Saturday, February 27, 2010

Back To Tumwater

I would like to Welcome and say THANK YOU to "Follower" #58...Alice!  Welcome aboard, Alice, I'm pleased to announce your arrival.  I appreciate your interest in my RV blog.

We arrived in Tumwater, Washington about 3:00 this afternoon.  It was 36F when we pulled away from Jack's Landing RV Park in Grant's Pass, Oregon this A.M.  Yes, we could tell we were back in the Pacific Northwest in the winter.  We enjoyed a pleasant drive today (thank goodness) and experienced a mix of fog, light rain showers, and bright sunshine. 

It looks like the trouble with the RV was an easy fix, once they finally found the source of the problem.  We'll be driving the money pit  the motorhome down to Uhlmann's RV on Thursday for some other repairs that we had already scheduled.  The RV life....never a dull moment.

Since it was Saturday, and not a weekday, we decided to drive straight through the center of Portland on I-5 rather than take the bypass.  Truthfully, the bypass can be more clogged with traffic sometimes.  We had not gone this route in the last 4 trips up and down this interstate.  We noticed a new sky tram moving through the air as we entered Portland.  When did that get there????
The main thing with traveling Interstate 5 through the heart of the city is the need to pay close attention to the highway signs so you don't find yourself going off toward Beaverton or something.  Driving thru with a rig totaling about 60' in length, you just don't want to make a dumb mistake. 
Here are more of the mish-mash of freeway interchanges to confuse even the seasoned traveler.  The river that runs through Portland is the Willamette (say:  will-am-et).
Once we got through the center of town, we soon came to the bridge to Washington.  Not the bridge to "nowhere".   This bridge crosses the great Columbia River but I was unable to get a photo this time.  Next time.
We got settled into our same RV spot from the winter and began putting things in order.  Then it was time to visit the "Grands".  Of course, they wanted to come back to the motorhome with us....how could we refuse?  Bruce tried to sort through the mail with all the racket from the girls and me playing a game of Jackpot Yahtzee.  He finally gave up and agreed to take us to McDonald's for dinner.  Big spender!  But he did just lay out a pile of money on some car and RV repairs.  :)

I miss our family when I'm away from Tumwater, and it is always good to come back to see them again.  However, I have discovered during the past 18 months that I do like to have "roots" and return to those roots from time to time.  By roots I mean, a hometown to return to....the old familiar faces and places of "our neighborhood".  I don't want, or need, the roots of a sticks and bricks home.  Our home on wheels is the best choice for us.   This way we can enjoy the roots, and then break free of them to go out on the road exploring new places.   This fulltiming lifestyle is truly our great journey.

Until next time.....so long for now!

7 comments:

Rick said...

Congratulations on making it home safe and sound. Glad to hear the MH problems seems to be resolved. I'll bet the "Grands" were thrilled to see you home.

Ali Workentin said...

Thanks for the welcome and so happy you made it to Tumwater without any more problems.

Enjoy your time with the grandkids. We will be traveling/working for six months and that is the one thing I will miss ~ seeing the grandkids.

Carol K said...

Thanks for the update. That tram you saw goes to OHSU--Oregon Health Sciences University. Loved the picture of the I-5 bridge! Welcome back to the Evergreen State!

Unknown said...

Glad you made it back safe and sound. I miss my family and home area too, about another month and we'll be heading back to see everyone for a little while...then hit the road again. Have lot's of fun with the Grandkids!
- Mary Ann :-)

P.S. - Have you ever tried the salads at McD?

Al Bossence said...

Driving through large cities can be a real pain but our GPS is a big help. I still like to plan routes around cities if at all possible. We are 53 feet long so know what you mean. Gotta pay attention for sure.

KarenInTheWoods said...

I really liked your explanation about *roots* today... it's not the *things* like a stix n brix, but it's the people to come home to and visit. But then easy to shed the place and hit the road again, on your home on wheels!



Karen and Steve
http://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com/

Gypsy said...

I think the idea of roots means different things to different folks. I want a place to go back to and rest up for my next trip, but I will never consider having long-term roots.