Thanksgiving 2009

It’s been awhile since we had our trailer out, our last camping trip in the fall ended on a sad note with our trailer being flooded below the floor due to a loose water connection in the plumbing. It took weeks at home under cover to open the underside of our travel trailer and dry out all the insulation and wet wood. That was the easy part. Then the re-sealing of the underside to once again make the trailer water tight was the hardest part of the repair.

Above before, below after repair.

I don’t know how many hours I worked to restore the trailer all because a previous owner of our trailer improperly placed a hose clamp over a barbed fitting. This trailer I had wanted so bad for the increase in floor space has made it really hard to love. Sandy still wishes we had never sold the Arctic Fox, though I’m glad we have the extra room now. Maybe in few years we’ll be able to replace this trailer with a brand new one we can love and make memories with till we are old and gray, but in the mean time I’m determined to make the most of the time we have left with our children.

Nora is fourteen now and has dropped a few comments here and there that camping isn’t her favorite thing to do, least wise in the winter when the outdoors requires many more layers of clothing to enjoy. Colton is sixteen; still driving with a permit but hopefully soon will have his own license and more independence. One more year of high school for him and he’ll be off to college somewhere. So sadly I see the change coming in our RV adventures, it won’t be long and it’s just me and Sandy off for quiet weekends. I think Sandy likes that idea better than me, I always tell her she’s going to miss these days but she says “not soon enough”, least not when the kids are being difficult.

I was able to get most my packing and the trailer ready for the trip days before we left so when Wednesday rolled around the only thing I was hoping for was an easy day at work so I could leave a little early. My day started out super busy, my vendors at work always try to ship as much as they can to Boeing at the end of the month to drive up their revenue, so I know what to expect. As usual I had tons of freight but a co-worker offered to help take half of my load so I wouldn’t have to make two trips through the valley, and happily I was able to finish my day just a little early.

Even though we left home before three o’clock we hit the proverbial bottle neck in traffic as we approached interstate five in Tacoma. As we were doing the stop and go thing Nora needed to use the bathroom. I told her it would be OK the next time we came to a stop she could run back and use the trailer and then call mom on her cell phone when she needed to come back. She was very afraid that some one would see her run to the trailer and didn’t like the idea. Normally with my small bladder these days I’m only too happy to pull off somewhere but I didn’t have to go myself and I didn’t want to exit the freeway either. So finally we convinced her to run back to the trailer and she did. Then she called us a few minutes later and Sandy was able to tell her when we were stopping again and it would be safe to run back to the Suburban. I think some other people stuck in the traffic would have liked the option of a mobile bathroom as well.

The traffic slow-down through Tacoma took us an hour to get through, but once we got past Fort Lewis Army Base things started to move better. As we left Olympia it was getting dark, and I’m finding now that I’m on the back side of my forties I don’t enjoy driving in the dark. Rain makes it even worse, someday my driving will hopefully be daylight hours only, at least when it comes to traveling. We stopped for a bathroom break in Montesano at the scale house and I quickly weighed the trailer axles, a whopping eight thousand eight hundred pounds, plus a tongue weight of fifteen hundred pounds means our trailer weighs ten thousand three hundred pounds rolling ready for a weekend of fun.

For this reason also our next trailer will hopefully be slightly easier to tow. The drive down to Raymond wasn’t any fun, lots of small hills and tight turns. As an aid I drive with my Tom-Tom on night colors so I can anticipate the turns of the unfamiliar highway long before my high beams can illuminate the roadway. In Raymond we found a nice little diner for dinner and everyone had a wonderful meal with great service.

Back on the road we drove the rest of way in rain and darkness to Illwaco and followed the signs to the state park. It had been four years since we last visited this park, they had been in the process of a major remodel at the time, but we had never been back. I had great difficulty backing into our site, this trailer doesn’t have backup lights and I couldn’t see a thing in the mirrors. With Colton holding a flashlight for me to aim at and Sandy standing next to my open window talking me through the back up I was finally able to get the trailer in the spot. Colton had made a gauge for me to use along the side of the trailer so I can judge how close to line up the slide out side of the trailer and it worked well because my first attempt left us just too close to the utility pole to open the slide all the way. Once we were situated I unhitched quickly and Colton put down the stabilizers.

It was raining pretty hard and we both got soaked in the few minutes we were outside. Sandy put the slide out and had the heat going right away. It’s only three hundred thirty feet of living space, but I love the closeness it brings our family. My near sight is failing me and reading sometimes hurts my eyes, so I watched a little TV for entertainment before bed. It’s nice having full hookups so a long shower can be enjoyed, and I added a second heat element to our hot water tank so it recovers real fast when more than one person wants a shower before bed.

It rained off and on all night but we slept soundly our first night in the trailer. Several times I heard water running off the awning during the night and it scared me because it reminded me of the leaking water line that caused so much trouble the last time out, but this first night I hadn’t even hooked the trailer up to city water so the pump would have to run if water was being used or leaked anywhere and the pump was quiet all night. Aside from outside noises I slept well, I even forgot to turn off my side of the bed warmer and finally turned it off when I got up for a bathroom break at three thirty in the morning.

In the morning we slept in a bit, usually we are up before daylight but not being home on the farm with animal chores we could enjoy a very casual morning. No fancy breakfast, just cereal and some fruit. I went cold turkey on Coffee a week ago, so I no longer have to have my two big mugs every morning to function. My family doctor is trying everything to help me with my frequent going problem, I’m taking two different medications to reduce an enlarged prostate, which has been successful, but still didn’t help with frequent bathroom stops. Now I’m also taking something that calms the bladder, and since I’m doing that I thought it might be a good idea to stop drinking a diuretic first thing in the morning. The first couple days I was in a fog, my body really craved the caffeine and I had a low grade headache for a couple days. But a full week later I’m over it and the only thing that I miss is holding a warm cup in the morning to shake off the cold. I’ve been enjoying warm cocoa as a substitute and drinking more juice in the mornings.

With a break in the rain we set off for the beach, I had no idea we were camped less than a hundred feet from the beach. A week ago a huge storm hit this area with one hundred mile per hour winds and the waves pushed drift wood from the beach within a few feet of our campsite. We thought the ocean sounded close as we went to bed that first night not knowing. We walked from our camp site south on the beach towards the jetty where the Columbia River meets the ocean. The tide was high and periodic waves would wash all the way up the beach to the dunes, so we had to be vigilant that a wave didn’t sneak up on us. The kids found some huge old trees that were on the beach from the storm and enjoyed standing on them as the waves washed completely around them leaving them like an island in a stormy sea until the water receded back to the ocean.

Several times the waves were bigger than they expected and they both got their jeans wet from the splash. But we were all wearing our tall rubber dairy boots so as long as the water didn’t go over the tops of them our feet would stay dry. We continued hiking and looking at things (a nice way of saying garbage) that had washed up on the beach the previous night. I’m always skeptical that the professional beach combers have walked the beach before us and scored the last glass fishing float that floated in from Asia somewhere. I did find a small sign that says “TANK BADGES HERE” with an arrow pointing down. I don’t really know what it’s for but I imagine it has something to do shipping containers on ships, but I liked it because I thought Colton would like it and we could make believe it had something to do with army tanks.

I also found an emergency strobe light that turns on when it hits the water and Sandy reminded me that just a couple weeks ago a local couple disappeared in the area when their sailboat broke up along the coast. One body was found and parts of the sailboat washed up on local beaches. We also found a life ring off a boat, but left it hanging on a stump for some beach comber to claim. We hiked up on the jetty and the sea swells were impressive to see as the waves came rolling in across the bar and hit the swift current of the Columbia River.

It always sends chills down my spine as I fantasize what I would do if I was in my small sailboat and I encountered severe weather and seas like we were looking at. It started to rain on us and we made the return hike all the way north on the beach to the campground. The kids squabble from time to time but then there are times when I see how well they get along. I was happy to see my kids hiking holding on to each other as Sandy and I walked behind them.

Back at the trailer it was time to start the big dinner for Thanksgiving. While Sandy was busy inside making our feast I got comfortable outside under the awning with my propane heater blasting away at me and doing computer work with my laptop. I cleaned up a bunch of unused files and started work on this journal. Our dinner turned out wonderful, a huge golden brown turkey breast, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, corn and dinner rolls. And that was followed by an apple crisp pie with ice cream or cool whip. We dined with two lovely candles reflecting against the dark window, sipping our sparkling cider in plastic camping wine glasses.

While this may not sound like every ones idea of an ideal Thanksgiving holiday meal, it’s been tradition for our family since nineteen ninety eight when we bought our first travel trailer. When the kids are gone I doubt we’ll go out, but I’m so happy to still spend this time being close with my wife and kids. After the dishes were done we watched TV for an hour before bed and then everyone retired to bed with their favorite books.

Friday morning we drove into Illwaco to see what there was to see. The waterfront is very nice there with a promenade just for pedestrians and all the stores and restaurants have access from the road and the pedestrian way. We spent some time in a wonderful book store and walked the fishing dock looking at the many boat moored there. Much of the crabbing fleet was preparing for opening day of crab season, the boat decks stacked high with big crab pots. We saw a small boat that had come in from somewhere with a huge load of anchovies, many of them still alive and flipping around inside the plastic tubs they were being transported in. Out of the small boat, up the ramp and into the cannery they went, doesn’t get any fresher than that for canning.

We drove around the dry docks, many of the old boats there could hardly be worth fixing unless there is a resurgence of wooden boat repairmen and a demand for old boats again. We then drove up to Long Beach but only as far as the retail district. Our first stop was Marsh’s Free Museum, which is anything but free if you buy any of the candy or tourist merchandise available inside. When we got out of there we thought we would go further north, but we all agreed lunch out sounded good to all of us, and I was impressed with a couple places I saw on the water front back in Illwaco so we turned around and headed back south, but first had to make one stop before leaving Long Beach.

The fudge store hadn’t gone unnoticed on the way into town so we stopped for some sweets. Buying fudge is such a bargain; the store advertises buy one pound and get the next half pound free. So for only twelve dollars we left with a pound and half of fudge, six different flavors mind you. We drove back to the waterfront and had lunch at a waterfront diner. We all ordered fish and chips though Nora is not a fan of fish so she got the clam chowder. Dining was nice with a great view of the marina. Satisfied with a tasty meal we also bought some Christmas gifts for family in the seafood store attached to the restaurant.

We drove back to the trailer and then enjoyed more time at the beach. The tide was out, though in the winter the tide doesn’t seem to go out as far as it does in the summer. The kids returned to the big rocks below the north light house and timed their access to the rocks between the waves that made them islands with every incoming and outgoing wave surge. Its a total nightmare to watch as your teenage children who are so much smarter than most middle age parents tell you it’s OK nothing bad will happen, but you know one false step on the rocks and they get sucked out to sea. I used to think when the kids were small as a parent I would die trying to protect them, but somehow as much as I love them I also accept the theory of Darwin and if two high honors students aren’t smart enough to know the ocean will kill you because you are playing to close to the big waves, well then maybe the gene pool can live without their contributions. Happily no one even got wet.  

We’d seen on the news that there was some kind of toxic algae in the ocean that was affecting certain birds that never usually set foot on the beach, and many of these birds had been rescued and returned to the ocean after they recuperated, but sadly I found two of these birds on the beach, one very dead and another almost dead. Both had colored bands on their wings indicating they had been captured and released, so I took the one bird that was alive and placed it inside a hollow log well above the high water mark where it could die peacefully with out being in the weather or tormented by an off leash dog.

Since its winter time it seems we dined rather early each night, as soon as it gets dark out we move inside for the rest of the evening. The rain and drizzle, not to mention cold temperatures weren’t inviting us to spend time around a camp fire.

Every now and then the kids say something really funny, and Colton is quick to wit with a good sense of humor. After dinner he took the ice cream container out of the freezer and started to place the whole tub in the microwave to soften it up a bit. Nora and Sandy jumped him right away about doing this; the ice cream then would refreeze and not be as good. Colton countered it was to hard to scoop it out when it was so cold and Nora charged in and took the ice cream and proceeded to show Colton how to scoop it out even though it was hard to work with. Then she added insult to injury by telling Colton it wouldn’t hurt him if expended a few calories while he was scooping out the ice cream and that’s when it got physical. Colton smacked her calf with his fist and she screamed, and that’s when Colton said “you mess with the fire you get burned”. I must have been kind of punch drunk, and usually I come to Nora’s defense but both Nora and I were laughing so hard we had trouble breathing. I know in this journal it doesn’t come across as humorous but it was one of many times I got a good laugh in.

After doing the dinner dishes Sandy and I went over to Jack and Christie motorhome to visit. Jack is a retired Boeing truck driver and Sandy and I have camped with them at least four times now, but it’s interesting to note that we have never planned to camp with them, it’s just been pure luck that we are in the same state park as they are. So far this year they have spent over five months in their motor home. I enjoyed listening to their adventures, Jack is very colorful with his descriptions and his faint Oklahoma accent makes his stories all the better.

Their motor home is nice for visiting, it has two big couches that face each other, and if a third couple were on board the drive and passenger seats could swivel around to be inclusive as well. Our trailer just has a single couch so it’s not laid out well for entertaining though we do have more room and everyone has a private place to sleep. We made it back to our trailer after ten o’clock so it was our latest night while camping.

Saturday we rode our bikes up to the museum. It’s a real climb on a bike, but it felt good to be burning calories instead of consuming them, often our camping trips include more snacks and treats than we normally have. I’ve been in the museum before, but this time I took a lot more time to read all the plaques, plus it was very quiet in the museum with only a couple other people visiting. The museum does a wonderful job of explaining and showing the journey of Lewis and Clark, I highly recommend it to anyone who has a chance to visit Cape Disappointment, but leave your self a couple hours.

We followed our bike ride with more fun on the beach and a campfire to cook our lunch on. Nora roasted hot dogs and I cooked beer brats. Sandy and I stayed around the campfire until dark. I kept the fire burning hard, and we also had the propane heater going at the same time. I had set out bird seed and sunflower seeds for the small birds; it also attracted a Douglas Squirrel that provided entertainment for us. The previous night the seed was consumed by a large raccoon. I would have liked to take a nap in my chair, but even with a warm fire it wasn’t quite warm enough for me to snooze. Before it got completely dark outside I hooked up the trailer to the Suburban. I reloaded the bikes and put away all the outside things. I wanted to make our Sunday morning departure as easy as possible. We dined inside and following dinner the kids did the dishes while Sandy and I walked the dog. We then spent our evening playing dominoes and watching a video on DVD.

Sunday morning we all went for one last walk on the beach before we made an early departure for home. We left the campground at ten o’clock and to my surprise the traffic was light all the way home considering it was the end of a four day holiday. We arrived home just after one o’clock and the usual unpacking went quickly. Holding tanks were dumped and flushed, and the trailer was immediately winterized in case it freezes before we head out on our next trip. All the animals at home were well taken care of by Sam, Nora’s good friend who lives close by. It was a wonderful vacation, now we look forward to the Christmas Holidays.