On the Downhill Run!

A very quiet 4th of July for us . . . rest was the order of the weekend.

Spent Friday morning finishing up the review here at the Ellensburg, WA KOA - then drove the 40 miles south to Yakima to do some shopping, errands and the ever present laundry! Wanted to get it all done on Friday, so we could truly have two whole days OFF!

Our Independance Day treat was chicken & noodles - Roger's favorite. I know that seems a bit strange, but we so seldom sit still long enough to put a chicken in the pot! Made enough that I fear we will be tired of them before they are gone. At home there is always lots of very willing family to help us eat them!

Did some shopping for a dishwasher - lots of looking - then decided to come back and do some research on-line. As always, I start out wanting the 'latest & greatest' - and usually most expensive, then talk myself into mid-range and sensible. Am giving serious consideration to a 'Bosch' - which has been rated #1 for the last three years.

I had been complaining loud and long about disliking my present dishwasher - the one that came with the house. So Randy & Shelly kindly took it off my hands earlier this summer, when theirs quit. Knowing I would have to purchase one when we returned home, the necessity of it became a bit more urgent when we learned that our house was the scheduled site for a couple of wedding showers in late August. After doing our research, it looks like we will indeed need to purchase it before we get to Oklahoma - to allow time for it to be shipped - even when purchasing it from Sears or Lowe's. Roger's thinking that if we go ahead and get it bought - just maybe the boys will find a way to get it installed before we get home! LOL

This week we head into our least favorite part of this Western region. Not because of the KOAs - or the owners - but because of the difficulty we have moving around in this area. We head to Seattle/Tacoma today - and should encounter the first of the world-renowned TRAFFIC! Then we head north for three visits, before heading on into Canada. The campgrounds are 400+ miles apart up there. Lots of beautiful scenery, but the Canadian Rockies make the US mountains look pretty tame. Then when we finish with the mountains, we have to face the ferry rides to and from the Victoria KOA on the island. Once we get back on US soil, it will be one more ferry ride over to the Port Angeles KOA - and then it should be smooth sailing south for the rest of the season. The only drawback then will be the heat!

But, at least, we are on the downhill run now. With luck, we should finish up mid August. We'll now be leaving the rig in Las Vegas, which will make it much easier to arrange for end-of-the season service on the truck & fifth wheel, as well as making it easier to catch a flight home.

Our new target date for home is now the third week in August. The wedding shower is scheduled for August 22nd and would at least like to get home and battle the dust bunnies before anyone else has too!

Eighty-three parks complete . . . which means only 30 MOL left to do! Not so bad if you say it REAL fast!