Wandering Spirit

This Land Is My Land!

My Wandering Spirit is feeling so content right now…
I’ve driven through the United States of America a number of times, and I’ve also flown over it, staring out the airplane window. I’ve always marveled a the vastness of it, how ever this time, wandering through this amazing land is touching me deeper than ever. Maybe it’s age. 🙂
I’m loving being able to take my time and enjoy the unspeakable beauty…just soak it in. It’s not only my land, but it’s part of me and I am part of it. The term ‘Earth Mother’ is so appropriate.

I feel connected to the mountains and the meadows, the redwoods the rivers and the rocks, the seas of golden grasses waving in the wind…I literally gasp at the beauty that presents itself as I drive each curve in the road, bringing to view a scene of beauty I can hardly comprehend.

I drive to Buffalo, Wyoming to Dear Park Campground. I am directed to site number 22, and find in site 23, another Casita! So here we are parked side by side! I set up camp and my new neighbors Susan and Bill and I tour each others little homes and have lots to talk about. Later, a lady pulls in nearby with her Golden Retriever, pulling a teardrop trailer. After dinner we decide to take our dogs to a large grassy area to play together. After play time Diane shares wine with me and we have good conversation until we are too chilled to continue.

The temp reaches down to 41 degrees during the night, but I feel no need for the furnace sleeping with two toasty warm dogs. When I leave the warm cocoon to make coffee and let Joy and Shiloh out, I do turn on the furnace to take off the chill.
I love the simple pleasure of coffee more than ever….and now off to a new day, exploring the Buffalo area.

As I view the continental divide I think about the song that I began this blog with, “Roll Me Away”.

“Rolled across the high plains
Deep into the mountains
Felt so good to me
Finally feeling free.”
…
Stood alone on a mountain top
Staring out at the great divide.
I could go east,I could go west
It was all up to me to decide.
Just then I saw a young hawk flying
And my soul began to rise
And pretty soon my heart was singing,

Roll me away, I’m gonna roll me away tonight.
Gotta keep rolling, gotta keep riding,
Keep searching till I find what’s right.
And as the sunset faded,
I spoke to the faintest first starlight
And I said, next time…
Next time we’ll get it right.”

This day is what I was thinking about when I started this blog. The feelings I feel now are the ones I’ve longed to feel since I started thinking about living this lifestyle, I few years ago.

I play John Denver’s “Rocky Mountain High” and tears flow.

“My sight is turned inside myself as I try and understand
The serenity of a clear blue mountain lake.”

Nature is astoundingly, heart-wrenchingly, beautiful!

I drive along, singing, trying to take it all in, and knowing that yes, I can go east or I can go west and it really, truly is all up to me to decide.
I am grateful for this day.

(Once again, having trouble with pictures.)

In California I wrote about fairies dancing in the Redwood trees, and in Oregon a T Rex nearly swallowed Wandering Spirit whole….(see picture from a couple blogs back).  In Washington, I didn’t mention it but I was watching for a certain werewolf named Jacob, but he never showed.  Darn.  🙂  Guess he is off living happily ever after with Renesmee.

Washington did have a surprise for me though….Little House On The Prairie.  I found my friend Marsha living in it. Not literally.  Her very comfortable home is just the right size.

 I mentioned before that when I think of Washington I think of the word ‘lush’….everything deep green, lots of green grass and water everywhere.  Wrong!  There is another side to Washington that I hadn’t met before, literally, the east side.  Rolling prairie, mostly covered with crops that are all golden right now.  

The family home where Marsha grew up.

A combine pouring wheat into a truck to be taken to a grain elevator.

Marsha and I worked together years ago.  She retired early and  now runs a highly successful dog kenneling business. (Cats can come too!)  At any given time she watches over about a dozen or so pets of people who have to be away on business or pleasure, and they are lucky dogs when they get to stay with Marsha! 

Joy and Shiloh joined right in with the rest of the gang and had a great time while Marsha and I caught up on what’s new.  

The kennel mamma!

Lets relax!

Dogs at play

I get to see some of the tiny (and I do mean tiny!) local communities, actually considered towns, but with only a few businesses at the crossroads. 

Spokane is a comfortable 15 miles away.  We drive there on Saturday to go to the Farmers Market, Huckleberry Grocery, and the hardware store.  

We see a beautiful sunset on Saturday evening!

Sunrise isn’t shabby either.

I finally tend to a couple of chores that have been calling my name.  Marsha has a tall ladder so I am able to fix the rubber gasket that has come loose from around the outside of the ventilation fan.  I hope it stays fixed…I’m not fond of climbing ladders.  Also, I finally used my little compressor to put some air in Wandering Spirit’s spare tire.  My bad, for not doing it sooner!

Feeling teary.  I so rarely see Brian and Sharon, and there are….health problems.  I won’t go into it, but if you pray, send prayers for healing for Brain please.  If you don’t pray, please send positive thoughts. (And ok, I’m also teary because RVSue’s little dog Spike passed away a few days ago.  Makes my heart hurt.)

We had good family time and I finally got to see “Lincoln”.  Really enjoyed that. 

I’m tired.  I’m sitting inside WS in the air conditioning for now.  Later when it cools off I’ll sit outside.  Joy, Shiloh and I had our walk this morning, but not feeling like doing much of anything now.  When it’s cooler, we may walk again.  

Sharon gave me a beautiful white, lacy knitted shawl and a beautiful crocheted blanket before I left.  Those warm cuddles will be so wonderful in days to come.  Thank you so much Sharon, if you are reading this.

One of the things we did….family night at the shooting range.  Over a year ago I bought a gun for the purpose of traveling safety…I know, I know…a vegan with a gun….but it makes sense to me!  I took a half day class last October in preparation, and I asked Brian and Sharon if they would teach me a bit more.  We all went to a local indoor shooting range and I got a little practice and instruction.  Ok, just say I hit the target every time at about 21 feet.  Yay!  

Arrived here at the RV park and dumped my tanks.  Now I’m doing laundry and while it dries I’m having a glass of wine with ice in it and feeling pretty ok.

Tomorrow I’ll be traveling to visit a friend that  I worked with for years at CHOMP and it’s been at least 5 years since we’ve seen each other.  We’ll spend a couple of days together and then I’m off, through Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming, into South Dakota to become a resident of that full-time-RV-friendly-state.  Yay!  

Starbucks at Pikes Place  Seattle 

Joy and Shiloh swimming at Puget Sound 

On Saturday, August 23 our destination is Lynnwood, a suburb north of Seattle where my son Brian and his wife Sharon live.  There is no place on their residence to park a trailer though, so Sharon’s sister Debbie graciously offers to let me park in her driveway. (Her l-o-n-g driveway.  🙂

I’ve elected not to use the convenient ferry from Kingston to Edmonds because of the $71 it will cost for the combined length of JR and WS.  Instead I use the Tacoma Narrows bridge and face the Seattle traffic….NOT pleasant, even on a Saturday.

But we make it through!

The street to Debbies house is long and narrow like a single lane driveway and she and her boys live at the end of it.  However there is a good sized place to turn around, and I am able…with much guidance…to back into a section of the turn-around area. No small accomplishment…for me at least!  (Ok, not that straight, but what the heck!)

I hope to be able to park WS in this area, but it has been decided that I need to be backed up to the garage, which calls for a lot of maneuvering to get into this specific spot.  Once again I hand over my keys, but to Debbie this time….a female with great back up skills.  Ladies, we CAN do it!  I ask Debbie how she learned and she casually remarks “oh we used to have a trailer…’.

I’ll get there!

On Sunday we have a nice family BBQ (my daughter-in-laws family).

Monday we spend some time in Seattle and I order a Soy Latte from the Starbucks at Pikes Place…the first Starbucks store ever, established in 1971.  

 Later in the day Joy and Shiloh go to a dog park that includes a beach and they swim in Puget Sound!

This morning I take a shower!  Good news!  My first shower in WS, but NOT my first shower since I left Monterey, don’t worry! 🙂  I’ve been using other shower facilities up until now.  The next thing I do is take an almost empty propane tank to have it refilled….another first for me.  This may be the first time that tank has ever been filled, and it’s certainly the first time a tank has been filled since I owned WS.  I also gas up JR while I’m out.  I am able to get the tank back safe and sound, hooked up and into it’s place all by myself!

Next I rinse off the Salty Dogs.  The salt doesn’t seem to bother them but the smell is starting to bother me!

Next I begin cooking.  There is a favorite soup that I like to make, and this is the first time I attempt it since moving into WS.  I bought a pressure cooker a couple of years back so that I’d be able to cook quickly and use less propane, and it works really well for my yummy Lentil soup.  I don’t measure anything, just toss some french lentils, a little brown rice and water in the cooker and when it attains pressure let it cook for about 18 minutes.  Then I use it as a regular pot with a lid,  add spices to taste, carrots, onions, celery, cabbage, (because these are the veggies I have on hand) a little hot sauce and soy sauce and a can of diced tomatoes.  YUMMM.

Now awaiting my son and daughter-in-law to roll down the drive any minute.  I wonder if they will have some soup? 🙂

(Pictures coming)

Tuesday, August 19 we arrive at Nehalem State Park for a two night stay.  It’s a very busy park with the “Campground Full” sign up, but we have reservations for our first….drum roll please….’back-in’ camp site.  The roads in the campground are actually busy….a parade of trucks, cars, and campers of all sorts.  What’s going to happen when it takes me 20 minutes to back into site A60??

I start out ok….for the first minute or so….but then I go south from there, and cars are already starting to pile up behind me.  The task seems impossible as my anxiety rises, and mind you, it’s been about 3 minutes now.  

Then this wonderful young man and his wife and dog are standing there beside JR.  He offers to back the rig in for me -WOW- I fairly flew out of the truck, and he jumped in and was instantly covered with Joy kisses.  In one smooth move he easily slips WS & JR into site A60.  It turns out these are my neighbors in site A59.  Ohhhh  I LONG to be able to do that!  I’m planning to practice when I visit my son, soon.

I set up camp and a little while later my dear friend Maureen, visiting the coast from Portland comes by with a great vegan burrito, chips, etc, and we chat and eat non stop till dark.  The plan was to spend Wednesday together, but Mo got sick with flu like symptoms, so that didn’t happen.  Sad indeed, as we’ve been planning this meet-up for a long time.  

We changed our plans and I was going to swing by her cute little motel in Manzanita Thursday morning to say a quick good-bye.  Wednesday Joy, Shiloh and I spent time walking the beach, walking the campground, and talking to lots of campers and meeting their dogs.  

Thursday morning on my way out of the park I stop to dump.  As I get the process underway I hear a horn honking and look up to see Mo.  She’s feeling a bit better and has come to see me off!  She gets to watch the exciting process of RV tank-dumping up close and personal.  Strange place to say good-bye but it totally tickled my sense of humor, and hers too, I think.

So on I go, north on 101, beautiful day….up to Astoria, OR and over a HUGE bridge into Washington!  Water, water everywhere, and green, green, GREEN!  The green of Washington always brings a word to my mind….LUSH.  Green relaxes the eyes and the mind and it’s everywhere here….along with the water.  Well, they kinda go together, right?  🙂

We take a series of back roads to approach Bainbridge Island from the west, and with Google Maps I find my friend Elinor’s l-o-n-g driveway.  Oh, it also helps that she drives out to the end of it to wait for me!  I haven’t been here for 10 years.  

Elinor and I had discussed her driveway at length (pun hehe) before I arrived.  It’s about a quarter mile long, twisty, and has large trees on either side…really a close call for WS.  The drive circles around so I can get out.  Of bigger concern to me is the height of the carport.  If I can’t fit WS under the car port I can’t circle and there is NO where to turn around and I could spend the rest of my life trying to back out.  Elinor told me the car port is very high…the previous owner built it high because he had big trucks coming through.  Ok, great….sounds good.  

Except it wasn’t.  I get all the way up this quarter mile driveway and see the carport and have visions of living out my life here.  Don’t get me wrong, Elinor’s home is a little piece of paradise but I have places to go!

Elinor seems to have no concerns and has a solution:  The guys that work on her cars can back the rig down the driveway, turn it around and back it back up the driveway.  

I have my serious doubts about that!!!

Elinor contacts the guys and a few minutes later they arrive!  Once again I hand over my keys willingly and Jason jumps in while his buddy guides him down the drive.  I can’t watch.  Elinor diverts my nervous attention in conversation.  It takes a good 15-20 minutes before I hear voices, and soon see the back end of WS making her way through the trees.  NOTHING SHORT OF A MIRACLE IN MY BOOK!!  

If you need any automotive help while you are on Bainbridge Island, check out (oh dear, name of the place is unknown but it’s on Miller Road!) .  Elinor vouches for their excellent automotive care and I bow to their driving skills!

Finally I can relax.  It’s great visiting with Elinor.  She prepares a yummy vegan stir fry for dinner.  Joy and Shiloh love it here and can run free through Elinors ample forest and yard.  Also they have the company of Elinor’s 3 dogs, Katie, Jack, and Mattie.

Pictures to follow!

After a week on the road we finally arrived in Oregon!  We drove through some beautiful sights on Hwy 101….zillions of trees and the dramatic coastline often with crashing waves.  it’s not what you would call mountainous driving here, but certainly there are plenty of dips and swells and hairpin turns.  There was an abundance of fog which is beautiful, and in it’s own way, very calming.  

When we arrived at our camp near the beach, after minimal set up and some food for all of us we went for our walk….the ocean was calling.  The wide, sandy beach goes on for what seems to be miles with fog blowing in and out as we walked.  There were a few other campers there with their dogs, but other than that….no one.  Joy and Shiloh just ran and ran, in and out of the shallow water….Joy always wants to lie down in it, Shiloh just runs through it.  

Since we arrived we’ve made three extended trips to the beach, all resulting in saturated, salty, sandy dogs.  I’ve dried and brushed and brushed some more, but they are still sandy.  All part of living with fur kids.  It’s heartwarming to see them having so much fun.

I have pictures that I took with my phone, but so far I haven’t gotten them transferred over to the laptop.  Eventually….

I’ve had some concerns about WS’s battery.  A few days ago I accidentally ran the fridge on battery power for about an hour after I set up camp, seriously depleting it….a newbie error for sure!  The sun was shining and I thought the solar panel would bring back the charge (I’ve since learned it takes awhile) and when it didn’t I thought I’d wrecked the battery.  Then for 3 days we were plugged into electric and the battery charged nicely and I stopped worrying.  Now, at our present site without electricity, I resumed worrying, like a good worry-wart.  I worried so much that I finally emailed Doug and Peggy, the people that I bought WS from.  We have kept in contact and they have been kind enough to answer questions and offer helpful advice on many occasions.  Doug has a huge knowledge of solar and batteries so he was the perfect person to ask.  

His answering email came this morning before the light, and was very reassuring.  He believes I did not wreck my battery because it took the charge well when plugged into electric.  Since we’ve had major fog here, he encouraged me to use the generator that was part of the package when I bought WS.  It’s a (quiet) little Honda 2000 and just perfect for a Casita.  So, I got out the generator instruction book and followed the steps to start it up, and hook it up, and got a great charge on the battery!  Thanks Doug and Peggy for your help….yet again.  🙂

Tonight I made a little campfire to ward off the chill.  The sound of the ocean never ceases….the wine is nice.  (Thank you Laura and Joel).  The dogs are sound asleep after their very active day.

I feel….content.  

One week ago today I waved good bye to friends and neighbors in Seaside, CA. It’s been 7 days of learning….nonstop learning.  As I leave Klamath this morning I’ll be heading up the Oregon coast, and the next 4 nights staying at 2 State Parks that may or may not have internet access, so it may be awhile before you hear from me.  

Facts and figures….the rate here at Mystic Forest RV Park is $34 for full hookups, and with Good Sam discount it was $30.60 per night.  I filled up the gas tank yesterday across the street and a quarter mile west at $4.05 a gallon.  

Even with all that mountain driving I did I’m getting about 13.5 mpg.  Before the mountains it was about 2 mpg better than that.

This morning first I’ll have coffee.  Of course.  🙂   Then Joy, Shiloh and I will go for a walk, and after that I’ll start preparing to leave.  I’ll write when I can!