Our trip started at 9:30 on Wednesday, December 26th. We were packed, in the truck, and on the road to Charlie & Arlene’s (Char’s folks). Since we couldn’t’ seem to catch up with the Jensen’s any other way, we met them at her folks in Tenino
We enjoyed Christmas with the Sommer’s/Jensen family. Their “White Elephant” gift exchange was also that day. We had a great dinner of ham, potatoes, and veggies. Everyone came away with a gift. Ryan received pop corn bowls, Kristin received body butter, Bill a finger football game, and Shawnna, well, I must say, the kitchen sink….yep, the kitchen sink!! When the Jensen’s say something used, that is still useful…they take that to the limit. So…not only do we have wood in the back of our truck…we have a kitchen sink too. Wow…we will be more careful next time! The night was fun with visiting and catching up. It seems we pick up right where we left off….the kids too!
We had a slight snag when we went to bed, and the battery to the trailer was dead and we walked into a trailer that was only 60 degrees and dropping as it was below 30 outside! We were stumped as to why the electricity wasn’t working, but figured the battery had something to do with it. We called it a night, and decided to troubleshoot the next morning. Thankfully the electric heater with the cord in the kitchen window kept us warm enough (although the kids thought they would freeze!) with the extra sleeping bags we pulled out. We woke to a balmy 55 degrees.
December 27th, Thursday—We visit the new Cabela’s in
December 28th, Friday—After a few hours of work, and $250.00 later, we are fixed, and back on the road. We head south and west toward the coast. We call friends Pat & Ray, and find out they will be just a few miles over the
December 29th, Saturday—we start the day with dog walks, and coffee. A leisurely morning where everyone slept until 8:30—wow for us! We have lunch and head to the
December 30th, Sunday—another late morning…8:30 before anyone stirs again. Bill & Shawnna take coffee on a morning walk with the dogs. We even have sunshine on our walk, just before it clouds over and hails on us! We have breakfast in
December 31st, Monday—we wake to ice—and decide to depart later than planned. We have a leisurely morning, and then head south at noon. We hit the cheese factory in Tillamook, and have lunch before heading further south. We chat by phone with Flo at Washburne who tells us there are two other campers in camp…so it’s clear for a straight shot there. We head farther south, and arrive at camp at 5:30. We set up, and head out to visit Harry & Flo, and then head to town for our usual 1st night camping at Washburne meal…Taco Bell!
January 1st, Tuesday—Happy New Year! We didn’t make midnight….only 11:40 before falling asleep. We slept until 8:00 and woke to beautiful sunshine. Harry was out cleaning fire pits already, and the kids were outside playing as soon as they were finished with breakfast. Bill & I spent the morning cleaning out our outside storage—it was just so nice to be outside enjoying the weather. Flo came up for a visit, and we decided that after lunch we’d head to the beach. We enjoyed a nice walk, and let the dogs run. Being that Flo is a campground host we promised to plead that we didn’t know her if we were caught without the dogs on their leashes! She is great about it with us, and knows that we usually keep our dogs in check!
January 2, Wednesday-- It poured rain all night, and needless to say, we didn’t sleep well. Bill & I slept until 9:15 when we were stirred by giggling kids. We headed into
January 3rd & 4th, Thursday & Friday—We spent these days relaxing and visiting with Harry & Flo, playing cards, games, and working on the Tycoon Zoo! It was very rainy & windy, and we were thankful that we got to the beach on Tuesday, as it was the only trip to the beach we were blessed with. We do enjoy the rain time inside as much as the outside time. It's great family time, and good down time for all of us. We enjoyed dinner with Flo & Harry on Thursday night, during a windstorm. Thankfully, we were in a protected area, and we heard more wind than we felt. We woke to Bailey crawling in our bed at 5am due to a heavy thunderstorm. I got up with her, and sat in the livingroom of the trailer until the storm passed, as she would have been in bed with us otherwise. Things cleared up by 11 and we were able to get torn down and head home. We said our goodbyes, sad to leave, as we had the campground pretty much to ourselves. There were only a few overnighters all week. We stopped for lunch on the way home, and arrived in Sweet Home at 4:15—it starting to snow as we pulled into the narrows. As I write, we have 3 inches on the ground, and again, have seen how well God has taken care of us, as they say we are expecting 3-6 more inches depending where you are in the foothills of the Cascades. Hoping to go to church in the morning, and enjoy one last day of a nice 17 day vacation with the whole family. (PS Be sure to check out the snow pictures!)
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