We let the GPS pick our travel route back home. It lead us over California Highway 168; the most windy, narrow, primitive road I’ve seen since Hawaii. I got car sick and i was driving. At one point the road collapsed to a one lane road. Scary! The California Highway Patrol should offer merit badges for successfully transferring this path.

The results of trip are as follows:
– 1,100 miles covered in my CR-V
– 2,200 miles covered in the RV
– $50 in quarters spent on laundry, showers, etc.
– Toured four states
– 13 days on the road
– Lots of memories from a once-in-a-lifetime adventure

Photo below shows Highway 168 from the top of one of the mountains the path crosses.

On Monday, June 26 we woke up in Williams, California. We spent several hours packing and cleaning the RV for it’s return to Cruise America. After dropping off the RV, we drove my CR-V to Mammoth Lake, California.

On the way, we stopped on top of the most beautiful mountain. It had a wonderful meadow which we walked for a few minutes.

Our evening in Mammoth Lake was quiet. We enjoyed a calzone and a bottle of wine. Yuma spent the evening relaxing on the bed and watching TV.

Photos below: (1) Yuma strikes a pose, (2) Jeremy and Yuma at the bottom of the hill just before they walked, (3) the mountain-top valley, and (4) Jeremy and Yuma at the top of the hill.

Mtn. Shasta, a Cascade volcano, was along the way. It was beautiful as it loomed over the valley. California is surprisingly dry but has a lot trees.

Photos below: (1) THE Blue Ox, (2) Almond Grove Mobile Home Park, (3) Yuma smells an almond fruit, (4) the fruit as it hangs from the tree, and (5) Yuma stands on front of an almond grove.

Next we drove from Bothell, Wash. to Ellensburg, Wash. Here, Jeremy’s mother and her husband met us for lunch. They took the girls back with them to Spokane for a three-week stay.

Jeremy, Yuma and I hit the road for our final days before we return the RV in Sacramento. While crossing the Mtn. Hood toll bridge, the RV scrapped the side rail. The bridge was narrow so that when another RV coming the opposite direction passed, our RV brushed up on the bridge’s railing. Ouch!

After six more hours of driving, we stopped at Albany, Oregon and stayed at the Blue Ox RV Park. Next door was a free Christian country music concert. Another day filled with driving for tomorrow.

Photos below: (1) Full moon rises over Albany, (2) Yuma makes friends at the concert, (3) me and Yuma, and (4) pretty flowers at the RV park.

First up was the Pacific Science Center where we checked out a wheel chair for Katy. She is taking her antibiotics but tired quickly. Plus, her kidneys ache from activity.

After lunch, we took a tour via Ride the Ducks of Seattle. It was fun to ride in an old World War II amphibian vehicle. Part of the tour was downtown Seattle and Union Lake. I’m considering a houseboat vacation next!

The late afternoon was spent napping in the car for Katy while Jeremy and Sandra exploring the pier. We dined out at a restaurant in Pike Place Market called Lowell’s.

Katy was exhausted by this time so we skipped a driving tour of the University of Washington where Katy hopes to attend. Yuma is spending the night at puppy daycare so it will be a quiet night for us.

Photos below: (1) Katy and Sandra at the PSC, (2) Jeremy, Sandra, and Katy outside the PSC, (3) Sandra and Katy look at an exhibit, and (4) Sandra stands in front of our WW II duck just before our tour.

Poor kid! What a horrible illness to have while on vacation. But she’s resting and drinking lots of fluids. Tomorrow should be much better.

Anyway…after filling Katy’s prescription in Sequim, we rode the ferry from Kingston to Edmonds. From there, we drove through Seattle to Bothell to our campsite. Tonight will be an early night as we have lots planned for tomorrow.

We left Riverside RV Park around 10 a.m. and drove through the Olympic National Park. On the drive we saw the beautiful Crescent Lake and stopped for a hike an lunch. Poor Katy was too sick to participate.

We checked into our campsite at Shadow Mtn RV Resort and promptly took a nap.

It was early in the afternoon, so we drove to Crescent Lake for a swim. It was refreshing!

That evening we enjoyed another rousing game of Apples to Apples.

Photos below: (1) Sandra in the Olympic National Park, (2) Sandra and Jeremy at Lake Crescent, (3) Sandra next to Lake Crescent, and (4) Sandra and Jeremy inside a living tree which burned from the inside during a forest fire.

We packed up and drove to Forks, Washington. Here, the girls and I had lunch at the Forks Cafe while Jeremy rested with Yuma from the winding drive.

The City of Forks has been over taken by Twilight madness. Signs all over town point to Twilight sites. There is a guided tour offered. All the stores sell Twilight stuff. There are several stores that sell ONLY Twilight stuff. It’s over the top.

On our way out to the reservation, Yuma was super excited and kept looking out the windows. She wanted the co-pilot seat which I occupied so she jumped up on my lap. At 75 pounds, she isn’t made to be a lap dog. After several uncomfortable minutes, she decided she wasn’t going to win and elected a new strategy, this one involved leaning on me and putting her beak up in my face. We agreed on a compromise: she would ride with her front feet on my lap while standing on her back legs.

In La Push, we walked the beach. Yuma suddenly decided she was scared of the ocean. This, after chasing ducks in a lake just 6 hours earlier.

We jumped back in the RV and happened to drive passed a house with a sign, “The Blacks – Home of Jacob Black.” Oh boy. The quiet La Push and sleepy Forks we experienced 12 years ago are gone.

That evening Jeremy made fresh salmon for dinner and enjoyed the campfire.

Photos below: (1) Sandra and Yuma at La Push, (2) Jeremy and Yuma rest from the drive, (3) a sign at a local business, (4) Twilight madness sponsored by Pepsi, and (5) Yuma rides on my lap since I wouldn’t move for her.

We lunched at Dairy Queen then bought two kites. Once we got checked in across town at Logan Road RV Park, we walked to the beach. The next several hours were spent flying kites and playing in the sand and surf.

After the beach, we stopped at Cold Stone Creamery for frozen treats. That evening Jeremy made fresh crab for dinner!

On the fifth day, we got up early to fly our kites one last time on the Oregon Coast, made a stop at Candyland candy shop, then headed out to Quinault, Washington.

We stayed at the Rain Forest Resort Village which was in the Olympic National Forest in Quinault, WA. The world’s largest Sitka Spruce tree was steps from our RV spot. Before dinner, we took a hike in the rain forest.

For dinner, Jeremy treated us to hamburgers. We played a new game called Apples to Apples. Sandra thought this game was so much fun. She was so silly while playing it!!

Photos below: (1) Sandra with Betty Boop outside Candyland, (2) the world’s largest Sitka Spruce tree, (3) Katy walks on the trail in front of the largest spruce, and (4) the family on a hike.

Our first day in the RV was eventful. We covered 350 miles of winding, mountainous road. In a particularly narrow and winding section, a baby black bear ran out in front of our RV. Jeremy didn’t have time to stop and the bear was run over. As we looked back, the baby bear wasn’t moving. The highway patrol was called to care for the bear which was likely a carcass removal project not a trip to the vet.

The winding roads made for sick riders but with a bed handy, we were able to make do. Our dog, Yuma, laid claim to the passenger’s seat and assisted with driving.

Our first night was spent at Patrick’s Point State Park, California. Our campsite was next to the ocean which made for some beautiful hiking.

The next day’s destination was Lincoln City. On the way, we stopped to hike down to the ocean. Yuma, the family dog and world famous beauty queen, loved the water, sand, and scaring the crap out of little dogs.

Our trip is progress with many more days to go. More updates on the way.

Photos: (1) Dented rim of RV tire with bear paw print on sidewall, (2) the family at the beach, and (3) Yuma serves as the copilot.