Saturday, August 10
Bridget, Spike, and I take our sweet time this morning. Some days are best begun slowly.
Snuggling and playing. Rolling Spike over on his back and tickling his belly until he squirms and pumps his legs in the air. Holding Bridget like a baby, belly-up, and nuzzling her face until her eyes sparkle with her I’m-loved glow. Dawdling at the laptop over a cup o’ joe. A late breakfast. Gee, I suppose I could get dressed some time today . . .
It’s quiet here . . .
. . . except for the occasional rumble and whistles of a train on the other side of Clark Fork River. The cool morning disappears into a hot afternoon.
The crew and I know what to do.
“Hey, Spikey! Wait for us!”
You didn’t think we’d move on without some pics of Spike in Clark Fork River, did you?
A little play-by-play to build anticipation . . . There he goes!
He’s in! And down he goes! Beautiful execution by Spike!
Aaahhhhh…. (That’s the sound of Spike soaking.)
Bridget isn’t far behind!
Gingerly she steps over the rocks in the stream bed. I wade out to coax her along. Spike lets us know when soak time is over.
Cooled off, we explore the shoreline.
Back at the campsite I hand-wash a few items.
Spike likes the shade under the picnic table (see legs). He digs a depression, making himself a bed of cool dirt.
Lying in the dirt is not an acceptable option for Bridget.
I provide a bed for her. She can barely keep her eyes open to glare at the camera. A cold dip on a hot day makes one very sleepy . . .
The wire pen doubles as a drying rack.
Alternately I read my kindle and watch the clothes dry. (Dear reader: Hang on! Don’t fall off the edge of your seat!)
Later that evening . . .
Bridget and Spike are asleep. I read by the light over our bed. Around eleven-thirty, being too tired to read any more, I cut the light and go to sleep.
I wake up to the sound of two women talking on their way to the restroom.
Why can’t women walk to the toilet alone? Just because it’s dark, you need a friend? You have to chat on the way?
C’MON! Grow up! We’re in a campground, for heaven’s sake! Go do your business and be quiet about it!
I drift off again.
It’s not a deep sleep. The BLT’s windows are open because it’s summer and we need the air. I hear that same woman’s voice. I hover in the netherland between good sleep and fully awake.
What the hell time is it?
I pick up my cell phone. 1:10 a.m. Okay. Enough of this.
I interrupt her in mid-sentence.
“Excuse me! It’s after one o’clock in the morning. I think it’s time for you to lower your voice a bit. Thank you!” Understatement can make a strong point. She shuts up. Hmmpf. Campgrounds. This is why I love to boondock.
I punch my pillow a few times and go back to sleep.
Sunday, August 11
My plan for today is . . . hit the road and drive like I mean it, putting lots of miles behind me and the crew.
Mt. Olympus calls us!
Around 8 a.m., as I throw down the last of a cup of coffee, my phone rings.
Hmm . . . That’s unusual. Must be a wrong number.
I pick up.
“Hello there! It’s your sister!”’
“NANCY!” I’m elated to hear her voice.
We talk for an hour or so. By the time I put down the phone, I’m all smiles and no longer have the ambition for a long day of driving the interstate.
Instead we make a short hop over Lookout Pass to our next camp.
By mid-afternoon the crew and I relax along the North Fork of the C’oeur d’Alene River!
rvsue
I THANK YOU FOR SHOPPING AMAZON HERE!
Here are a few of the products recently ordered through my blog . . .
Exercise Pen
Decorative Gecko Hook
Pink Hello Kitty Carpet Floor Mat – Set of 2
Sony Headphones with CCAW Voice Coil
Valterra EZ Coupler 90° Bayonet Sewer Fitting
Quick N Brite All Purpose Cleaning Paste
What do you mean, can’t women go to the bathroom alone?? It’s in the Women’s Rulebook, page 23. ‘No woman shall go to the bathroom alone if she’s in the company of another female.’ You see the phenomenon all the time is restaurants!
That being said, when I was walking alone across a truck stop parking lot in the middle of the night, going to the toidy, I was asked if I was ‘working’!
Hi Ladybug . . .
I remember the first time I double-dated. We were in a very nice restaurant. The other woman picked up her purse and excused herself to go to the restroom. She looks at me and I look back with “Wha?” She says, “Well, are you coming?” in a tone that indicated I needed to get with the program. I wanted to sit and enjoy my wine, not hang out in the ladies room.
It was one of many times I didn’t follow The Women’s Rulebook. 🙂
People don’t understand that voices carry in the woods. OMG Ladybug……being mistaken as a lot lizard! The nerve! Somehow women also think it’s okay to carry on a conversation while in the loo…or talk on their cell phone!
Great shots of the crew and…………..where are your tidy whiteys? 🙂
Nancy’s call sounds like it was totally uplifting!
Do you have a webcam on your laptop? Skype video calls are free….as long as you have an internet signal the calls are great! I talk with my folks every Friday nite….something about seeing each other..eases the miles between us! My mom talks to our pets more than she talks with me! I also “Skype” a retired coworker who lives in Amman Jordan. Again it’s free.
Enjoy your day!
Well, I was walking through the truckers’ parking lot, and it was 2 a.m. Maybe that’s the normal time to see working girls?
He was very polite about it; as soon as I said ‘no, I’m a driver’ he said thank you and went on to park his semi.
Ladybug… When he asked if you were working, you could’ve said, “Yes, I am. Drivin’ a truck, just like you.”
Hi cinandjules . . . Skype doesn’t appeal to me. I know what the people look like whom I talk to on the phone. And they don’t need to see me. With Skype I’d have to look like I’m interested.
No tidy whiteys on display in a campground!
You don’t have to use the video (camera) feature on Skype. The audio is much clearer with the camera turned off and you won’t use nearly as many bytes of data on a mobile connection.
mic_kent
Hi Mick . . . Interesting… However, my phone calls use data on my StraightTalk cell phone and I have LOTS of phone data to spare. Whereas internet data is precious to me because I spend so much time online. Am I making sense or am I missing something?
Yes, that makes sense as long as you have extra minutes on Straight Talk. Skype is only free if you have fixed, unlimited internet (home based). I like it because I can show my old IBM tech buddies the latest projects with the camera.
I didn’t know that Mick.
Thanks for the info.
Always something new to learn on this blog!
Actually, Skype is only free if you are speaking computer to computer. One needs a good fast internet connection to have really good sound on both sides. Actually I never turn on the camera. I pay about $2.65 a month for unlimited calls to most of North America. I use it for all long distance when in ND and for all calls when I am in AZ. I hate cell phones because the sound totally sucks and I can’t hear/understand more than half the time.
Your weekend sounded wonderful. Makes me feel relaxed just reading about it. So glad you heard from you sister. Sounds like that made you day. But, make sure you get to Mt Olympus. I have never been there.
Hi Jean . . . It was a good weekend. My younger sister is so funny. She can talk about anything and have you laughing until your sides ache.
And you have internet 🙂
Been doing catch up, great pictures which would not have been complete without seeing Spike soak and Bridge gingerly getting her paws damp…
That trout, WoW, I’m ready to hit the creeks with my fly pole again..
Nice you were able to get caught up with your sister, great memories of your childhood living by the tracks, thanks for sharing…
Hope it’s cooler where you are now and no more rude awakenings, some people only perceive the world as being all about them no matter where they are 🙁
T~
Hi Tawanda…. It may seem like I have internet, but I don’t. This blog entry was posted at a rest stop along Interstate 90.
I don’t often pluck photos off the internet for my blog, but that bull trout… I agree — Wow! Can you imagine what a thrill that was for the young man (he looked like a teenager… I cropped off his head.)?
I could write some very grumpy books about all the ways people are obnoxious. Volume 1: On the highway, Volume 2: In the forest and desert, Volume 3: In a campground
I certainly have witnessed enough turkeys to fill three volumes at least. 🙂
I am so excited that you are in my ‘neck of the woods’. Welcome to the Inland Empire – Pacific NW style. I’ve been reading your blog for about a year now (I’ve never commented though) and I dream of retiring in style like you. I will just have to wait another 20 years. 🙁
Hug your sweet doggies for me. :)Karen in Spokane
Hello KarenK and welcome to the wonderful, wacky world of comments! (You think I’m kidding?) I appreciate you reading my blog for a year.
Thanks for the welcome to the Inland Empire… First time I’ve heard that phrase.
You must be one of my younger readers. Good for you to already have a dream for retirement. You have lots of time to get ready. It’s never too soon! Best wishes!
Looks like the crew had fun!
Hi Curtis… We all did. When the crew is happy, RVSue is happy!
So glad you heard from Nancy!!!! I know that made you feel good.
Hi Pauline . . . It certainly did. She sounded great!
I promise myself to continue to read your blog faithfully – especially for instructions on how to change plans when the spirit moves me. Who says you have to cover such and so many miles in a day. If there’s a better idea or suggestion, take it!
I woke up early today and decided to give Petunia Smart Car her first bath – before the horrid sun rose too high in the cloudless sky. It took all of 20 minutes, she’s beautiful and I may just have to relax and read the rest of the day!
I may be a bad influence on you, Mary-Pat. I accomplish something early in the morning, a task that takes less than a half-hour, and I’m ready to call it quits for the day.
Forgot to mention that I’m working hard at paradigm shifts in my life. Just because there’s another female around doesn’t mean I need her to go to the restroom.
I just ate a sandwich for lunch and wanted a swallow of juice to accompany it. Do I grapple around in the cupboard for the juice glass? Or do I just pour the juice in the washed coffee mug sitting on the counter? Who made the rule that juice has to be consumed from a glass?
Well, Mary-Pat, you’re making great progress, but you have a way to go… to drinking juice straight from the carton. 🙂
Yea Sue!!!
I have always had trouble following the *girls* rules. 15 years playing cards with the guys during lunch instead of of lunching with the girls. Bob and I are lucky we found each other – give me boondocking over a fancy cruse any day.
With me, it was a childhood where I hung out with my father every chance I could. When aunts and uncles visited, I’d leave the women at the first opportunity. I thought the menfolk’s topics of conversation were much more interesting.
And let’s face it, ladies . . . A lot of the behaviors and narrow choices that defined femininity in our younger years are now very obviously silly nonsense and/or unnecessarily restrictive.
Case in point: pantyhose. Need I say more?
It is how I have been my entire life too. When I discovered camping at 9 years old (after an early childhood catching lizards in the Owens Valley) I knew for sure where I was happiest. Outside! Getting dirty! Exploring! Breaking the lady-like rules!
Ha! You caught lizards; I caught snapping turtles. Well, I didn’t actually catch them, but I did make them very mad.
LOL you beat me to it. I live alone and rarely have company at my house. So, when I want a swig, I’m not going to dirty a glass!
Darn, that ended up in the wrong place. I was commenting on drinking from the carton.
I also never understood the girls going to the bathroom together. I always figured it was so they could gossip about the others. I hate gossip so never went along. Growing up with 4 brothers and having 2 sons, I always preferred the company of the guys. I thought they talked about much more interesting things. Also, I’ve never been a girly girl. I think that’s boring also. (OMG, my nail broke!” like it’s the end of the world. YAWN)
Narcissistic nincompoops… 🙂
Ya’ll are funny.
The peaceful beginning of your post made me relax after a chaotic day at that horrible place called WORK. LOL I’m giving Spike a “10” for perfect execution of his soaking skills. Love it when you get feisty, “Excuse me! It’s after one o’clock in the morning. I think it’s time for you to lower your voice a bit. Thank you!” Reminds me of grade school when girls couldn’t go potty alone. The dual use doggie pen/clothesline is very clever 🙂
Note to Ladybug: Remind me never to cross a trucker’s parking lot way late at night. Yikes!
Hi Patti… Oh, I have sympathy for anyone still in the rat race. I’m glad my blog gives you some relief.
I do “get feisty.” I can tolerate a lot. . . unless it involves people engaging in inconsiderate behavior. That makes me crazy! The frequency of which people are inconsiderate means I have to get away by myself with the crew in order to hold onto my sanity.
You were a lot more polite than I would have been.
Dear RVSue:
None of my friends join me to urinate! I used to think nothing of it, now I think of nothing but! Am I doing something wrong? Do I need new friends?
Signed,
Lonely On The Jane
Spike totally stuck that landing. 10.0! 10.0! 10.0! 9.1 (boo) 10.0! 10.0!
Dear LOTJ,
My advice in answer to your questions . . .
Stand proud, o ye solo urinators!
Er… Let me redo that.
Sit proud, o ye solo urinators!
Signed,
RVSue
Okay, I literally LOLed at these! Thanks!
Those two yakkity yaks… could they have been the same two yakkity yaks that strolled past your open window in the middle of the night a couple of years ago? Yakking away on the way to the toilet… only to stop and yak about “is it a frog” ?
Now I think that one was one of the funniest blog entries I’ve ever read. That one had me in stiches.
Mark Watson
Hi Mark…
Yeah, I remember those other two. I was going out of my mind that night. “Is it a toad? Is it a frog?”
“NO, IT’S A BIG BUG THAT’S GONNA’ BITE YOU BOTH ON THE A&# IF YOU DON’T SHUT UP AND LET ME GET SOME SLEEP!”
That’s what I wanted to say, but didn’t. Kinda’ wished I’d said it. You only live once.
Good for you in hollering at that Yakky Doodle night walkin campground tourist:))
Funny thing, Al. I didn’t have to holler. She was on the other side of the loop and I said those words at normal volume. When you do that, it really lets ’em know how loud and easily heard their own talking was.
I think I might have found my Class C! Check it out:
https://sphotos-a-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/12988_690478924312328_1606146791_n.jpg
And it has A/C!!!!!
A little bondo and some paint and it will be good as new.
It is almost worth buying it to be able to drive in to one of those fancy smancy RV resorts and see the look on their faces. 🙂
Hey Alan, some of those “fancy smancy” places have RULES about how long or how new your RV is before they let you in. But then I have RULES that keep me from even trying to get in. The main one is NO COMMERCIAL Campgrounds unless I’m at a rally with other Casita folks or unless it’s really been recommended for some reason. I want to be around good folks who are enjoying the world around them instead of glued to a TV in a monster.
Yes I know, I run across them all the time in my research, that’s the whole point, they would have a stroke or something when I drove in.. Although when I hit the road I will be in campgrounds a lot. But I will avoid anything that calls itself a “resort”. They tend to be way over priced and are a bit snobbish. I prefer plain people who are just out enjoying life.
There are a LOT of RV Parks that use ‘Resort’ in their name that are certainly not way over priced and are not a bit snobbish. Yes, there are “Resorts’ that are as you describe them but you are excluding some very nice RV Parks by using their name to exclude them.
Sue your opening comments are wonderful! You are a real pro at the relaxing skills!Tell me why Spikey and Bridget always wear their “suits” when they are outside running
around, sometimes dragging a leash???? They are not going to go very far from you, are they?
Hey John….. That Classy C might get you a mile or two down the road!
Hi Elizabeth!
Spike and Bridget wear their suits when we are in a campground. Dogs are supposed to be on-leash in campgrounds. I hold the leashes when we are within the campground. When we get away from the campsites, like down at the river, I let go of the leashes or unclip them as in the photos above.
Sometimes I have them in their suits with leashes dragging in areas where there isn’t an on-leash rule. Spike, in particular, likes to wander or go opposite from where I want him to go. Bridget would never go far, but I’ve learned never to assume Spike won’t do something.
Having him drag his leash allows me to “change his mind” when necessary, like when it’s time to go home and he disagrees.
Other times I think a leash is necessary and then find us in an area where I can let them go free.
Great area there on the north fork and main Coeur d’Alene river….. We found a great free boondocking spot about a half mile before the Kit Price Campground up FR 208… We spent 6 weeks last summer between Seattle and Spokane up in the Northern Cascades up off of Hwy 20. Not sure if that is the way you are heading or not?
Thanks for sharing the boondocking tip, Spencer!
North Cascades hwy (20) is temporarily closed due to storms and slides last weekend. Even though it is my favorite Pass, check before you go that way. Should have it open soon and there is nice camping in the Winthrop area up the Chewuch River. If 20 is open, it is the best approach to the Olympic Peninsula. take it, then cross deception pass on hwy 20, take the coupeville/Port Townmsend ferry. Nice camping at Fort Worden or Fort Flagler near port townsend, then move west from there around the peninsula. dont miss day trip to Hurricane Ridge (dont take trailer up there). nice camping at Dungeness Spit Rec area, Salt Creek, Elwha Campground, kalaloch (south beach best) Hoh River for rain forest. many of the are NPS so price break, but can be crowded on weekends. Get into your camps early, especially weekends. Also forest fires in Wenatchee area may make it smokey crossing hwy 2, and that ends you up in suburbia, anyway.
Or, you might want to think about Chinook Pass HWY 12 north of Yakima. Lots of camping along the American river and you end up on Mount rainier. Then from there you can go around the south end of Puget Sound, avoid the Seattle Metro area and head to the Olympic Peninsula and ocean Beaches from the south. Thne take hwy 20 back. We are full timers from this aea spending the summer in Port Townsend while waiting for a knee replacement too heal. Let me know if you need more specific info in this area.
Sue
Wow! You really know the area, Sue!
Thanks for all the detailed information. I’ve chosen one of the routes you mentioned but I don’t want to get ahead of myself.
I hope your new knee heals well and and quickly. I appreciate you taking the time to help me travel to and around the Olympic Peninsuula.