From White Rock - and moisture of the wet kind.

Generator fired up - furnace is throwing heat - and Jeanette was soon to rise from sleep.

After my early morning blog writing session, sitting in the lobby of the Tulalip Casino, WA - yesterday morning (Thursday) - we closed up, fueled up and headed the final 80 miles north to the Canadian border and home.

I-5 is dry....and in great driving condition.

Soon to pull into Canadian customs.

Traffic was light and the sun even peeked out a few times.  The wind storm advisory for the night before did not materialize.

Minutes from the Canadian border.

We are NEXUS pass holders.  It's like having a super passport.  We have our own dedicated lanes...and because we have been pre-screened and approved by Homeland Security, FBI, RCMP, etc., it is usually seamless entry into and out of Canada/USA BORDERS.

Such was the case when we stopped at Canada customs.  The lady asked three questions and we were waved through.   Gotta love NEXUS pass lanes!!!! Yeah!

White Rock, BC - 16th Avenue.

Our neighbourhood these past 21 years.

Driving to our final stop at the bottom of this road - cul de sac.

So....within 15-20 minutes after crossing into Canada, we arrived at our home. We used our neighbours driveway as a temporary stop while we moved our other vehicle out of the way.  After we backed our 5th wheel on our driveway, the clean up began.

Gotta move this vehicle out of the way.

Our neighbour is away in Palm Springs...and we were invited to use their driveway if need be.  So we did just that...temporarily.

Hmmm.... backing up on our driveway, Jeanette strategically placed the pressure washer for this photo shot.

After power washing the road grit off the motorcycle, we removed it, unhooked the swivel wheel, then proceeded to complete the back up of the 5th wheel.

The truck, 5th wheel and motorcycle were filthy.  All of that road grit happened between Portland, Oregon, and home.

We were home by 10:30 am so I started washing everything within twenty minutes of our arrival.

It took 3.5 hours to wash the 5th wheel - 20 minutes for the motorcycle - and another 50 minutes for the dually.

Phew!...What a job....but it's all clean and bright.

 While I was busy with washing the rig, our house sitter, and Jeanette's good friend and former work colleague, Marg, dropped by for a meet and greet.  They had coffee and caught on on stuff while I worked away outdoors.

Jeanette and Marg

I was recruited to take this photo.

When late afternoon rolled around and everything was tidied up, we spent some time checking through mounds of redundant mail.

Today we started the process of packing our home of 21 years for our coming move to our new home, this mid-March.  That said, our blogging may be spotty in the coming weeks.  At one point, we will not have internet access with the disconnect on our current home to the re-connect in our new home.

Friends were by while we were away in the southern US.  They dropped off boxes for us.

Well, it's near dinner time on Friday evening when I post this blog.  Jeanette and I packed 37 boxes today.  Not bad for the first packing day.  The garage and my office are packed.  Yippee!!! Only the rest of the house (with a lot of rooms) to finish packing.  Seriously though, we have given ourselves plenty of time to accomplish the task.

Thanks for dropping by.....and, at the risk of repeating myself, our blogs will be spotty for the next several weeks.....!

Soon to cross the border back into BC, Canada

Yes, we are nearing the Pacific Northwest.....!  Rain, rain and more rain!

With fierce winds forecast for the Pacific Northwest of Washington State and British Columbia, Canada, we kept our driving and overnight options open.  We left Salem, Oregon @ 10:30 am.

Grey, dark skies in Portland, Oregon.

The rains were on and off - on and off - on and off!!!!

Although the traffic was heavy, we breezed through Portland without much fanfare.  Till we arrived  here, our rig was still nice and clean from its last wash in the desert lands of the southern US. 

There were the occasional spots with blue skies and sunshine.

Nice waterfall along I-5

One rainbow.

More blue skies...

We don't have much of a story to tell so we're posting several photos.  Jeanette was busy with the camera.

Rolling in to Seattle, WA.

Traffic was OK going into Seattle but it was the usual zoo north from the downtown core.

Anyone who has travelled through Seattle will relate to the crazy drivers here and the washboard concrete freeways.  I am always puzzled by the road building techniques - or lack thereof - in this area.  The highways and byways are vast, numerous, elevated, and plentiful but I fail to comprehend why they are so rough and washboard like.  Ho hum!

We made it through and before long we were past the freeway frenzy and back to a more relaxed drive once north of Everett, WA.

Entrance to the Tulalip Casino, Washington State.

Beautiful interior - lobby to the casino hotel.

Nice lounge - next to the casino - where I am presently sitting as I write this blog.

I was awake quite early this morning so I chose to find a coffee in the casino, find a comfortable chair in a quiet place, check and reply to emails, and write this somewhat mundane blog.

Not a great photo but I did my best - shooting hand held without a flash.

Photos inside a casino is a NO NO!!!  No Cameras Allowed!!!  Walking through the casino @ 4:40 am is a sorry sight - in my view.  It's quite sad, really.  All those souls sitting aimlessly at the 'one arm bandits' (slot machines) - seriously lacking sleep (or maybe even a life) - made me feel sad for them.  I walked around till I could find a cup of coffee and,  all the while, I never spotted a happy person.  Everyone looked gloomy; including those few hardy souls who braved the poker tables.

I don't mean to editorialize here because I do know people who seem to get pleasure from gambling.  I don't mean to judge either but I just don't get this all nighter booze up/gambling thing.  I simply do not get it.  What I do understand though is the addictive nature of these facilities and the magnet for  patrons. That, I find sad!!!  I did produce a few mini documentaries on this topic, in Las Vegas, several years ago.  Those stories were broadcast on CBC-TV in Canada.

The people who build and operate casinos do get it though.  It is obviously a good business model.  These businesses must make money. Casinos continue to be built everywhere, so it seems. Heck, even our own politicians in BC, and other Canadian Provinces, agree with the the business model.  It makes money - pure and simple.  That is why we have so many casinos and more are being planned.  That's why we have so many lotteries too.

However, I digress.  People are free to make their own decisions!!!! Jeanette and I enjoyed our stay in the casino RV area.  We enjoyed a nice dinner out, in a very nice environment, with great service and equally great food.....and far away from the click and clatter, bells and whistles, and the foul stench of a smokey casino.

Photo without flash taken @ night -  hand held.  A bit fuzzy....but realistic!

Well,  I 'm on my way back to the 5th wheel.  I'll crank up the generator to run the furnace.  That's likely the best way to get Jeanette out of bed. It's amazing what a nice warm RV can do for her.

We plan to leave here sometime this morning for the last 90 minute drive northwards to the Canadian border. From there, it's a 6 km drive to our home.  Then the fun begins as we prepare to move from our home of over 21 years to the new home we take possession of on March 18th.

Thanks for dropping by.

Success through the Siskiyou Pass - Now in Salem, Oregon

Leaving Red Bluff, CA.

We were up early.  The first order of the day?...check the web site and weather cameras for the Siskiyou Pass on I-5 northbound.  All looked good for our journey. Off we went.

Threatening skies near Redding, CA

Approaching the south end of the climbing stretches through the four passes we had to navigate.

Shasta Lakes - eastern view

So far, so good.  There were a few raindrops but nothing of note.  The interstate was almost bare (with some wetness and dryness)  and with no winds or snow. 

Very good conditions

Still looking good as we approach the highest elevations.

Yep!.. Foggy and wet - snow in the shoulders and ditches - but driving conditions were relatively good.

So we plugged along at reasonable speeds.  We clearly chose a good day to cross this ominous countryside. For those who have driven the passes between Oregon and California, the weather can change in a heartbeat.  Looking at the weather there from our overnight spot just south of Portland, Oregon, this morning) the passes are treacherous today, with snow and freezing rain in the forecast.  Glad to be on the north side of that weather.

Best view we could see of Mount Shasta.

The skies are opening up as we near the Oregon border.

We crossed into Oregon and, once past Grants Pass, the skies opened up and we had sunny skies for the balance of our drive.  We chose to overnight in a really nice RV Park in Salem, Oregon - 45 miles south of Portland.  Jeanette  found this park in one of our RV Resort books.

Now in Oregon

Gotta watch out for these guys/girls.  Not a problem when our average cruising speed is 55 mph.

After refueling about one hour south of here, we set the GPS coordinates and arrived at a really nice facility.  It's a Good Sam park and the discounts worked in our favour.

Wide and long pull through sites - with all the goodies needed for a nice stay.

This is an American Native owned and operated RV Resort.  It is quite new, well landscaped, and well managed.  We were instantly impressed by the quality of this park.  The price is most reasonable too.  This park is now on our 'stay' list.

We chose not to unhitch.  We set up all services, turned on the heat and left for a walk about in this park.  Here are a few pix.

Very level concrete sites.

Outdoor pool and play area.

Well landscaped and angled pull throughs.

Very clean.

Checking email and weather for the greater Vancouver area of BC, we saw a wind and storm warning for today.  Email from some friends stated the obvious.  Winds would be gusting to between 90-100 km/hr. (55-60 mph).  Thinking this would prove to be a harsh drive for us - with the big long load behind - we thought to take it easy in the morning, check the weather reports, and possibly adjust our travel plans by travelling only part way, today.  Instead of the seven hour drive home, we now plan to leave and drive half that distance - likely overnighting just south of Olympia or Seattle, WA.  If the winds are problematic, we'll pull over sooner and wait it out.  No need to create any added stress when we don't have to.

Nice RV facility

Having our own accommodations makes for easy decisions while travelling.  So, we're leaving here (Salem, Oregon) within the next hour and we'll see just how far we get before - or if - the winds prove difficult.

Onwards and forwards.