Where has Trinity taken the Classy Nomads?

Eleven days have passed since our last blog posting. It's amazing how the time just flies by as we travel! On Friday, September 6th we arrived at the Evergreen Coho SKP Park and spent more time exploring the area around Chimacum, Washington. Karen and I placed a deposit to get on the waiting list to purchase an RV lot in this park back in September of 2022, We started at number 230 on the list and have moved up to 153 in two years. At this rate we are likely three years out for a spot! But honestly, it's okay with us because we still have a lot more traveling left to do before we land somewhere more permanently.

We are thinking this part of Washington in the Olympic Peninsula is a good place to seriously consider because of the weather, proximity to extended family and the pace of life. Evergreen Coho RV Park is clean, beautifully layed out and nicely appointed. The residents are friendly and actively involved in the park landscaping and operations. Each of the RV property lots have full hook-ups, a concrete patio, a gravel pad for an RV plus tow vehicle parking and usually some kind of additional storage or utility structure. We are happy to wait for now.

On Saturday we traveled south to Poulsbo, Washington to have lunch with Dan and Vickie Hagemeier. We met them on the road earlier this year on the east coast staying at the Kennedy Space Center, KARS Park, Florida. It was good to reconnect! We wanted to get caught up on their travels and they wanted to hear about our journey to Alaska. They are on the way back to Florida again for the winter after spending the summer with family in Washington.

We'll keep in touch and look forward to seeing them again in the future if our travel paths cross.

Sunday we drove out to Sequim, WA and met Bret Keehn for lunch after attending church at Calvary Chapel. Bret is the brother of Karen's former employer's John and Mark Rechin of Total Concepts in Santa Rosa, CA. I had never met Bret, so it was nice to finally meet and get in a visit with someone who has lived on the Olympic Peninsula for a long time. After lunch we drove the Ediz Hook Road on the spit all the way out to the entrance of Port Angeles Coast Guard Station. It provided a 360º view of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Port Angeles Harbor. The weather was so clear and with the light breeze we could see across the strait to Canada.

Monday and Tuesday were spent by me installing a new and improved kitchen faucet that we purchased at the Costco in Sequim. Multiple trips to different hardware stores for plumbing supplies to adapt the residential faucet appliance into the RV plumbing were required. I didn't do much more but recover from the "yoga" session under the sink the next two days. Karen got some laundry done and visited with some of the park residents.

We drove from Chimacum on Wednesday, September 11 to Jeff and Becky Hilen's home in Gig Harbor to "Moochdock" in their driveway for two days. Becky was returning from visiting her sister in Salt Lake City and Jeff was heading to the airport to pick her up that evening. So we decided to go to T-Mobile Park to see a Seattle Mariner's baseball game. This was ballpark #16 out of 30 on my bucket list. Since it was 9/11 they had a special opening ceremony before the game that night to honor all those who were lost on that fateful day. The Seattle Fire Department had their Honor Guard and Pipe and Drum Corps on the field for Amazing Grace and the National Anthem. It was a moving and fitting tribute to those lost..

This impressive and solemn tribute was followed by something so totally American...a major league baseball game with peanuts, Cracker Jacks and hot dogs. It was such a positive way to honor their memory.

This is a stadium with a retractable dome for when it rains in Seattle but this was a gorgeous night so the roof was open. We had incredible seats in row 10 at field level for $16 each so we splurged on parking right next to the ballpark. The Mariners beat the San Diego Padres helping out my LA Dodgers, so I was a happy fan.

The next day we hung out with the Gig Harbor contingient of the Hilen clan. While we were there, I worked on yet another project installing an accessory refrigerator fan on the back of the exterior RV frig panel to help the chilling efficiency of the appliance in warmer climates. Easy peasy!

From Gig Harbor, Washington we trekked on Friday, September 13 the 162 miles to Troutdale, Oregon in about three hours. Troutdale is just outside Portland, Oregon to the east along the Columbia River. We found the Sandy Riverfront RV Resort nearby our kid's home. The plan was to spend the weekend visiting the Edgington family. On Saturday the whole gang showed up for lunch at the RV park. Elisa and Aaron left early for a previous event commitment but the three girls stayed to have dinner with us; we barbecued a couple of Tri-tip roasts and played cards after dinner.

On Sunday, Karen and I attended the 9:30 AM Harvest Christian Church service in Troutdale followed with a drive east on Historic Highway 30 overlooking the Columbia River Gorge. We stopped at Crown Point and got some incredible views up and down the river. For lunch we visited the whole family at Tom and Denise Hatch's home in Gresham, Oregon. It was a good visit and a time of emotional and spiritual healing for me personally.

We left Troutdale on Monday morning, September 16 and headed for US Highway 26, up and over the Mt. Hood Scenic Byway towards Bend, Oregon. Our campsite for the night was in the E Loop of the Cove Palisades State Park above the lake formed by the Metolius, Crooked and Deschutes Rivers. We had amazing views here too; the volcanic geology is on a massive scale so this park venue is beautiful.

Monday evening was spent visiting and enjoying Chinese food for dinner at David and Jessica Rising's home in nearby Redmond, Oregon. They moved up to Oregon from Marin County about a year ago. Karen and Jessica have known each other since they were teenagers. Their parents were close friends and the Thomas/Hilen families spent many good times together over the years riding horses and having parties!.

There, all caught up for now. Tuesday, September 17 we drive to Crescent Junction RV Park near Crescent Lake, Oregon. for two days in the Cascade Mountains. It's also my dad's birthday. So I'm thinking of you and missing you Dad!