Lovely day today! Hiked with Lynne and two of her Bainbridge besties, Renee and Marilyn. The forests and beaches on this island, even though there has been no rain for a record-breaking six weeks, are beautiful. In the afternoon, Ken’s daughter Sheryl and Sheryl’s husband Drew came over from Seattle for a belated Father’s Day celebration – and Amy and her cousin Naomi dropped by for a visit. Busy, active, and social day!
Had a lovely walk around town with Lynne and her sweet pup Einstein. After some trip planning using their reliable WiFi (a treat when traveling!), joined Lynne and Ken at a friend’s Caribbean-themed BBQ. Fantastic meal, great conversation, amazing views!
Long day of driving with a big treat at the end – hugs from Lynne and Ken! Staying here for a few nights and hoping to visit Judi and Lee.
Morning errands, including buying a folding step stool and a single serving coffee French press, followed by a beautiful hike in the Arcata Community Forest. Enjoyed playing with my “natural windows” photos! Afternoon beer at a local brewery. Chuck, Kate’s talented husband, cleaned up Addie and plugged her holes with boat-grade silicon. She’s feeling much better! Fun to hear people at the pub share their stories of vehicle scapes and bruises!
Woke up slowly, perhaps a result of the benedryl I took last night to help with my yellow jacket bites – they’re much better today! Hiked 4.5 miles at the Highland Springs Recreation Area. There’s a reservoir surrounded by what could be meadows if we had rain. Although hot – around 100° – I drank water and went slowly. Returned to camp for more water and a nap, followed by my festive lunch. There’s a nice breeze blowing, so it’s quite pleasant sitting outside, reading my book, and listening to K-Pop karaoke broadcasted from a few campsites away.
After “handling” the awning saga, I returned to camp. Read my book (The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah – EXCELLENT!), drank ice water, and ate cold cherries. When it finally cooled off a bit, hiked around camp – Indian Nature Trail and Dorn Nature Trail. Applied a surprisingly refreshing, although I’m not sure about healing, baking soda paste to my swollen and red bee stings. Enjoyed grilled salmon on salad while listening to my neighbors’ loud, I think Korean, music. All in all, a good day! 🙂
Although the duct tape held overnight, I added more this morning. The RV shop was short-handed with no repair people but was open for a half day and said to bring it over and he would see what he could do. I drove the 20 miles with my outside mirror focused on the awning, which didn’t budge – yay! The two people at the shop removed the awning and put it in Addie. The rivets holding the brackets are pulling out. I need new brackets and will find a shop somewhere that can fix it. Meanwhile I’ll travel with the awning in Addie and remove it when I camp. Hopefully this will be resolved during the week.
Following Emmett-snuggling, I hit the road! Easy first day of driving to Dublin, where I’m “camping” in Sarah and Andy’s cul de sac. Feeling comfortable driving Addie, relaxed, and ready for the next phase of my adventure.
Home! Traveled 3,192 miles, explored five states, hiked a gazillion miles, saw amazing geological and cultural sites, camped from luxury to rustic, bonded with Addie. GREAT TRIP!!!
After taking a look at Hoover Dam from the O’Callaghan-Tillman Bridge, I traveled to Red Rock Canyon and Spring Mountain Ranch State Park. Lots of rocky desert hikes, some surprising lush areas, and even a few burros! Ah…! 🙂
Three days in Valley of Fire State Park. Again, the most difficult part is deciding which ten photos to share! 🙂
