Friday, August 30
Bridget, Spike, and I are on our way to Morton to pick up the mail.
(Editing of today’s photos is poor due to my glasses being left at camp!)
I put together a blog post in the library parking lot at Randle and now we’re making the seventeen-mile trip west to pick up the new registrations for the Perfect Tow Vehicle and the Best Little Trailer.
If you’re a brand-new reader of “rvsue and her canine crew,” let me get you up to speed. The crew and I are camping in the Gifford-Pinchot National Forest of south-central Washington.
I procrastinated about sending the money order for the registration renewals to my mail-forwarding service in South Dakota. Sunday my vehicle registrations expire. I need those registrations to be in the mail!
I pull on the inner door of the P.O. but it won’t open.
“They’re closed until two o’clock.”
I turn to see a petite, senior lady with bright eyes. She’s dressed in a print shirt, pink slacks, and sneakers. “They close up and go to lunch,” she adds.
“Oh, thank you. I’ll come back later.” I look at the big, round clock. It’s 1:15 p.m.
I step outside and stop. Hmm . . . Never pass up the opportunity to ask a local. I’m very hungry. I go back inside. The lady is checking her P.O. box.
“Excuse me, ma’am. Can you tell me a good place to have lunch?”
Her expression reveals she loves a chance to be helpful.
“Well, dear,” she replies, walking over to me, “that depends on what you want to eat?”
“I don’t want beef or pork and I don’t want to spend $15 for a lunch plate.”
She hesitates a moment. “Let’s see . . . “
“Where would YOU go?” I ask.
“Oh, to Cody Café. The Beanery is next door to it and that’s good, too, but I like the fish and chips at Cody Café.”
She gives me directions to Cody Café and proceeds to rave about the fish and chips.
“It’s good fish and a good place. I oughtta’ know. I’ve lived here all my life and I’ll be eighty next month.”
“You’re kidding me!” I exclaim. I’m stunned. “You look great!” This woman looks healthier and more energetic than many fifty-year-olds I’ve met. She’s lit from within.
“By the way, my name is Sue.”
“I’m Esther.” Just then a local resident walks by and they exchange a few words in that relaxed way of people who’ve known each other for several years.
“Well, Esther. I’m going over to Cody Cafe. Thanks so much for the help.” I turn to go.
“Tell the girls at the Café that Esther sent you!” she calls after me.
I park the PTV next to a ball field.
“I’ll be back. You be good, little puppies.” I lock up the PTV and walk the block to Cody Café.
The last of the lunch crowd is filing out as I arrive.
I pick up a menu and sit in a booth.
Soon the senior lady running the place comes over with a glass of water. I tell her Esther sent me. She smiles. They probably went to kindergarten together.
“Would you like the lunch special? It’s halibut sandwich with clam chowder.”
“Gee, I’d like the sandwich but I don’t care for clam chowder.” Fish and milk should never be mixed. The very thought of it constricts my throat.
“How ‘bout fries instead?”
Well, Esther is right.
The fish is good – fresh with a crunchy coating, no grease. I’ve got an appetite to match this lunch.
I devour every bite, leaving the plate clean. My first restaurant meal in Washington is fish. How fitting.
At the post office I’m handed a bundle of mail.
I jump in the PTV and quickly flip through the envelopes. Hmm . . . insurance, Medicare, Medicare, insurance, Medicare, Casita Travel Trailers? . . . There it is! Pennington County Treasurer’s Office. . . It came! Boy, that was close . . .
The town of Morton is bustling. It’s Friday afternoon and the start of Labor Day Weekend. Right before picking up Route 12 to go back to camp, I pull into a farm and feed store.
I interrupt this riveting story to make a confession.
Several days ago, as I sit in the PTV alongside a road somewhere in order to pick up internet signal for posting on this blog, I’m startled by the sound of scratching directly over my head. Apparently some rodents live in the ceiling of the PTV!
I pound the ceiling, creating a scurry of little rodent feet that makes my skin crawl. Heaven knows what wires they’ve chewed.
To remove the panel above the front seat area would require fooling around with the overhead light and such. It’s more complicated than I want to attempt. I’d get the panel down and then wouldn’t be able to put it back right. I know how these things go for me.
So I drive around with rats riding above my head!
I was too embarrassed to mention this here. (Not to mention the disgrace to two RAT terriers I know.) I tell you now because I have a solution! The farm and feed supply store has Cab Fresh Rodent Repellant!
Back at camp . . .
I pry down the ceiling panel far enough to shove two packets of Cab Fresh in there. I put another packet behind the bench seat and another at the back of the PTV. The fragrance of balsam fir fills the PTV. Rodents hate the smell of balsam fir. (I’ll report on the results in an upcoming post.)
I hope they don’t jump out onto my shoulders while I’m driving!
Later . . .
I sit in front of the campfire with the pile of mail in my lap. Bridget and Spike are in their pen, snuggled in their beds like good, little . . . SLACKERS. I slit each envelope, throwing them into the fire.
Inside the Casita Travel Trailers envelope is a thank-you card. How odd. I’ve had the BLT for more than two years . . .
Hmm . . . What’s this?
A check for $200!
Someone – Margaret W., a reader of this blog – bought a Casita and gave my name. Thank you, Margaret! You’re a sweetheart!
I gaze into the campfire and reflect on the day gone by.
The registrations arrive . . . I meet Esther . . . lunch at Café Cody is fun . . . that fish was so good . . . the roof-dwelling rodents are on the run . . . and two hundred smackaroos drop into my lap.
I place another log on the fire.
This certainly has been a good day . . . a very good day.
rvsue
I LOVE RVSUE SHOPPERS!
As always, thank you for shopping Amazon through my blog.
Oops, I put some info on dog friendly places on yesterdays post. Should have waited longer for todays post.
So glad about the registration, I feared we WA and OR readers were going to have to make emergency supply deliveries to you. Can’t wait to read about Mt Adams! Its every bit as beautiful as Rainier, and only a few feet smaller.
On behalf of the crew, thanks, Alison, for the list of dog-friendly places!
See…things happen for a reason. If the PO was open..you would have never met Esther or had the fish sandwich! I about drooled all over my keyboard looking at that sandwich. I sure miss seafood…real seafood! Cute little town…cute café too!
Oh dear GOD! Whaddayamean they are living in the roof! What are they eating? And if they are eating they are ……………..uhh we won’t go there! Make sure you give them an exit so they don’t go toward the dash! That is all you need! Start banging..no.. how about smoothing…the area systematically toward the opening…..
In that close quarters the Fresh Cab may give the crew a headache…so heads up.
Glad your tabs arrived and a nice surprise from Casita via Margaret W.
Have a great night!
You know, I think you hit on why Bridget wasn’t feeling so good yesterday after our drive to Randle to post. She sat in the passenger seat looking miserable. I have the windows down today.
Wasn’t that nice of Margaret! I hope she comments so I can give her another thank you.
I had given up on seafood for a long time… never know if it’s contaminated. I’m looking forward to crab! I love crab!
I asked a question on the Fresh Cab site. They are really helpful and go way beyond when it comes to satisfaction.
They said…put the packets out and the critters will leave. No need to give them an exit per se…they will go out the way they came in! Put packets under the dash so they won’t come in next time.
I don’t remember a Margaret W. Does it say when she bought the Casita??? Perhaps in May? (how did I come up with that?) heh heh
Crab…………..Dungeneous Crab right off the crab boat..throw it in a pot of H20…with some sour dough French bread! To die for!
You’ve got two jealous peeps on the East Coast..Jules says she would have ordered a bowl of clam chowder, fries AND the sammich!
Ha! I wish I did like clam chowder. People seem to go crazy for it.
I really appreciate you contacting Cab Fresh. I haven’t been leaving anything open for their exit, so it’s good to know I don’t have to.
Maybe I’ll contact them once this “experiment” is over.
If Margaret’s a follower, I probably can find her email address which I will do to send her a personal thank you. Right now I’m having a hard time keeping up with online business and this blog . . .not having internet at camp.
All my scrimping and saving all year long… All the Amazon work . . . Haha… It’s all so I can indulge in Dungeness crab… that someone else cooks for me and delivers on a plate. I think I’ll order a frosty-cold beer to go with it. Sound good?
That’s just wrong!
Oh and the smell of the sea! I forgot to mention the sea breeze . . .
I grew up four blocks from the ocean. Hearing the seals on Seal Rock at the Cliff House in SF and the fog horns from the freighters.
I don’t miss that part! But you certainly struck a nerve when you mentioned and then SHOWED the picture. As a matter of fact we are having Progresso clam chowder and a Caesar salad for dinner tomorrow! Not the same quality but it will do!
Wow that sounds like an awesome day indeed Sue…
Continue to enjoy all of your great pictures and reading your adventures 🙂 Soo nice you can have a campfire there.
Love Washington but having grown up in S.Cal those mossy overgrown forests on the west side of the state made me feel claustrophobic the decades I lived there, I’m sure to visit would be different and yep Olympic National Park out of Sequim is the real rain forest there.
of all the cautionary advice, it just all struck me funny, I know you have been around long enough to use common sense, appreciate what you said about the dble standard where safety is concerned for women, when traveling alone for so long I was told to put a mans cowboy hat in the back window of the car (never did), I did however have a big stuffed yellow teddy bear (a gift) that sat in the front passenger seat, not for safety that’s just where it fit during moves throughout the states 🙂
Be well and enjoy…
T~
Hi, Tawanda… You write such interesting comments! Oh, that man’s boot idea will never die, I guess. Half a century of feminism and we’re still perceived as less powerful than a pair of boots or a man’s cowboy hat. And this attitude is perpetuated by women, not just men. What is this, the 1950s?
Don’t get me started… LOL
Bridget and Spike are in danger of losing their rat terrier credentials! 😉
You got that right, mockturtle. Spike is a water spaniel and Bridget is . . . is . . . Bridget.
Hi Sue. When I first found you, I was so interested that I went back and read your posts from the beginning. I truly enjoy reading your entries! And I love your stories about the adorable Bridget and Spike. Especially when Spike has to lay down in all the lake, ponds and streams while dainty Bridget just looks at him in disbelief. I always call my son over to look at Spike so enjoying his soak and we both laugh so hard at him. Can’t wait for your next report! 🙂
You made me laugh, picturing you and your son laughing over Spike soaking. Thanks, Nina, for reading all my posts from the beginning, and for taking the time to comment.
Ok Sue….time for a heart to heart. When I lived in San Marcos California the field next to our mobile home (in a park) was being developed. By plowing up that field for development they sent all the resident RATS (read not mice) out looking for new homes. They found one with us. Now I am a problem solver so in my infinite wisdom I put rat poison in several places where the rats (and not anyone’s pet) could consume it. The did. Then they promptly crawled up into the walls where they met the rat maker. Now, for weeks we lived with the odor of dead rats. Meanwhile, I bought rat traps and baited them with peanut butter and had the disgusting job of disposing of the little critters. That seemed to take care of those who were too smart to take the poison. Nasty situation all around. Moral of the story, do not poison them. PS Traps baited with peanut butter work every time……Guaranteed.
Yes, I can corroborate the peanut butter rat trap solution from my S.O., who has rat visitations from the canal across the street. Peanut butter works every time. (Put me off peanut butter for many weeks, however.) I’m more worried about rats falling dead out of your headliner than jumping out.
BTW, when someone asks your name, you should say, as did the late, great Johnny Cash: “My name is SUE. HOW DO YOU DO?” :0)
Funny how you mentioned Johnny Cash, Gayle. When Sally, the camp host, told me we didn’t have to move out of our site even though it was reserved for the weekend (She moved them since they hadn’t specified which site), I read her name tag and reacted by putting an arm around her shoulders and saying . . .
“Well, hello, Sally! My name is Sue… How do you do?!!”
Oh, Jim, what a horror story!
I’m trying to get rid of them without killing them. Not that I’m particularly compassionate… I don’t want the odor! I hate rat traps.
I’ve tried scraping them out of there with a thin stick — at the risk of having them jump out in my face! I think they’re still up there, although the activity has lessened.
I’ll go to a pest control company if I can’t get rid of them.
Our neighbor started his truck up yesterday. Chipmunks, pine needles and various other chipmunk odds and ends flew out the tail pipe. We also have been in AZ Jim’s predicament. Dead animals in the walls are nasty to smell. Is cab fresh all pine balsam or just the scent it emits.
Hi Bill and Ann…. Cab Fresh is fir balsam. I should get some branches around here to add to it.
I think they may be chipmunks. Remember the rodent that ran over my feet at Tieton River Camp? Chipmunks are all over that place. We’d come back to camp and find them sitting on the propane tank cover and the BLT’s tongue, looking at the PTV pull up, like… “Welcome home! Where ya’ been?”
You can always add a cat to your crew! 😉
Our semi-ferals bring us “gifts” every morning…some are whole, some are parts and some are still alive! Look what I brought you….mom!
I’d probably choose a cat that’s afraid of rodents.
Your story about the rats just reminded me to go out to my vehicles and put some more moth balls in the engine compartments. They absolutely hate the smell and will not go near the car if they smell moth balls. Discovering rodents in one’s car is really kind of devastating. But since I discovered moth balls are a huge deterent to rodents, and also ants, I stock up on em from the Dollar Tree and place them in stragetic locations. It works! Washington State is one place I do not think I have been it’s on my bucket list for sure when I finally blast off for my new life. It looks absolutely gorgeous, so green and those beautiful mountains, not to mention, they have just legalized recreational use of pot for those so inclined. All in all a pretty progressive state with lots of beautiful camping and nice people to boot. Terrible what is happening around Yosemite with all the fires, hopefully by the time you work your way down, they will be well under control if not totally extinguished. Happy to hear you are doing well as well as crew.
I love your phrase, Virginia . . . “finally blast off for my new life.” That’s what it was like for me and the crew, leaving Georgia and embarking on this adventure of full-timing. It’s like we’re on a different planet!
I wish I could use moth balls. The smell would be bad for us, too.
Yes, do plan to come here. The quality of the air alone is worth a visit and there’s so much more than that to love.
This day made me smile Sue. It truly was a Good Day!
Hi Diane! Yeah, a lot of happy in one, very good day. I wish the same for you.
Know what you mean by fish & milk…….. & no clammy chowder for me either. Are you sure that scratching above you was not just an old crow walking around on your roof. When Ranch sitting a few years back we would often have birds on our rig’s roof & they always made a scratching sound as well. And know what you mean by prying a ceiling panel off & not being able to get it back on again. I am equally mechanically challenged. Think I’ll get some of that Balsam Fir & stick it in my shoes…………..
I wish it were an old crow, Al.
Another thing someone tried to serve me once… rabbit stew… ugh! Rabbit meat in milk… not a good idea.
Do you keep kosher, Sue?
Not intentionally (bring on the shellfish!) but the Old Testament is right on!
I once had a VW Westfalia with mice in the headliner (also nesting in the heating system). Took a bit to get them all out! Mine were the result of the van sitting for a couple of years before I got it – I’m surprised that you are having a problem with the PTV in constant use! You definitely have the brazen variety of squatters.
Wishing you luck in getting rid of them swiftly. (Am not mentioning the failures of Bridget and Spike as my greyhound ignores rabbits and is afraid of cats and squirrels).
Many years ago I worked in Chehalis, Wa. – I had staff that lived in Morton. The mountains around there are quite nice – enjoy!
Thanks for the good luck wish, Anne. Yes, these squatters are quite bold… or maybe they’ve got hitch itch!
Yayyyyyy!!! Sue Got Her Mail! YAY!!!
Ugh… I bet you have a chipmunk… our family calls them Timber Tigers! We had a chipmunk in our engine system in Sandy Springs (GA)… that smell just kept following us around! It was AWFUL. You know how darn humid it is in GA! Well, our humidity here has been pretty rich of late, and that is going to smell pretty icky… I think I am headed out to put moth balls in my trailer RIGHT NOW!
Not sure what highway you are headed to… I-5 is going to be a MESS tomorrow. But if you are headed out Hwy 12, you will find it sweetly tranquil. Once you cross I-5 you will find it slogs through some sweet little towns. Raymond has a nice (and fairly new) produce stand (Jay’s–we have one also in Aberdeen) where the fruit/veggies ar FRESH and CHEAP! VERY good buys!
Glad you have your tabs!!!
Hugs from Hoquiam,
Barb
Hi, Barb!
We’re not leaving until Tuesday. Due to the Packwood Flea Market, I guess, the area is packed with motor homes. Also the last blast of summer on Labor Day Weekend. Locals tell me route 12 will be bumper-to-bumper out of here.
I’m loving the Washington fruit! Bought a watermelon… luscious! I’m normally not a big fruit eater, mainly because of the tasteless fruit sold in other parts of the country. But the fruit here is incredibly good. My laundry basket is filling up with shirts spotted with juice.
Yeah, I never would’ve thought license stickers could make me so happy. 🙂
Make sure you don’t smuggle any of that across the border!
The fruit police will haul you away!
Oh yeah, that’s right. I can see the California Contraband Police nabbing me at the check point . . .
It was a great day!! Yummy food, becoming legal once again, and cash in hand:) What a great life!
Isn’t it, though?
I had some rats get in my engine on my new car five years ago, started it up and all kinds of lights flashed and it ran funny, called Toyota and they instructed me to drive it in, they came out and said “do you live near a field” It was a 200 dollar lesson.
They had me place decon in the engine compartment, well the rat died up in the dash, I took it apart myself didn’t want to pay a fortune, my daughter had to help with some tweazers to get it out, yuck! They even nested in my husbands air filter area of his car. My cat was a ratter at the time too. I guess it was the warmth they were after, I felt bad pulling out the poisen as an animal lover but enough was enough.
I hope your critters just head for the hills alive and well.
What an awful experience, Shelley. I hope I don’t have to go to all that trouble.
Let’s hope the Fresh Cab works! Actually it has a 100% guarantee..so save your receipt.
Wait………..I betcha Mick can make some fancy smancy high frequency thingy magiggy that won’t affect the crew…doesn’t take a lot of “ah”, watts or whatever else that drains the batteries….and plugs into the cig lighter.
I made a ultrasonic unit for a friends hunting camp and he told me that they never saw a mouse when it was running. Pets might be bothered by it though.
Gosh, Mick, you are amazing. I bought a unit like that years ago but it didn’t seem very effective… not a Mick-Mouse-Away device.
Wow, we found this entry very interesting. For many reasons…and since some of the questions we would love to ask, I won’t post…I would email, but that is all…any rate, maybe we can ask them if we get to meet up. We would love to meet you…but not sure you are going to be near us, and when we are here (we have a couple trips to make before we head east again). We are near Lynnwood, WA…but would drive to meet up for that matter.
One thing, hubby and I lived remote some 13 years ago and some lousy pack mice of some kind set up camp in our car engine area and frame…so hubby got some steel wool and put it in all the openings in the frame where he figured they might get in. Also put out some decon and water (they must have water nearby for it to work)…soon no more troubles. Except a dead one got under the back seat which was quite an ordeal to get out and yes we COULD SMELL IT STRONGLY!! Since then, we think all is ok. Hope your solution will work and quickly.
So wonderful you had so many NICE things happen in one day!! Happy for you!!
Thank you for that great comment, Elizabeth! Please DO ask your questions here. I’ve answered questions in emails and then the same questions pop up in comments later on… So share here. 🙂
I hope we don’t have to go through the dead-rodent-smell scenario. What a pain these rodents are… Dang, I wish the crew would do something productive instead of just lying around sleeping and eating and getting on my nerves . ..
Re Bigfoots. They are real but not to be feared unless one comes a sparkin ‘ with a bouquet of wild flowers.
Oh dear.
A friend left his pickup parked in the parking lot at a business (computer parts manufacturer) in the country for just an afternoon …. squirrels got under the hood & ate up the wiring harness and did …. get THIS … are you ready???? SIX THOUSAND DOLLARS WORTH OF DAMAGE!!!!! So, I’d say you DID have a good day …. especially compared to his! LOL
Well, Sherry… I hope my good day wasn’t an illusion while rodents eat up thousands of dollars in the PTV!
Nawwwwww…….. some people have all the luck! LOL
Sue, I met you in Anza Borrego at Peg Leg. Spike and Bridget got in my dogs stroller and we took photos of them…
Anyway, I’m currently on an RV trip, been gone for a month and I’m also in Washington. I’m in Castle Rock, above Longview, about an hour from where you are! My cousin lives here, so I’ve been hanging out until the holiday weekend is over. I’m heading to Astoria next, then heading down the coast for home in Southern CA.
I went to some of the campgrounds you blogged about, such as Natural Bridge and loved it. Thanks for your review of it.
Happy travels,
Patty
Hi, Patty! So nice to hear from you again! I wondered if you ever read my blog. Your dogs were so cute in that stroller. The crew looked in pain.
Isn’t Natural Bridge a delightful campground? I’m glad you went there. I want to go to Astoria but it might be too much this trip. Someday . . .
Enjoy and thanks for writing!
What a great day for you and the crew! I may not be showing up here too often of late, but rest assured I am reading every post! Loving Washington State……….at least I can say that is one state of the US I have been to……….so beautiful! Love the photos over the last week…………keep them coming!
I think this must be the Aussie Glenda based on your phrase “one state of the US I have been to…”
Good to know you’re still reading my blog. I wondered if I’d lost you. 🙂 Thanks for writing!
Oh will never lose me………….yes it is Aussie Glenda here!!
Even tho I have five cats, a rat still managed to enter our home. I’ve been setting bait…peanut butter and a trap but have not caught it yet. My cats are slackers apparently. The thought of a rat falling on your shoulder while driving is horrifying! I pray that does not happen. BTW Tioga George is back in the USA after the double murders of his friends Panchito and Pancho, the auto body shop owners. He left home camp in Mexico Friday and crossed the international border Sunday 9/2/13. So glad he made it safely back into USA.
Hi Rita… Welcome back from Hawaii!
Yes, I read Tioga George’s blog. What a horrible experience, especially for him. I think it’s time he came back to the U.S. San Diego is a good choice for him as he has friends and family nearby.
Um.. What’s the new word? Did I miss something?
A pox on the critters in your PTV – how dare they invade the space of such a wonderful group! 🙂 Can you tell I was an English lit major? I was told recently that I had roof rats in my attic – yuck! Had to pay a large sum to a pest control company to get rid of them and patch all the entry holes, but it was well worth it.
Glad to hear that things worked out at the PO and you’re now street legal again. Serendipity strikes again and you had a yummy lunch – now I’m craving fish! And $200 – good deeds are rewarded in unexpected ways.
I always stay home on major holidays, with no desire to fight the crowds or the traffic. Made the mistake once of trying to leave town after work on the Wed before Thanksgiving – what was usually a 30-minute drive to the edge of town turned into an hour in a sea of autos not moving very fast at all.
Hi, Cari!
It was always my practice to stay home on Labor Day Weekend. I thought of it as the most boring holiday ever! Now I can enjoy it without any traffic.
I am indeed rewarded more greatly than I could ever deserve. Nice to hear from you again . . .
I keep a box of D-con open in one of my outside compartments.
Hmm. something to consider… as long as the crew can’t get near it.
Blessings from above. I am praying that fragrance works. If it does I am going to recommend it to a friend.
Hi, Sue… Yes, I receive many blessings every day, one of them is waking up!
This really puts Cab Fresh to the test because it may only work to keep rodents away. I’m trying to evict rodents who have already set up residence, enrolled the kids in school, joined the church and country club . . .
Fresh Cab………..Fresh Cab…..
D-con seems so mean…..and if they die in your dwelling…that’s an added chore..to find them not to mention the stink. Ewwww
Snapping them in the traps seem more humane if that isn’t an oxy moron.
Glue traps are right up there with D-con.
Can’t believe Diana Nyad finally accomplished her dream! She finished her swim from Cuba to the USofA! Follow your dreams!
Wow! Quite a swim! (I have no clue re: recent news). I hope she gets the recognition she’s earned.
D-con seems so mean…..and if they die in your dwelling…that’s an added chore..to find them not to mention the stink. Ewwww
They don’t die in your dwelling. They go out to seek water and die there. Maybe it’s cruel but I don’t have any mice. I prefer to trap them but I worry about my dog getting into the trap [he loves peanut butter].
Yeah, it’s cruel. But when they’re eating important wires and such, it’s easy to lose compassion. I hope I don’t have to get mean, but . . . .
Cannot believe I forgot my mom’s solution to the mice troubles…she would take a small piece of walnut and GLUE IT to the trap…in trying to eat it, and yes, they might get a bite or 2, but ZAP, it got many that way.
And one question I had, you did answer….so I don’t need to ask it email. Thanks.