Highlights of our 2017 Summer Trip

Well I have returned to the blog to write a little more about our fabulous trip. We had such a great time. Our pace was good - for the most part - we did come home a little fast - but there was a reason. We ended up driving the RV about 5,802 miles give or take a few. We didn't track the pickup miles.

Favorite Sights on this Trip 
North Cascades National Park, WA
Mount Rainier National Park, WA
Olympic National Park, WA
The Pacific Ocean

Pacific Ocean

Gold Bar, WA and Index, WA
Skagit River
Canada
Fort Clatsop National Memorial, OR
Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center at Cape Disappointment , WA
Devils Tower National Monument, WY
Spearfish Canyon, SD
The Marinas and Ports and Big Ships
Trees
Theodore Roosevelt National Park, ND and Chateau de Mores in Medora, ND
Badlands National Park, SD
National Minuteman Missile National Historic Site, SD
Niobrara State Park, NE
Mayfield Lake Trail & Lake



Most Unusual Sights:

Ghost Billboard

Ghost Billboard, Washington border with Canada
The Eclipse

Mary in Eclipse Glasses

Steve Looking cool in Eclipse Glasses

Abandoned Nuclear Reactors
Beautiful Emerald Green/Turquoise Water

Mary Driving the RV

Personal Bests: 

Driving the RV 

Getting my Senior National Parks Pass for $10! 

Birthday Dinner-Lakeside

Mary and her Senior Park Pass

Howard Miller Steelhead Park

Howard Miller Steelhead Park

Howard Miller Steelhead Park

Favorite Campsites:
Howard Miller Steelhead Park, Rockport WA
Salt Creek and Tongue Point Recreation Area, West of Port Angeles

Salt Creek Rec Area

Cool Temp at Salt Creek Rec Area

Salt Creek Rec Area

Holiday Park FamCamp at McChord Air Force Base Tacoma, WA
Fort Stevens State Park, OR
Birch Bay, Thousand Trails at Blaine, WA
Long Beach Thousand Trails at Seaview, WA

Pretty Campground:
Eastcreek Campground, WA

Weird/Scary Thing:
Eaglecreek Fire- OR that closed I-84 for a few miles

Car Races

Best Bargain:
Car Races at Evergreen Fairgrounds, WA
Discover Pass - WA
Free Camping at Oregon State Parks 10 days per month for Disabled Vets

Friends

Donna & Larry

Dogs and Husband:

Buster

Poopsie (Zoey) and Steve

Monday, October 2, 2017 Life at Home

What have we been doing since we arrived home? Tuesday and Wednesday - 9/12 & 9/13/17 One of the first tasks was to go through the mail - three months worth. I did that in two different sittings. I also ordered meds for Steve and I. Mine come from Walmart - and since there is no Walmart in Perry - they were supposed to be transferred to Stillwater. That was somewhat of a fiasco. One of the prescriptions didn't transfer - so when I went there to pick them up I was short one prescription. They will get it renewed/ordered from the physician - OK. Let me know when it is here. Also they didn't have enough of one prescription - so only gave me a partial fill - that was also troublesome. Hopefully this will get straightened out after a few times. We picked up Steve's meds and our mail from Hazel after our supper at La Macarena. I ordered Steve's shots on Monday and they promptly arrived on Wednesday - Great! Steve mowed the side of the yard next to the alley - our part. The guy north of us must have moved - because he used to mow all of it. Oh well - more mowing! We had to completely clean and bleach the refrigerator in the house because somehow the door got shut or something went wrong and it had mold growing in it! YUK! What a nasty chore - but we survived. We unloaded some of the important items from the RV. On Thursday - we went to Walmart for supplies and meds - frustrating as stated above! Friday the 15th of September - I worked on the laundry. After about 4 loads Steve noticed that water was coming out from the toilet. The water was backing up from the washer - to the toilets in both bathrooms and the closet where the heater is. Steve worked on cleaning up the water. Since it's Friday - can't call the plumber - will do that on Monday. I called about getting Steve's ultrasound scheduled. Saturday the 16th - We watched Oklahoma State University play football - not much else exciting. On Sunday the 17th we met up with Kristi and the kids for lunch at PF Changs's. We had a belated birthday celebration for Kristi! Monday the 17th we called the plumber, ATT, Dish, Social Security, work and the VA for a new hose for Steve's C-Pap. Lots of calls and business to take care of. The plumber and his helper showed up before lunch and got us fixed up! Yea! Now we can continue to do laundry. Tuesday the 18th was my day to get a new color on my hair and a haircut. Steve also got a haircut. We had supper at La Macarena with Linda. This marked one week of being back home! On Wednesday, the 20th of September - we went to the VA at OKC so Steve could get an Ultrasound. He found out that he has a hernia on each side, with the one on the right being much bigger. We also made an appointment for a F/U with Kimberly to complete Steve's paperwork to continue his driver's license. Since he has MS the doctor has to fill out paperwork almost every year for him to continue to have driving privileges. Little do they know he drove the RV about 5-6,000 miles this summer with no problems! We are so thankful that we have had the awesome privilege of seeing this country and avoiding any car wrecks! Thursday, the 21st of September - Steve fixed the ice maker with a new part. I assisted in my usual fashion by watching and handing stuff as needed. Friday, the 22nd, Ms. Yen (Stillwater VA Provider) called to discuss Steve's Ultrasound and the need for surgery. We walked and I also typed on the blog. It is not great to get behind blogging. Saturday rolled around again and we watched Oklahoma State play football. I worked on the blog. We also watched OU play football. Sunday brought more football. We walked and checked out the mail. I am glad to be caught up on the mail and don't want to get too far behind since we are home. Monday the 25th of September - we drove to Stillwater and went to Walgreen's and Walmart. What fun! They are still working on the bridge that connects to Highway 86 - so we are going east to Bill's Corner then south to Stillwater. I hope they finish it so we can get to Walmart faster! LOL We aren't that busy - so I don't know why I would be in a hurry. Tuesday - the 26th of September, Today I sent Steve back to bed because his hernia is bothering him. We didn't do much other than go out to eat at La Macarena with the girls. This is the end of two weeks back home! I am more than ready to return to the road - but Steve needs to get this hernia taken care of. Wednesday, the 27th of September - I worked on cleaning out my closet. I made some progress. More progress is needed. I did some laundry. Steve worked hard all day on a frame for the furnace. A project that has been simmering with him for a while. Hard to explain - but he completed it. On Thursday the 28th of September - we drove to El Reno and watched Logan play football. After the game we took them out to eat Pizza and returned home. It was a lovely evening to sit out and watch the game. El Reno Jr. High played Western Heights and skunked them. Friday, the 29th - not much. I think this is the day Steve and I tried to figure out what it would cost to remodel our kitchen. You can get lost on the internet looking things up! Saturday, the 30th - Watched OSU (OK State) play football. We went to the Dollar Store in Perry - awful! I needed to get a birthday card to mail to my sister Marsha in New Jersey. The service at the Dollar Store was extremely slow. They have a junky looking store and not much of what you need. I sure wish TG & Y were still an option in these small towns. Sunday - October 1 - More football watching - Dallas got beat! Denver won! Man I wish I could figure out how to make my football watching pay off! I could get rich! We walked around the neighborhood. We had a 3.3 earthquake today about 2:45 PM that got our attention! It shook the house and made noise. We've been trying to walk on most days - trying to get up a little earlier and walk in the morning while it is somewhat cooler. Zoey has so much more energy after our trip - we want to try to keep her walking. We really want to keep ourselves walking too! Monday, October 2, 2017- We watched some TV - horrible news about the shooting in Las Vegas. So Sad! We got tired of listening to the bad news and went to walk out at CCC Lake about 9:00 AM - it was 73 degrees and we were hot when we got back in the pickup. Now, we have been home almost 3 weeks! WOW! Time flies.