RV Park Review: Maple Grove Resort ~ Randle, WA

 

I would like to welcome new “Followers” Chuck and Anneke.  THANK YOU for joining my group and I appreciate the time you give to reading about our RV lifestyle.

This was our second trip to Maple Grove Resort, the first being back in 2005.  This park is in our K/M membership program.  We selected this park on this occasion because it is close to Tumwater and we were just getting the Grands out for a weekend trip. 

Maple Grove Resort is in the small town of Randle, Washington, approximately 50 miles East of I-5 on Hwy. 12.  It sports a great location because it is sort of in a triangle between Mt. Rainier, Mt. St. Helen’s and Mt. Adams.  If you are looking for outdoor adventure, visiting any of those 3 mountains will give it to you.

                                                            Entry into the resort.

We parked the RV by the office/clubhouse building and went to check-in.  We had made reservations here about 2 months ago.  The woman at the desk was very friendly and had all of our paperwork in order.  We were allowed to circle through the park and select a site of our choosing.

They do have some 50 amp electric sites here, and we selected #2 right near a large grass area where the girls could play.  There are 54 sites with full hook-ups and 65 sites with partial hook-ups.  Plus, there are 20 dry camping sites back in the woodsy area. 

                                                                This is our site, #2, with a nice view of the mountains.

The sites are not wide, but they are long.  Our row of 50 amp sites were back-in, but the other full hook-up sites were long pull-throughs.  The roads by the RV sites are gravel/dirt and are a little bumpy in spots, but not bad.  The roads in other areas of the park are paved asphalt.

                                                           These sites are a little wider than some others, but only W/E service.

There is also a 9-hole golf course at the park, open to the public.  It was a beautiful course and well maintained.  We do not play, but it was nice to look at.  You can rent carts at the clubhouse.

The girls rode their bikes along with me while I took my camera for a walk so I could take some pics of the park.  There is an indoor pool that is nice and clean and the water is warm enough to enjoy.  The clubhouse had a library room with puzzles and games to borrow.  There is also a lounge area for watching TV and a large gathering area with a kitchen and tables.  They host Bingo, Bunco, pot-lucks, Ice Cream Socials and movie nights here.   There is a small café on the property and we enjoyed a pancake breakfast on Sunday.

There is a small…very small, laundry room near the front of the park.  There are also 2 restroom buildings with a keyless entry, but I had neglected to get the “secret code” to enter so I could not get a photo of that.  The restroom in the clubhouse building, however, was spotless.

Toward the back of the resort are the woodsy, dry camping sites.  There were a few RV’s there but mainly the sites were unoccupied.  There is also a very nice playground for the kids.  Zoey and Mackenzie loved it.  In the middle of the park is a nice pond for fishing or just to sit by and enjoy.  The bridge you see in the pic goes over the Cowlitz River. 

We were able to stay at Maple Grove resort free of charge because this is in our home membership program and we pay annual dues.  Members of Resorts of Distinction, Coast to Coast and RPI are welcomed to stay also.  I asked at the office about availability for the general public and was told, if space is available, the general public can stay for a fee of $35.00 per day.  RV’s up to 40 feet can be accommodated.  Pets are permitted. 

Peak season here is:  May 1 to September 30

They have WiFi here for $1.08 per day and it worked great!  Our AT&T wouldn’t work here.  We went over on Friday to pay for the WiFi and they said you can only buy one day at a time.  How stupid is that we wondered?  So, every day we had to troop back over to the office to buy another day.  That is how we got messed up on Saturday and couldn’t get online….the office closed early and we missed our chance.  They should really change that system in our opinion.

We will certainly stay here again in the future.  We look forward to exploring the area in greater depth.  K/M Resorts has several resorts in Washington State and we plan to see the ones we haven’t gotten to yet.  Hope you enjoyed the tour of Maple Grove Resort.

Our rating based upon 5 star system = ****

Until next time….so long for now!

Mount Rainier National Park ~ Washington State

This is my “official” first post using the new Live Writer.  Thanks, Rick, for all of the posts you have done regarding blogging and pics.  I’ve printed each of them out and I’m keeping them!

Mount Rainier National Park is in west central Washington State and it is an easy drive from Seattle, Tacoma or Portland, Oregon.  There are 4 main entrance points to the park, one in each corner.  There are also several campgrounds within the park, each providing space for tents and RV’s.  Check the official website for camping details:  by clicking here.

This past weekend on our camping trip with the “Grands” we drove East on Hwy. 12 for 30 miles to the Stevens Canyon Entrance.  We used our Senior Pass and got in for free.  Being a summer weekend in Washington, the park was busy.  There were a few vehicles waiting to make their way through.

It didn’t take long and we buzzed our way through.  First stop was a look at Silver Falls and it was beautiful.  There are many trails throughout the park, including here at the Falls, but we were here with a 5 year old and an 8 year old….and we weren’t hiking anywhere!

There are many beautiful turn-outs and overlooks on the main road through Mt. Rainier National Park.  We pulled over to get a view of this fantastic mountain and Zoey decided to pose for a photo.

In many places along this road you are given a treat of another great view of our state’s most famous feature and natural wonder. 

We stopped at a picnic area to eat our lunch.  While I got things ready, Bruce got out the park map and began showing the girls the different places within the park. 

Soon, Mackenzie leans over to say, “Papa….let’s eat lunch!”

Near Louise Lake I am able to get Mackenzie to post for a pic by another water fall.

 

On our continuing journey to the Henry M. Jackson Memorial Visitor Center at Paradise, we just had to stop for a photo of this amazing view looking out at the Cascade Mountain Range.  It was awesome!

More driving along just enjoying our terrific day with the girls.

When we arrived at the Visitor Center near Paradise…OMG….the cars.  We were very lucky to score a parking space along the side of the road just as somebody pulled out.  They have a summer shuttle (free) that picks folks up near the campground areas to deliver them to the Visitor Center.  As I said, it is summer and the people are out in the beautiful sunshine in Washington enjoying nature.

We looked around in the Visitor Center and then went outdoors at the back of the building.  We saw lots of snow, even though it was mid-July.  The girls wanted to go up this path, so we obliged.  It looked like a mass of humanity making their way to somewhere!  We were dodging strollers and many people that just decided to stop in the middle of the path to discuss….who knows what???  There were people behind them waiting to get by!!!!   I was clearly trying to be patient, but it wasn’t working very well.

Zoey and Mackenzie wanted their pic taken with the snow.  They wanted to throw a snowball at me, but I persuaded them NOT TO. 

This is an amazing place to visit.  Some areas are handicap accessible, but many are not.  The buildings are all OK, but some of the trails have several steps to negotiate.  There are trails in the park as short as 1/2 mile and there is the Wonderland Trail which goes for 93 miles.  Plus, you can always climb to the summit at over 14,000 feet if you are able.  The National Park Inn near the Longmire entrance is open all year.  The lodge at Paradise is only open during the summer months.

You can check for more information by clicking here.

After playing in the snow for a few minutes we managed to get back down this path through all of those people…again….and we retreated into the café to get everyone an ice cream cone.  A good way to end the day.  Hope you enjoyed your trip to Mt. Rainier.

Until next time…..so long for now!

Testing New Live Writer

I am trying out the new live writer and boy am I in the dark.  Here goes with inserting my first photo….any photo.

                                                           This is a view of the mountains surrounding our RV park in Randle, WA.

I’m going to publish this little test post and go look at my blog and see what I see.  I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m in the dark (as usual) stumbling around trying to figure out this stuff. 

Ok…I’m doing a second pic because the first one didn’t come out like I wanted it to when I checked.

Garden Party Or Not….You Have To Please Yourself

I was off line for a day while we were without WiFi coverage recently.  When I was able to log on the next day I was interested to read some blog postings or comments on blogs regarding the whole matter of Reader/Follower comments and the issue of the number of Followers on various blogs.  Wow!  Quite an assortment of ideas and opinions.  I wasn’t going to touch this one with a 10-foot pole but then decided….it’s MY blog I’m writing on, so why not?

First of all, I appreciated all the ideas and opinions that were thrown out there for the common good.  After all, blogs are first and foremost opinions and ideas.  But everything I read did remind me of what singer Rick Nelson wrote after being booed off the stage in a concert in 1971.  He consequently wrote the song Garden Party and it was released as a single in 1972.  Part of the lyrics were:

“But it’s all right now, I’ve learned my lesson well

You see, you can’t please everyone, so you’ve got to please yourself”

Those lyrics express my thoughts on the subject of blogs and comments.  I started my blog with the first post on August 24, 2008.  No followers and no comments.  A couple of posts later I got my first comment from my cousin.  WooHoo, I was excited to see a comment!!!   A couple of posts later I got my first Follower…..again my cousin, Gail.   WooHoo, I was excited to see I actually had a Follower (and I didn’t really have a clue what a Follower was). 

                                        A person parasailing at Walt Disney World.

Back in the beginning I was anything but a daily blogger.  From Dec. 16, 2008 to April 21, 2009 I only posted 17 times…..and found NO comments.  I did not give up since I wasn’t blogging just for comments.  By June 18, 2009 I had received 3 comments.  I still did not give up and I wasn’t even sure if anyone was reading my posts.  I had no Sitemeter or counter….so, who knew?  After blogging for a year I began doing almost daily posts, beginning on August 6, 2009.  I then began to see some comments.  Was I excited?  Yeah.  Mainly I was excited because I could follow up on the comment to see who wrote it, which allowed me to find other RV bloggers out there that I hadn’t known existed. 

                                       A closer look showed a tandem pair of parasailers.

As I began reading more and more by the RV bloggers, I began to “Follow” them.  That allowed me to read them as often as they posted and I could put them on my Blog List for others to find.  Mutual consideration is nice.  I was really amazed at how wonderful the other blogs looked, and I tried to figure out how to make mine look better and read easier.   I’m no techno-wiz and it has been a slow and difficult process for me.  I’ve screwed it up more times than I can count.  Then I decided…again to please myself…that I just would make my blog look the way I wanted it to look.

I also began leaving comments on many of the blogs I read.  If someone takes time and energy to post something, and “if” I find it interesting, I’m happy to leave a comment.  And if I leave a nice comment regarding one of their loved ones…..I mean it.   I’m not just “kissing butt”. 

I also decided somewhere along the way, and I do not remember when, to write from my heart and from my experience.  I do not “pander to the audience” just to get a comment.  To me that would just be phony.  I love getting comments like everyone else and I also enjoy seeing my “Follower” list grow, but those aren’t the most important things in writing a blog.  The most important thing for me is the sharing of ideas, photos, information and our life stories.  I feel I’ve lucked out on finding a wonderful community of RV bloggers out there in the world.  Most of you we’ll never meet, unfortunately, but the community of people still exists online if nowhere else.   Just like Mike and Gerri posted, I read your blogs so that I can know more about YOU.  Not just where you’ve traveled or how you’re traveling, but maybe “why” you traveled there.  What makes YOU tick?  What do YOU like?  What do YOU do when you are not out in your RV? 

                                       Coming in for a landing on the speedboat.  

As I posted yesterday, our blog exists to share the stories of our lives as travelers and about our times with our family.  And thanks for the comments on that by folks that do enjoy reading that stuff.  I know a lot of people read that never post a comment…and that is OK, too.  Thanks all the same for reading!  Much appreciated.

I want to also thank all of you bloggers, since I’ve learned so much from you.  However, there are 2 particular people that I have learned the most from.  For me they have been blogging gurus.  From Rick (maybe a genius) I have learned a lot about the technical aspects of the whole blogging business.  Invaluable assistance…and I thank YOU.  From Bayfield Al I have learned a lot about photography and how to edit my pics to make them look better.  I enjoy just drooling over the pics on his blog.  Again, invaluable assistance…and I thank YOU.  

So, let’s all make nice and just enjoy reading, following or leaving comments if the mood strikes you.  Believe me, I’m reading all of YOU out there whether I leave a comment daily or not. 

Remember Rick Nelson the next time you write out a new post.  “you have to please yourself”. 

Until next time…..so long for now!