In the rain in Oregon

Last evening we stayed in the parking lot at W*mart in Chehalis, Washington, along with about 15 other rigs.  It was fairly quiet, and we stocked up there with groceries to last us a few more days.  No, I didn't buy rice!  Speaking of which, thanks to Allen and Lolita, the mystery with the rice question at the border is somewhat solved!  Thanks! Effective July 30, 2011, you must declare your rice, or be subject to fines due to possible importation of the Khapra Beetle. Interesting!

Tonight we are at 7 Feathers in Oregon, and planning to hit the road very early in the morning to tackle the Pass.  The weather reports are informing us that things are going to turn for the worse, with snow and storms come Friday. Rain tomorrow.

Well, off to the Casino for a looky - see and maybe the buffet. 

Chehalis Chores

We took the Black Ball ferry this morning from Victoria, crossing the Hood Canal bridge and we also tried the Toll Bridge. This time is was a sunny driver, versus the rainy one we had last winter.  Of course, the sunny day means it is cold at night! Ah, always a trade - off. 

The border crossing went well, with the normal question of whether we had fruits or vegetables or firewood ( no ), and this year we had a new question: do you have rice? Nope. : "Are you sure?" Yes, we are. NO rice. I knew this because I cooked up the last of it at our kids house a few days ago. So, a stop at Walmart in Chehalis to stock up. We might buy rice. (ha)

The maps are out and we are planning which way we will go after Corning, California.  There may have to be an extended stay in Bakersfield, because two of the 5th wheel brakes are not working. Hmmmpf. I told Donald we had to call Orange Grove ahead of time and book, because Rick and Paulette just about didn't get in without a reservation.

miss our kids already.

Christening and the Family all together

This was the first time that our two sons, our daughter in law and ourselves have been together since the wedding in September 2009.  We hope to get together more often than just when there is a special occasion!  Life seems so busy and everyone going all directions, including ourselves.

with his favorite Uncle

The service at Centennial United Church was lovely.  This is a very old church in Victoria, with a gigantic pipe organ.  At the end of the service the organist played a postlude. The piece was " Noel #10 by Louis Claude Daquin, and the pipes were resounding! Our wee little grandson was very good during his Baptism, and slept afterwards till the pipes woke him up. However, he was all smiles for those congregants who spoke to us during fellowship time after the service.

Last evening we had our Christmas dinner with our children, even if it was just Salisbury steak, veggies and cookies for dessert!   For the rest of today, we will be watching the Seahawks play, picking up and cleaning the 5th, and getting ready to check out of the Rv Resort on Tuesday.  We are ready to get out of this rain.

Busy RV Park

We had our first babysitting adventure, night before last, with our new grandson.  He is growing like a weed and gaining lots of weight.  His mum and dad enjoyed a couple of hours out with friends, which is a good break for them.  We told them to take advantage of our offer while we were still here!

Oceanside RV Resort, where we are staying, has been very busy and almost full every night. Don has been out visiting with neighbouring RV'ers, and most are taking the Washington State Ferry to Anacortes, and then south.  There is a recreational vehicle 'promotion' on the ferry, and the cost is half of the ride on the Black Ball Ferry to Port Angeles.  We looked at that, but it gets into Anacortes late in the day, so most rigs overnight in Anacortes and start south the next day, driving through or around Seattle. Seems that the costs are now evened out between the two ferries, so we will be sticking with the Black Ball Ferry for now ( and avoiding Seattle driving ).

We haven't heard back from Jayco on our warranty issue.  We will follow up later this week, as we try to accomplish most of the other items on our list, prior to leaving after next weekend.

Definitely looking forward to warmer weather as we dislike having to scrape the ice off the windshield of the truck in the morning. Maybe we leave too early in the morning to do stuff.  I know, relax, relax.

5th Repairs

One the way to the Island, Donald noticed that he was not getting much in the way of trailer brakes.  We pulled over to the side of the road, and sure enough, only one wheel was warm.  So, he was very very careful travelling over the Coquihalla pass, using the truck and gearing down and was quite successful.  That is not the way we want to travel all the way south, though.

We stopped in at a local RV dealer here in Sidney, and they would not be able to fit us in for a week, so we waited, and now the 5th spent the day there yesterday and probably all day today as well.  Yesterday, they checked the passenger side wheels, and a bearing seal was blown, contaminating the brakes with grease. The fix for that was cleaning the brake drum and replacing the brake assembly and repacking the bearings.  Can you say " ca-ching $$"?  Today, they are checking the remaining three wheels and repacking the bearings in them.  Then we will be checking to see if they work, and also following up with Jayco and Dexter to see if they are willing to pay anything towards the cost under warranty. Our unit is still within its' 2 year warranty period.   The other item they fixed yesterday was fixing the hot water tank electrical switch ( the one inside the unit, on the wall ).  That should also be a warranty item. Not looking forward to arguing about these things.