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Sunday, October 4, 2015

2015 Western Trip – Recap

Since I'm sure you've read every word of every post during this entire trip I'll keep the recap fairly short J

First a few stats:

Departure Date:  Jul 24
Return Date:  Sep 30
Duration:  69 days
Distance in the RV:  5828 miles plus a couple thousand more in the car – no wonder our butts were sore.

States we stayed overnight:  KY, MO, KS, NE, WY, MT, ID, WA, OR, UT, CO


The primary purpose of this trip was to spend time in the Pacific NW states of Washington and Oregon while visiting some fun places along the route and meet up with some blogger buddies.

Blogger buddies we met with:  We had a first time visit with Diana (Voice In The Garden) and her husband Pete and with Ingrid (Live Laugh RV) and her husband Al then repeat get-togethers with Heather (Rocky Mountain Cooking), Lea Ann (Cooking On The Ranch) and Bob, and Dave (Inspired By eRecipe Cards) and Jackie.  All were a great time and a big highlight of the trip for me – hated that we had to miss a couple though.

Our most favorite places:  Cody, WY; McMinnville, OR; Sisters, OR; Grand Junction, CO

Our least favorite places:  We really didn’t care for Washington as the pace of everything (in the West) seemed too fast and the people were generally not very friendly.

Bucket list items checked off: Union Pacific RR Bailey Yard, Beartooth Hwy, Grand Coulee Dam, Dungeness Crab, Oregon Coast.

Biggest disappointment:  Thanks to my impatience early in the trip I dinged the coach – not sure if I’ll ever learn.  Deception Pass boat ride for Pat & Bev.

Biggest surprises:  The amount of wheat and straw grown and exported from western WA, Dungeness Crab size and deliciousness, the diversity of agriculture in the Willamette Valley, evidence of volcanism in the Oregon Cascades.

Biggest relief:  The RV performed beautifully and while we have a few minor things that need to be tended to, we had no real issues with the chassis or coach.

A few favorite non-people shots:












Things I was most happy to return home for:  My comfortable recliner and a shower I can turn around in.

After our two previous whirlwind trips to the West, I said I didn’t want to do it again but since I didn’t think we’d get back to the Northwest (we're old farts you know) and the girls didn’t want to be gone any longer, we saw as much as we could in the time available.  I think five months would have been about right.

All-in-all, I think we had a great trip - we got to see most of the things and people we wanted to, we were still speaking when we got home, no one got injured, and we weren't stranded along the side of the road.  I think we all agreed we can now say we been there and done that - although we might want to make a non-RV return trip to Oregon.  We now need to decide how we want to spend our RVing time moving forward. 

Thanks so much for following along on our adventure.

Photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

Larry

14 comments:

  1. Larry, great post! wonderful photos but best of all the memories you guys have of the visit.Success all around!
    According to your RV Travel Map, looks like you might need to do some traveling northeast. ;) Hope you are all settled and recovered by now.
    PS: tell Bev we picked the last cucumber

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  2. Larrry very nice re-cap. We are so glad to be FTers (for a number of reasons), but especially because we can stay in an area as long as we prefer, or leave quickly, if we don't like something. A "non-issue" trip concerning the coach is always the best! Thanks for sharing your trip with us.

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  3. You really added to your map with that trip…no wonder you were sore. :) Love the photos as it is a part of the country I've never been to.

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  4. But of course, I read every word. Wonderful recap and collection of photos.
    Ingrid@ LiveLaughRV.net

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  5. Larry, Welcome home! Say Hi to Bev and Pat for us. We like parts of Washington State...San Juan Islands, Port Townsend, Olympic Peninsula, the Columbia River Valley and Bend...but otherwise the area is too populated and busy. I particularly like the photos of the mule deer, Bear Tooth Pass, that farm with the fields and the red barn and that pretty lake. Take Care, Big Daddy Dave and Laurie

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  6. I'm so glad you had a nice trip and nothing major happened along the way. It must feel good to be back home in your own bed, eating out of your own kitchen and enjoying your recliner.
    Sam

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  7. Loved your recap…. Glad the RV worked so well this trip —and even though you stayed busy, it seems as if you saw and did many great things…

    I’m not sure we’d ever stay away from home that long—but in order to see things (and not get totally worn out—like we do), we need to lengthen our trips and have some ‘down’ days!!!!

    Hope we can get to the Pacific Northwest sometime also.

    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  8. It was a great adventure and a wonderful recap. Glad we went along with you.

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  9. Just back from Italy. So I will be catching up with all of your adventures. We had bad internet connections the whole time. Lots of fun on the trip, but glad to be home.

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  10. What an amazing trip! I am glad you all had fun.

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  11. I got a chuckle of your least favorite of Washington because we agree. We have traveled the Coast many times and now try to avoid this state. November 15 is the beginning of Dungeness crab season here in California. Hop on a plane and I will treat you to a crab feast.

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  12. Your few pictures were beautiful. I'm sure it was a great trip, and even more certain that your recliner is going to get a lot of attention for a while.

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  13. I enjoyed your adventure so much! Read several on my phone and didn't get to comment on each one. Love your photos and I can't believe you have been gone that long. Time is flying by. I can only imagine how great it is to be home. Safe and sound is wonderful - still speaking to each other is epic!

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  14. Yay, glad Grand Junction made the favorites list. And I agree, McMinnville and the Willamette Valley are incredible places. Love it there, and I've always said, if I didn't have those Rocky Mountain in my back yard, I'd move to Oregon. Great photos Larry. It was so good to spend some time with you. Loved our visit.

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