June 2011

June 1-11 we were still at Heavenly Hills helping with projects.  Most of what I did was sort through old boxes of files.  On the 5th, we attended worship at Heritage and had lunch with Barb and Pierre.  On the 7th we had dinner with Gloria, Bill, and Sue.  We had the windows on the truck and fifth-wheel treated to cut down on UV rays, heat, and an added benefit is a little more privacy in the fifth-wheel.  The 10th and 11th were spent shopping and getting the fifth-wheel cleaned and ready to leave.

On the 12th we were getting ready to pull out in time to attend church in Sonora, but the exhaust pipe had come loose and Kent had to repair that before we could leave.  We finally left about 11:30, so we grabbed a sandwich when we stopped for diesel in Jamestown.  Spent the night at Walmart in Yreka and had a late dinner at the Black Bear Cafe.

On the 13th we arrived at the RV Park of Portland and had dinner with John and Mary Ellen.

We went to Camping World on the 14th.  Neskowin Creek was doing a promotion selling memberships in their resort.  After listening to the sales pitch for their resorts and getting RPI resorts, we did some calculations.  We had already realized that campground and resort fees were more expensive than we had planned and that a lot of state campgrounds did not have spaces large enough for our rig.  Our conclusion was that for full-time RV living, buying into a resort and having access to the other resorts in their group, plus affiliated memberships was the way to go.  So Neskowin Creek in Oregon became our “home park.” 

On the 15th, we invited John and Mary Ellen to meet us for lunch at Otto’s Sausage, Portland (featured on Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives).  

Then they took us on a scenic drive to Multnomah Falls.

The next morning, John and Mary Ellen met us at Pine State Biscuits (another DDD) for breakfast.  It was really a unique place and only had seating for 16.  A young woman invited Mary Ellen and I to share a table with her and her daughter.  It turned out that she liked to check out Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives locations too and told us some of the places where she had eaten.  A couple sitting at the next table was surprised to hear that this little, local place had been featured on TV.

We went to Everett, WA on the 17th and checked into the Lakeside RV Park.  After we got set up and ate a quick bite, we went to Tonja’s to see our granddaughter, Jessica.  After visiting with them, we met Kenton and his family and visited while they ate dinner.

Graduation was the 18th.  There weren't enough tickets for everyone and so we ended up taking our grandsons, Brandon and Cole, to see a movie.

The 19th was Father’s Day.  After attending worship at New Hope Christian Church in Everett, we met Kenton and his family for lunch at Red Robin.  It made a very nice Father’s Day.

On the 20th, Tonja brought Jessica, Brandon, and Victoria over and we took the kids to Pizza Hut for dinner.  Then took them back to Tonja’s and told them all good-bye because they had plans for the next day and weren’t going to be able to do anything with us.

We went sightseeing in Seattle on the 21st and it was a beautiful day for it.  We started with breakfast at Voula’s Offshore Cafe (another DDD).  The owner was very friendly and even came to our table to visit with us about DDD.  

We drove to the historical district and decided to take the Underground Tour where we learned some interesting things -- like the “glass squares” in the sidewalk above us were sky lights for the underground passages.  After that we went up to the observatory (34th floor) of Smith Tower for a fantastic view of the city and surrounding area.  

We went to Pike Place Market. 

For a late lunch we went to the Last Chance (another DDD).

The next day we went back to Portland.  We needed to get our membership number (since it was being processed while we went up to Washington) before we could go to Neskowin Creek. 

On the 23rd we had breakfast at the Byways Cafe (DDD).  It was another fairly small cafe and while we were eating, a line was forming waiting for tables.  

On the 24th we went to Neskowin Creek RV Park which is located on the coast.  This was the beginning of our membership resort experience.  

After getting set up we drove into Lincoln City to do some shopping and had dinner at Moe’s Restaurant.  It had been recommended as the best place to get chowder.  We had a table by the window so we could look out at the beach.

This resort serves breakfast on Saturdays.  So we decided to try it out on the 25th.  There was also a potluck that evening, with the resort providing the entree.  I had signed up for dessert and took Rocky Road Fudge.  Later we walked to the beach which  was an easy 15 minute walk.  There’s a hill between the resort and the beach, so we could not see or hear it from our site.  That’s a good compromise for us because I like the beach, but Kent doesn’t like to hear it.

On the 26th we attended worship at the Christian Church which is located at Wi-Ne-Ma Christian Camp.  On the way back to the resort, we stopped at an overlook where we could look out and see the Christian Camp.

The 27th was a full day of sightseeing.  We went to Tillamook to tour the Tillamook Cheese Factory.  

Then we ate at a local seafood shack called Old Oregon Smoke.  It was across the highway from the cheese factory.  

After lunch we stopped at the Blue Heron French Cheese Factory.  There was no tour, but lots of samples; not just cheeses, but jellies, dips, and spreads.  

From there we went to the Tillamook Air Museum.   It is housed in a WWII blimp hangar that once housed nine Navy Class K blimps.

I went shopping at the outlet mall in Lincoln City on the 28th.  It is one of the nicest outlet malls I’ve ever been to.  While I shopped, Kent looked for parts to hook up our solar panel.  Later, Kent worked on the solar panel while I did laundry.

We left Neskowin Creek on the 30th and went to Mountain View KOA in Pendleton.