigo problem), trying to spend time with John and get things done that we thought we had a couple more weeks for.  He and Jack got the cabinets in John’s studio basically finished after several instances of wrong measurements, mis-cutting, miss-drilling holes and hinges that don’t fit..  

John helped us pack up, stowing stuff and so on.  Our last day with John included putting the doors on his cabinet, a goodbye lunch with Chrissy, a photo shoot to get new head and shoulder pictures for his mother, installing some software on my computer and driving us to the campground so that he can take the car home to sell. Oh yeah, we squeezed in supper at a real Chinese restaurant.  We are sad to be leaving - no doubt about it.  And packing up the additional acquired stuff has been a challenge!

However we need the time to pack up Mom’s place so off we go.  Plan on a quick goodbye visit with our friends Rob and Elizabeth in White Rock, short stop to pick up motorcycle chrome bits in Bellingham, and then a push down to I-84 where we hang a turn to the east and motor along I-80.  They are still having problems in the mountain passes with snow and avalanches so we are going to drop down a bit.

Here’s hoping for good travelling.

Julie