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Kingman – Camp Verde, AZ

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The hotel in Kingman was less than stellar so we didn’t even take in the complimentary breakfast.

Instead, we thought we would stop at MacDonald’s and eat.

Trouble was, the road we were on was heading out of town and there was no more town left.

We ended up stopping at a gas station and bought some yogurt and kept travelling.

The plan had been to leave Kingman and travel along the old highway 66 which goes up to Peach Springs and ends up in Seligman but… we missed that cut-off as well.

So, we just headed down highway 40 and stopped in Seligman for breakfast.

The town is a tourist town that caters to the fifty’s. The restaurant we ate at was called The Road Kill Cafe.

You kill it we grill it is their motto.

And their menu is just as colourful.

Deciding not to go to the Grand Canyon we drove to Ash Fork and turned down on highway 89. and headed to Camp Verde.

Just before Prescott, we turned off on highway 89A and drove the winding, climbing, twisting, switchback road to Jerome.

It says you can use the road if your vehicle is no longer than 50 feet, but I think a 40 foot motor home would have trouble with it as you would end up using both lanes around some of the corners.

The town is on the top of a mountain and the houses are hanging on the side.

It was a copper mine in the day and now they are giving ghost tours.

We got out and walked around for a bit and looked in all the tourist stores and headed down the mountain.

.On through to Cottonwood and then took highway 260 and ended up in Camp Verde.

It was lovely to get a motel room while it was still daylight and we went for a walk through the old town.

Side note – here is an update on masks:

Going through Washington and Oregon masks were mandatory and everyone wore them.

In California, there was definitely a lack of masks. Very few people wore them and we were in the minority.

From what we’ve seen in Arizona so far is more masks than in California, but it seems to be a personal preference.

In some restaurants, everyone is wearing masks and in others, no one. has one on.

Also, there are lots of billboards letting you know where you can get a booster shot and you could get one at most pharmacies.

That’s all the news that’s fit to print today so I’ll see you tomorrow.

Lodi, CA to Kingman, AZ

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Leaving Lodi Friday morning and headed south.

We spent most of the day driving down I-5 and turned off on Highway 46 towards Wasco and through onto Highway 99 heading for Bakersfield.

Hitting rush hour in Bakersfield we slowly crept our way to Highway 58 and to whatever town was next that had a place to stay.

Turns out that was Tehachapi.

A nice little town with clean hotels and a sushi place right next door.

I know… sushi in the desert but it actually was really good and a nice change from hamburgers and the Taco Bell that Rob made me try.

Leaving Tehachapi this morning and headed east towards Barstow and the Mojave Desert and beyond.

For miles and miles and miles there were giant windmills on the hills as well as ones with smaller blades. There was enough to power a least 1 or 2 cities. It was amazing.

At a rest area, we saw at least 8 ravens but they kept to the shadows so it was hard to get a picture.

Had lunch in Needles before crossing over into Arizona.

And now our holiday begins…

The first place we went was Topock and I took some pictures of a couple of double-crested cormorants who were happy to pose.

double-crested cormorant

I also saw a common moorhen but didn’t get a good picture of it as it was in the reeds.

We got off Highway 40 and went onto the old highway 66 which is called the Oatman highway, stopping at Catfish Paradise.

Having been there before I was sure I would get some good photos, but alas, there were some boats coming in and so the only bird I was able to get a photo of was a female common grackle.

common grackle

This is the time we wish we would have brought a boat with us.

grasses in moor

Tonight we made it to Kingman, AZ and are spending the night here.

Off to bed to await the grand adventure tomorrow.

South Bend, OR to Lodi, CA

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It’s been a couple of days since I last posted but we’ve been mainly just driving.

We left South Bend and followed the coast down to Lincoln City where we spent the night.

Then we went onto Reedsport and from there across on highway 38 to Elkton and down 138 to Sutherlin and got on the I-5 and spent the night in Medford.

Got up this morning and drove most of the day and we are now in Lodi heading to Bakersfield and beyond tomorrow.

Highlights:

I haven’t taken many pictures as we’ve just been driving, but there are a lot of quaint towns along the Washington and Oregon coast and the scenery is magnificent.

The views are so big you almost can’t capture them with a camera.


It also appears that the locals don’t know the area beyond their town as whenever we asked directions about places to stay we were sent in the wrong direction or down a road that definitely didn’t lead to anywhere.

Stopping at the sea lion caves we found that the sea lions didn’t realize we were coming and were out fishing.

Not only that but the elevator was broken and the caves were closed but it was a nice place to get out and stretch our legs and see the view.

I said to Rob that we were spoiled as although our coast doesn’t look the same we get to see the ocean every day and watch the waves.

So, we headed inland.

From Reedsport to Sutherlin was a lovely drive. You followed the Umpqua River through a valley that was lush and green.

The whole valley was made up of large farms (mainly beef cattle) and fields and fields of grapes.

Through the area, we saw elk and a few bison that posed for a photo shoot.

And then once we got to the I-5 the scenery became a little less interesting but a whole lot faster to get where you were going.

Today we saw acre after acre of olive groves as well as some rice fields filled with ducks and every once in a while you’d see an orange tree.

Rob drove and I napped and here we are in Lodi to be lulled to sleep by the traffic outside the hotel window.

Sweet dreams!

Day 1 – Sooke, BC to South Bend, WA

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Got up early this morning and headed for the ferry during a torrential downpour.

We had a ferry reservation for sailing from Victoria to Port Angeles, WA at 10:30 and we needed to be there 90 minutes before sailing in order to go through customs.

Leaving home at 7:30 we figured we had plenty of time to get to Victoria as it usually only takes about 50 minutes.

It took us two and a half hours to get to the ferry. A new all-time record.

The main road out of Sooke was flooded so we ended up going via East Sooke at a snail’s pace.

It wasn’t until we got to a river across the road that we found what was holding up the traffic.

Turns out low-riding cars weren’t able to get through without stalling so they were having to turn around. Thank heavens we were in the van so driving slowly we made it through just fine and after that, the traffic sped up.

Getting to the ferry with minutes to spare they still took our reservation and closed the gate after the next car behind us.

The wind had come up so not only was it raining but the boat was battling high waves and being buffeted around. Made for a rough crossing.

We stayed downstairs trying to nap but someone forgot to turn their car alarm off and it keep sounding throughout the voyage.

Finally arriving in Port Angeles the weather dawned bright and blue.

It was such a relief to get out of the rain and gloom of the past few days.

On the way out of town, we stopped and got some Kentucky Fried Chicken (extra crispy) and headed towards Aberdeen on Hwy 101 which was our destination for the night.

Turns out they also got a lot of rain over the past few days and the rivers were swollen.

Not just swollen but a lot of them had actually given birth and had overflowed their banks leaving trees across the road, fields like lakes and ponds in front lawns.

Some houses along the shore had water right up to their doorstep and others had their foundations submerged.

On the bright side, we saw a herd of at least 20 elk by the side of the road, grazing in a pasture. The rain had started again so no photos are forthcoming.

We cut off on highway 108 towards Aberdeen and turned left when we got there before going down the main street and were back on the highway before we knew it.

Sufficed to say we are not in Aberdeen tonight but in a coastal town called South Bend.

Our intention is always to find a motel to stay in before it gets dark, but this very rarely happens and today was no exception.

All the motels we encountered along the way looked less than stellar so we kept driving.

The skies had cleared once more and the moon was almost full and shimming on the water and there was little or no traffic which made driving easier.

And here we are in South Bend in a nice clean motel with a living room, kitchen, bathroom and two bedrooms which we got a great deal on a long as we agreed not to use the second bedroom.

It’s 11 pm and I’m off to bed to dream about tomorrow’s next great adventure.

Willard Is In The Walls

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I don’t know if you remember or have even seen the movie entitled “Willard” that came out in 1971.

It was one of the first “scream” movies I had ever watched with Willard actually being the man and the rats were called Socrates and Ben.

Willard had a connection with the rats that did his bidding and if you haven’t seen the movie I would suggest you don’t.

Even though I watched it in the ’70 it still brings back some not so pleasant memories of RATS!

This leads me to walking into the living room last night, turning on the light to see a large rat running (not scurrying) but running along the wall in front of the door.

The area that it was running from has a large bag of sunflower seeds in the corner waiting to feed the birds so I figured that it was having dinner or a late-night snack.

I considered waking Rob but instead locked myself in my office and did a little thinking.

First… when we built the house the whole underneath was covered in 1/4 inch wire mesh specifically to keep the rodents out.

But apparently, after 11 plus years, they finally found a chink in the armour.

Either that or one ran in when the door was opened or left opened when bringing in wood for the fireplace.

I knew we had traps under the house as fall is setting in and the rats are looking for a warm place to spend the winter.

We had already caught a few.

But it was dark, and I didn’t feel like going under the house to get said traps so I thought some more.

Light bulb moment.

Right under the deck, I had a live trap for catching squirrels and the rat was definitely squirrel-sized so I turned on the outside lights and grabbed the trap.

Baiting it with some peanut butter from the cupboard I set it along the wall where I had seen it run.

Closed the pantry, bathroom and office doors, left a note for Rob and went to bed.

As I climbed into bed Rob woke up and I mentioned the situation.

The next thing I heard was crashing and banging as Rob apparently decided to find said rat before the night was done.

I learned in the morning that he had basically cleaned out a closet (contents strewed across the floor), moved and upended all the furniture, and literally tore the living room apart.

When he finally came back to bed, this time waking me up he implied I was seeing things as there wasn’t a trace (poop) to be found.

This made me think about my harrowing experience 🙂 with the mice in the motorhome.

But time and a couple of traps had solidified into 7 mice.

Coming out of the bedroom in the morning and carefully closing the door behind me I surveyed my domain.

Things looked a little different than they had when I went to bed.

Leading me to believe that Rob had done a little more of an extensive search than previously thought.

Asking him if he swept all the dust bunnies he found apparently wasn’t amusing.

Turns out… he too saw the rat when he got up in the morning and proceeded to chase it round and round the house.

At one point in time, he thought he had it cornered by the back door when the rat in question tried to scramble out the glass to freedom.

But alas… it escaped his clutches and ran under the stove.

Thinking about it now, I’m not sure what he would have done with it if he caught it.

Can one bludgeon a rodent to death with the soft end of the broom?

Seeing it run under the stove he pulled the appliance out to discover a hole in the wall where the wiring came through.

Around the hole, the drywall was pushed away and the rat had disappeared.

Ah-ha… found the point of entry.

Now we just had to plug it up and somehow get the rat out of the wall where Rob could hear it running around.

A brilliant solution came to mind.

How about we take the live trap and put the open end right in front of the hole so when the rat popped through it would be caught.

No soon thought, then done.

rat traps

Off to the hardware store to get more traps and a moving crew of men to crawl under the house to find and plug the hole.

As luck would have it Rob was having the crew help him in the backyard today and now that was the first job on the agenda.

Typing this I can hear said men under the house and I will have to continue this saga when I get an update.

Findings

After inspecting the underside of the house they found that the critters had climbed up on the vent for the dryer and perched there and actually chewed a hole in the wire mesh.

Coming through this hole actually gave them the run of the house through the insulation and wire ducts and I guess the easiest place to come out was behind the stove as there was already a hole.

Under the house, they also found rat nests in the ground and proceeded to fill them up with large rocks.

They appear to be getting in under the house by tunnelling through the gravel alongside the walls and through the crawl space.

Rob is out baiting more traps as apparently, our neighbourhood owls aren’t doing their job.

The Catch

As the stove was pulled out and sitting in the middle of the floor, dinner was takeout.

I turned off the lights in the kitchen and we watched TV.

As I walked into the kitchen to put some dishes in the sink I heard a trap door shut with a snap.

And there he was… inside the cage with no way out.

We put him outside for the night and Rob made him disappear the next day.

I never asked and he never told.

We left just a plain ordinary rat trap outside the hole for another night, but the one we caught seemed to be the only one in the walls and the trap remained empty.

The stove is now back in place and we put the drywall back in the hole.

That way we’ll know just by looking to see if the drywall is on the floor that another rat has taken its place.

Fingers crossed… the rats have left the building!

Camping Misadventures

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It all started when Rob said… “The weather is going to be good for the next few days, let’s go camping”.

For me, that involves putting food in the motorhome, making sure we have towels, sunscreen and hot chocolate for the cool mornings out on the boat.

Food-wise I already had homemade hamburgers in the freeze, ribs, fish cakes, crab cakes, hot dogs, bacon and eggs. croissants and veggies from the garden.

So the grocery list from the store only consisted of snacks, some prepared salads and buns.

All ready to go from my end.

Rob got one of the movers to help put the boat in the trailer, added in the pop-up tent for over the picnic table, barbeque, chairs, batteries for the boat and other assorted items that one needs while camping.

Both of us worked on our regular jobs until the last minute and we got away just before lunch.

On the road and out of town when Rob said… “Did I bring the bucket of tomatoes?”

One of the last things he did before we left was to pick a small bucket of tomatoes for the trip and for the camping attendant. He likes to bring fresh veggies up to her and it is greatly appreciated.

No to the tomatoes, so we found a place to turn around the motorhome with the trailer on behind and headed back home.

Heading into the driveway there was a bit of maneuvering to get facing the right way to leave which involved crashing the trailer into a container as it was being backed up.

Got the tomatoes and headed down the road again.

This time, we couldn’t get out onto the busy road.

Cars came from both directions and when they weren’t doing that, one direction would be travelling fast and then the other.

There wasn’t a break to be had.

After more than 5 minutes of a little yelling at the unhearing motorists, Rob’s blood pressure had gone up a notch and I was wishing I had earplugs.

Finally… a tiny sliver of a break in traffic and we pulled out with unseen horns blaring at our bold move.

Big breath and down the road we resumed our trip.

The weather was lovely.

The scenery was as scenic as you get on the west coast and there was lovely flute music coming from the CD player.

Then we started seeing construction signs.

Slow down… work in progress… flag person ahead.

We got in behind a large line of traffic and waited.

And waited… and waited.

People got out of their vehicles.

Rob went to the back of the motorhome and fix the fridge door that had been swinging back and forth and we had a little snack while we waited.

I think Rob was ready to take a nap when I yelled that the line was starting to move.

The first round of good luck as we were the last ones through before the flag person put out their stop sign at the traffic behind us.

Time to sing… “On The Road Again,” it’s a favourite by Willie Nelson.

Now, the trip to Lizard Lake takes about an hour and a half.

At the hour mark, Rob said… “I don’t think I brought the motor for the boat”.

I said very positively… “Of course you did. I saw it in the boat the day before yesterday when I was putting something in it.

Stopping and checking it appeared I was wrong.

For some reason, Rob had taken the motor out the day before we were going to leave and there it sat… at home… somewhere in the yard.

So we had a boat, with no motor and as luck would have it, no oars.

Damn.

We are too far down the road to head back.

Coming to the highest point of the trip with a clear view out over the ocean to Washington we thought we might get a phone signal.

No luck.

Onto Port Renfrew to use the payphone (yes, there are still payphones)  as there is no cell service there either.

On the way there we remembered that a few weeks ago when trying to use the payphone that it wasn’t working.

But being resourceful we stopped at the one and only gas station run by the Pacheedaht First Nation and asked to use their phone.

No way… they don’t let anyone use their phone. No ifs and or buts.

Rob said… “I’m the man that has been bringing the band truckloads of furniture, beds, freezers, and all manner of useful items over the last few months.”

And they greeted him with open arms and he is quite possibly the only outsider ever allowed to utilize their phone.

Talking to his son Mat he asked him to bring up the 3 electric motors that we had as Rob wasn’t exactly clear on where he had left the motor he took out of the boat.

Two of them were in a locked container that we hoped the key for was hanging on the hook where it should be and not in one of Rob’s pockets and asked Mat to look around the yard for the other one.

Now asking a man to hunt for 3 motors and drive 3 hours round trip after a long day of work makes Mat a saint but I don’t believe he was very happy about it.

Still, another half an hour to drive and our next stop was the fish hatchery.

We always stop at the hatchery as they have crystal clear water that runs off the mountain behind them and most obligingly have a tap outside the gates with a hose attached.

Over the years we have always filled up there so we don’t have to pack the extra weight for the trip.

Would you believe it!!

There was a sign saying “Water is Shut off!” and the hose was gone.

So… no water.

No handwashing.

No toilet flushing.

But, also no dishwashing which is a bonus.

Good thing we pack a 5 gallon container of water for drinking purposes so at least we wouldn’t get dehydrated.

And of course… there was the lake.

Our next stop was for protestors on the road for the Fairy Creek blockade.

It is considered one of the largest civil disobedience actions in recent Canadian history.

If you are interested, here is a great article written by Sarah Cox.

Waving their signs at us they slowly moved off the road as we crept forward skillfully avoiding hitting anyone.

And finally, we arrived at our destination.

Unloaded the boat at the lake and backed the motorhome into our preferred campsite heaving a sigh of relief.

As we waited for the motors to arrive we set up the campsite, putting up the tent, setting out the 3 thunder ranges and barbeque Rob realized that we didn’t have a bucket to collect water.

We always have a couple of buckets with us, but alas… they were left behind along with the motor.

Being creative Rob emptied a small cooler that he had for fishing gear and the lake provided us with the necessary liquid.

Another obstacle was overcome.

We were getting pretty good at this.

The motors arrived and Rob carried one down from the campsite over to the beach and ultimately the boat.

I mention this trail as it’s the longest one from where we are camped but also the easiest one. Winding through the trees on a smooth and level path.

At the dock, Rob attached the motor to the boat, hooked up the battery and we head over to the log where we normally park.

The log is directly below our campsite but with a few twists.

It’s not that long of a trail.

About the distance of mom and dad’s driveway and that will only make sense to family members.

To get to the campsite you need to…

  • walk a log
  • go up two planks at different angles over a swamp
  • scoot under a large tree that had blown down
  • tread carefully over its roots to get to the actual shore.
  • climb a hill
  • wend your way through the trees and around stumps
  • ending up at a large log that you can either scramble over or walk the long way around (I opt for the long way every time)

And then you are at the campsite.

I tell you that story so you can sympathize with Rob over the next scenario.

Now… back to the boat.

Turns out the motor we had wouldn’t turn.

It would make the boat go backwards and forwards but with no turning ability.

We had let go of the dock as soon as the motor started so now we had to decide whether to go back or forward to the log.

Opting for the log through some skillful navigation of forward and reverse we finally made it.

I stayed in the boat as Rob went to get the other motor.

Down the log, up the planks, under the tree, up the hill, through the forest and over the log then reversing it with the next motor.

Now we are ready to go for a lovely ride on the lake and enjoy the late afternoon sun.

Rob puts the motor into gear and the motor flips up and it needs to be pushed down in order to go forward.

It also seems to be able to turn 180 degrees. with the reverse being forward and forward being reverse.

Looking closely, the motor seems to be missing a vital component and a few screws.

So, Rob repeats the process.

Down the log, up the planks, under the tree, up the hill, through the forest and over the log then reversing it with the next motor.

Third motors a charm.

Although this motor appears to be as heavy as the battery that it gets attached to, Rob was getting a little tired by the time he arrived back at the boat.

This motor drains the battery a little faster than the others but it goes about twice as fast.

By the time we got really and truly out on the lake, we only had time for a quick swim before the sun went down.

Making one more trip, down the log, up the planks, under the tree, up the hill, through the forest and over the log just as twilight was coming through the trees making it almost impossible to see where you were going.

Dinner consisted of the easiest thing we could make.

Boiled hot dogs (there was a campfire ban) and then we crashed exhausted into bed.

And so ends our first day.

Day 2

A little foggy in the morning but hot chocolate and a jacket were all you needed to keep cozy.

Rob brought his fishing rod along so we trolled for a rainbow trout.

Normally there is a big bald eagle that flies in and as we catch a fish and throw it back the eagle swoops down and grabs it.

Sadly, no eagle today.

Rob gets a tug on the line and then a stronger one and the next thing we know the line comes up empty.

No fish, no hook, line or sinker as the saying goes.

It appears we snagged something on the bottom of the lake and it wasn’t willing to give it up.

So, back to our tie-up spot and down the log, up the planks, under the tree, up the hill, through the forest and over the log to find a new hook and flasher.

Rob goes through all his fishing gear and surprise, surprise… no hooks.

He finally found a couple of rusty dull ones in the bottom corner of the fishing box and out we head on the lake to see if they would work.

We also took some rope and a large magnet to see if we could retrieve the lost gear the lake had swallowed up.

No luck on the gear retrieval but it was fun just the same.

It appeared that the fish weren’t biting this morning, either they were full, or they weren’t keen on worms, or they turned their noses up on the rusty hooks.

While Rob fishes in the morning I bird watch.

And when I spot a bird that looks promising, Rob reels in his line and we head off in the bird’s direction.

I’m always eager at this time of year to go up to the lake as in the past many migrating birds come through this area and normally I spot lots of different types of warblers making their way south.

Also, there are usually a few ducks around feeding and resting before taking up their journey.

I say normally and usually because this year was very abnormal and unusual.

Usually, at this time of year, the trees are alive with birds and bird songs but you had to look and listen hard to see or hear anything.

The total number of birds seen on the whole trip.

1 – Townsend’s warbler
1 – Juvenile yellow-rumped warbler
2 – Kingfishers
1 – Spotted sandpiper
1 – Merlin (a first for me)
4 – Robins (usually the place is swarming with them)
the regular number of stellar’s jays
1 – Barred owl (heard not seen)

The only ducks we saw were 3 flying overhead.

…and that was it.

The rest of the day was uneventful and we boated, swam, relaxed and napped the day away.

Talking to the camp attendant who came around to collect for the campsite we gleaned a few tidbits of what was happening in the area.

First, was the water shut off at the fish hatchery.

It appears it was shut off because of the protesters constantly using it.

Now they couldn’t just shut it off apparently so they had the water tested and it was deemed unsuitable for drinking. Hence the shut-off.

We also learned that we weren’t able to use the charcoal barbeque as it was banned under the fire regulations as was a campfire.

If we had a propane one, that would have been fine.

So, no hamburgers or ribs on the grill.

She talked about her experiences with the protestors at Fairy Creek as she goes between the two campgrounds (Lizard Lake and Fairy Lake) she looks after which involves passing through the blockade every day.

What you see in the news is not what is actually happening on the ground.

Instead of collecting at the regular time in the late afternoon, she needs to go and collect after dark around 10 pm.

The protesters have learned her hours of collection and sneak into the campsite to spend the night and use the facilities without paying.

Leaving her to clean and pick up behind them.

A lot of them didn’t realize that it’s was a foresty campground before they came.

That means…

  • no showers
  • no running water of any sort
  • no garbage cans
  • no electricity
  • no cell phone reception

Instead, you get a campsite, outhouses and lake views.

What more can one ask for.

She use to also take care of another campground that has since been decommissioned due to some hazards in the area.

It was decommissioned by putting a ditch across the road leading to the site deep enough that a vehicle couldn’t cross.

So, the protestors filled in the ditch and proceeded to camp there.

They are ordered out either by the police or forestry and the ditch is re-dug.

Then it happens all over again.

It’s interesting to see tents, vehicles and motorhomes parked anywhere there is a spot on the side of the road or in an old logged-out area or even a gravel pit.

Anywhere there is a space available there is a campsite.

Right at the junction of the Fairy Creek protest, there’s a large police presence along with paddy wagons and a helicopter that flies over twice a day.

Can you imagine what that is costing to monitor the area and keep things civilized?

Now don’t get me wrong. I’m just explaining what has been happening in the area.

I’m not against the protest as I love old-growth forests, I’m just against the manner of how they are acting to do so.

Besides having an active protest in the area, they have also cut down trees (which eventually would have become old-growth) they have had open fires during a very dry summer and fire ban and thrown garbage and the likes in the very forests they are claiming to protect.

They have set up a satellite dish so they can report and post videos on social media anything that makes the police look bad so much so that we are having protests in Sooke with signs saying “Stop police brutality”.

I don’t know that these people have even been up to Fairy Creek but I’m suspecting that they are just reacting to what they see on their screens… But hey…  I’ve been known to be wrong.

I might be a little simplistic in my attitude towards the situation but here’s my take on it.

Have a peaceful protest.

Show both sides of the story.

And get out there and plant more trees.

  • Trees that for our children’s children, children will be old-growth.
  • Trees that will replace the ones that the forest fires are destroying.
  • And trees that will keep the air we breathe fresh and free of pollutions.

Okay, I’ve had my little rant and how we are back to the story.

Day 3

We woke up to rain.

Not just a nice little drizzle but full-on downpours.

Good news, Rob just put the water carrying cooler at the end of the awning and collect all the water we needed to flush, wash and clean.

The day consisted of me reading 3 books and Rob cleaning and organizing his fishing tackle and doing some long-overdue repairs all while snuggly tucked up in the motorhome.

That night we were lulled to sleep by the sound of rain on the metal roof.

Day 4

It was an overcast day but the rain had stopped and it was time to dry things out.

An uneventful day other than Rob caught a fish on the rusted hook.

Beautiful rainbow colours but the fish are soft this time of year so it was a catch and release situation.

We were going to head back early tomorrow morning as we needed to go to work, so later in the day, we started to pack up.

Had I mentioned the mice?

No?

Let me tell you a story.

Last camping trip I was up late reading when I felt these little feet run over my feet under the table.

They felt sticky and soft like when you shake someone’s limp hand that had been sweating and I glanced down to catch a shape scurrying away.

The next morning I told Rob we had a mouse in the house but as we didn’t see any damage it was ignored.

The next night I spotted one running down the length of the floor and when we got home Rob plugged up some holes in the underneath of the cab of the motorhome with steel wool and we thought that would take care of the problem.

But… just in case we brought along two mouse traps.

The first night we were there we forgot to set them but I saw a mouse run across the floor.

So, the next night the traps were set and within the hour I heard one trap snap.

Before the next hour was up, the next trap snapped.

Boom… 2 mice.

Rob reset the traps and went to bed and it wasn’t long before I heard them both snap again.

Four mice in the span of 3 hours.

I wasn’t about to empty the traps so we left them until morning when Rob found another mouse squashed under a chair outside.

After seeing the merlin yesterday sitting on a snag Rob suggested that we give it an easy meal.

So we took the mice down to a log in the water below the snag and left the sacrificial mice.

The next night we got 2 more mice as we only set the traps once and they also joined their brothers on the log.

When we left, they were still there but I’m hoping that they provide a meal for someone or something.

mice on a log

Day 5

We were supposed to leave early to get back to work but we woke up to such a lovely day that we decided to play hookie.

As we couldn’t let anyone know (no phone) we just relaxed the day away, finished packing up and wended our way home.

We had such a good time we are heading up again this weekend.

I’m making a list. 🙂