A ride to the Grand Coulee Dam

April 24, 2013

The weather was nice this morning and Eric decided to unload Big Red so we could take a ride.  Last year we took the scenic route north via the Grand Coulee Dam and highway 155 north to Omak.  It was a great plan but it was raining so hard we couldn’t see a thing.  We ended up doing about 20 miles an hour for a lot of the trip so it was worth another look. 

We put on our heated jackets (better safe than sorry) and headed off. 

> 

As we road along we are amazed by the rock formations.  The camera doesn’t do them justice.

Lake Lenore on our left as we road along.

Riding up to Dry Falls overlook looking back down the highway towards Lake Lenore and Soap Lake. 

Heading over the Dry Falls Dam with Banks Lake on our left.   

That’s Steamboat Rock out in the middle of Banks Lake.

Coming towards the Grand Coulee Dam.

The Grand Coulee is just one of the Dams on the Columbia River that starts out in British Columbia, Canada and ends up in the ocean at Astoria, Oregon.  A huge water system.  The most heavily dammed river in the world!

Beautiful street in Grand Coulee City.

Heading over the bridge to the Colville Indian Reservation and Omak. 

Looking back down at the bridge.  We missed the restaurant on our right and decided to head back up to Electric City to eat. 

Crossing the bridge looking at the Dam.

This restaurant had smelled delicious when we passed by so we stopped here for lunch.  Note the “Motorcycles Only” parking….gotta love that.  It is just a small local pub serving good food with people meeting and playing cards and crib.  A really good lunch.

Riding along the highway with Banks Lake on our right and Steamboat Rock in the distance. 

We continued back to Soap Lake and decided to take a ride up to Ephrata and see what was there.  It is only about six miles southwest of Soap Lake. 

Downtown Ephrata.  Reminded me of towns like Oliver, B.C. and it was probably built in the same era. 

Coming back along the highway to Soap Lake and the RV park.  The green trees you can see are the RV park. 

A nice day and a good ride.  We have decided to stay an extra day here as you get the third day free here when you pay for two.  You are supposed to listen to some promotion that they offer but they didn’t ask us to do that.  We paid for two nights with Passport America and that was half price so the whole thing is a bargain!

Tomorrow we will go to Leavenworth  (not the prison….the town in Washington!)  There is a couple here in the park from Oregon with a trike and the guy suggested that Leavenworth would be a nice ride.  So that’s what we’ll do. 

Oh and by the way we have the replacement suspension parts for the rig sorted out as well.  It turns out that it wasn’t Yahoo that wouldn’t send my email to Dexter when we were in Boise.  Turns out it was a slow internet connection.  The internet speed here in this park is smoking fast and the email went in about 30 seconds.  Sweet.  David from Dexter replied immediately and said that although are parts are out of warranty (over two years) that they would replace the parts and pay the shipping free of charge.  They wouldn’t go good for the installation but Eric would prefer to do that himself anyway.  After checking the internet Eric knows that there has been a huge failure with the rubber in the E-Z Flex suspension so Dexter is replacing them as a courtesy.  David from Dexter was efficient and quick to reply.  Not a usual thing these days. 

Boise/Meridian to Soap Lake, Washington.

Monday April 22, 2013

The weather here yesterday was lovely and warm with very little wind.  We made a trip to the local Harley dealer to see if they had the last couple of pieces that Eric needed for the stock horn he was putting back on Big Red.  The air horn that was on it when he bought it has been nothing but a problem so Eric decided to go back to the stock one.  It has been a struggle to find all the parts and this dealer didn’t have what he needed.  Oh well we’ll try a dealer in Kelowna when we get back to Canada. 

We had lunch and then made a trip over to WinCo for my usual stock up on anything that I’d like to take back to Canada.  No room for meat as my freezer is full of Mexican fish and shrimp but the fridge had room for some Tillamook cheese and butter.  I might have mentioned how much I like WinCo…okay maybe more than once!   

Today we took a trip over to Camping World for a quick look but didn’t see anything that we needed. 

Eric gave Dexter a call this morning to explain about the problems with the E-Z Flex suspension and Dave their customer service guy said he would look into it for us.  He emailed us back asking for a bunch of information and we are attempting to supply it.  Eric compiled an email and I tried to attach the pictures that he took but Yahoo mail ran for over an hour without attaching them.  We’ll have to try again when we get to Kelowna.  Very frustrating.  The pictures show that the rubber is actually cracking on the passenger (non slide) side so it is only a matter of time before they completely fail. One way or the other (our dime or Dexter’s) they will have to be replaced. 

Tomorrow we will head for Soap Lake, Washington and will take the scenic route along the east of the Columbia River.  The day is supposed to be sunny with not much wind so we will hope for the best. 

Ely, Nevada to Boise/Meridian, Idaho

Saturday April 20, 2013

We left Ely, Nevada at 7:45 am this morning as we made a run for the Boise/Meridian RV park in Meridian Idaho.  We knew that we would probably be quite a bit of wind by the time we hit Twin Falls, Idaho but it didn’t look like things were going to improve over the next few days so off we went.  The drive from Ely, Nevada to Twin Falls, Idaho was uneventful and there wasn’t much wind…a good thing.  We did see the odd little bit of snow at the edge of the road but no falling snow or rain and the temperature held steady around 6-8 C.  We travelled highway 93 through Twin Falls but have decided to see if we might bypass it and take an alternate route along highway 30 west through Hagerman and on to Bliss where it rejoins I84 and continues on to Boise next year.   It’s one of those routes we’ve looked at but since it is always weather dependant it hasn’t worked for us so far.  Perhaps next year.  

When we passed through Twin Falls the wind had started to really pick up.  We decided to stop in Jerome off of I84 for fuel as our usual fuel stop at the Flying J at the north end of Twin Falls is always too busy.  Too many people buying junk food and plugging up the pumps.  People should move away from the pumps after they have fueled up….don’t you think?

When we stopped in Jerome for lunch the wind was just howling!  Swell.  It was a really cold wind and it was rocking the rig.  Eric toyed with the idea of just parking at the rear of the Shell station where we fueled up and just staying  for the night but in the end he decided to just carry on.  We headed back out onto the I84 and it was really, really windy.  The good news is that our rig is heavy, has the Harley in the back for extra weight and also triple axles so it doesn’t move around much on the highway.  It is still a hard job for the driver but in the end it all went well. 

We arrived at the Boise/Meridian RV park at 3:30 pm Pacific daylight time and it isn’t very windy here but the lady on the desk did say that it had been blowing like hell until today.  Set up in the sunshine and having a beer by 4:3o pm.  In the end a good, but tiring day. 

The grass is green here and the flowering cherry trees are in bloom. 

We will stay here for three nights and head to Soap Lake, Washington on Tuesday….after we check the weather!

We are in Ely, Nevada

Friday April 19, 2013

We left Laughlin, Nevada this morning at 7:45am on our way to Ely, Nevada.  We had been waiting until the weather improved in Ely as they had been having snow and also hoping that the wind had died down.   You can read as many weather reports as you want but as you all know they are not always right.  The weather forecast had said there wasn’t going to be much wind in Las Vegas but that the weather was still not great in Ely as they were expecting rain showers and possibly snow over night.  Well, there was no wind from Searchlight, Nevada through Las Vegas and very little wind from Las Vegas to Ely.  We got lucky.  We made good time with a couple of short fuel stops and then a nice lunch stop just north of Ash Springs, Nevada where you make a a turn east off 93 North onto 318 North to Ely.  We both like the drive through the Great Basin especially if it isn’t windy and today it wasn’t.  Lucky for us.

The Great Basin and a long open drive. 

We parked under some huge cottonwood trees and had a very pleasant lunch stop. 

Big trees!  Little tiny us.

A nice quiet lunch stop. 

We arrived at the Valley View RV Park at 3:30 pm after travelling about 350 miles.  A long enough day for us and tomorrow it will be a 380 mile day to the Boise/Meridian RV park in Meridian, Idaho.  If the weather is ugly in the morning we’ll decide what to do at that time.  We know that a large amount of wind is in the forecast for Twin Falls, Idaho but it doesn’t look like it will be much better in the next few days so we’ll just have to carry on. 

Today was a pleasant drive but we are both tired and tomorrow will be another long day. 

Yuma, Arizona to Laughlin, Nevada

On Monday morning we were up bright and early to pack up and head off to the alignment shop in Yuma.  When we arrived the owner (Joe Haines of Chassis Dynamics) backed the rig over the pit and got underneath to have a look.  A minute or so later he called Eric down into the pit to have a look as well. 

Turns out that the passenger side of the rig where the tires are wearing the worst has a problem with the Dexter Easy Flex rubber equalizers that Eric added on to improve the shock absorption.  The rubber blocks have collapsed and changed the angle of the axle on that side in relation to the driver’s side.  Joe said he has replaced numerous sets of these Dexter Easy Flex equalizers and also MorRyde rubber suspension parts.  He suggested going back to steel equalizers with bronze bushings instead of rubber.  Joe said they are constantly failing and the rubber is just no good.  Swell!  He said he could align the axles but we would be back in no time saying that the alignment was no good and that the tires were wearing funny.  Eric thanked him for his honesty and when he asked what the charge was Joe said “No charge because I didn’t do anything!”  How nice is that.  Too bad that the James Sterling Truck Shop in Kelowna didn’t tell us all of this when they aligned the axles for $400.00 when we were heading south in November.  Joe said the infrastructure has to be right before you do an alignment.  Eric will change the equalizers when we get home and we’ll return to Chassis Dynamics next fall for an alignment.  Unfortunately the tires will wear out and have to be replaced again.  An expensive problem. 

We were out of the shop and on the road by 9:00 am so it was off to Laughlin, Nevada.  We knew there was a wind warning for Laughlin and all the way up to Las Vegas that was going to worsen late in the afternoon so we didn’t stop for lunch along the way.  Luckily it was a south wind and it blew us all the way to Laughlin!  We were in the park by 1:00 pm and the wind was no issue.  Blow, blow, blow, who cares, we’re parked now!

We like it here in Laughlin because the park is cheap ($100.00 a week) and it has this nice little outlet mall that I like to shop at!

Finishing up in Pittsburgh and back to Yuma.

Friday April 12, 2013

Our last couple of days in Pittsburgh were spent with Krista and I visiting Jeff’s Gram on Wednesday morning and then a quick trip to a plant nursery for Krista and I on Thursday morning before we left. The local nurseries are scrambling to get everything out as it has been so cold and now it has warmed up in the last week.  We experienced a record high temperature for April as well as record low temperature while we were there for our weeks visit. 

I haven’t seen Gram since we were in Pittsburgh and that was six years ago.  She is now 91 and still sharp as a tack!  Living in her own home and although her body is giving her grief in many ways she is still managing on her own.  She has a son and daughter in law up the street (Karen and Bobby) and they help out as needed.  She is no longer driving and I have great respect for her decision.  Last year her shoulders started giving her problems and she felt that she wasn’t strong enough to drive any more.  She was worried that she might cause an accident and harm someone else, possibly a family and she didn’t want that to happen.  We should all be so responsible at that age.  Krista and I brought sandwiches for lunch and we had a nice chat and caught up on all Gram’s news while we ate.  A sweet, lovely lady and just a little bit of a thing.  She and I have Ava Kathryn’s name  in common because Gram (Kitty) is also a Katherine so Ava is named after us both.  It was great to see her and she was really happy to see me too.

 

 

                                                                                                          That’s Gram with Shane a couple of years ago and also Gram in her living room with her Grandchildren.  She loves them all! I forgot my camera so I didn’t get a current picture but she really hasn’t changed much. 

On Thursday our weeks visit was over and it was time to head back to Yuma.  I said goodbye to the kids when they were leaving for school on Thursday morning (Eric was still in bed) and by the afternoon it was time for Krista to take us to the airport.  It was a long day with a four hour flight to Phoenix with a three hour lay over and then a short one hour flight back to Yuma.  We arrived at the Yuma airport at 11:30pm Arizona time and got a cab from the airport to the RV park.  Unfortunately we were greeted by a huge pile of dust and dirt in the rig.  We’d been worried about the temperature getting too high while we were away and had left the windows and roof vents cracked.  BIG MISTAKE!  There was a 60mile an hour dust storm while we were away and the roof vents blew completely open and the rig was filthy.  Luckily we’d changed the roof vents to polycarbonate last spring while we were in Yuma or they would have blown off completely!  We shook off the comforter on the bed (covered in a sandy dust) and I washed out the toilet area so we could use it and then it was off to bed.  Next time we’ll leave everything closed and turn the A/C on low.  Lesson learned! 

Today (Friday) Eric and I got to amuse ourselves with vacuuming the rig from top to bottom.  Oh well….what else have we got to do.   We’ll spend a couple more days here in Yuma and head out on Monday morning after we get the axles realigned again at a local shop before we head north.  We had it done in Kelowna on the way south but the tires are wearing oddly and it needs to be done again.  We’ll head north as far as Quartzite, Arizona or we might make it to Laughlin, Nevada but that will  depend on how late we get out of Yuma.

A visit to the Pittsburgh Zoo

Tuesday April 9, 2013

We were looking for something that was fun to do with the grandchildren and in the end the zoo was it.  We have been to the Pittsburgh zoo before but Ava was a baby then and Shane was only two.  This time Krista had take Shane out of school for the afternoon (no complaints from him!) and Ava only goes to kindergarten in the morning so no big deal there.  Shane and Ava have been to the Zoo lots of times but like most kids they like to redo things that they like. 

Zoos are a bit of a controversial subject but they do have their place in conservation and breeding programs as well as making young people aware of what is being lost in the wild.  Nuff said!

Ava, Krista and Shane are off to the Zoo with Grandma and Grandpa in tow.

Always something to buy in a gift shop. 

This tiger had just had a swim and was now beating up a big cardboard box and was having a great time doing it!

Very pink flamingos.

Doting Momma Rhino and her baby. 

Junior decided it was time for a mud bath and Mom was keeping a close eye on him. 

Krista and the kids have a look….Shane is taking pictures. 

Giraffes.

Elephants.

How tall are Ava and Shane compared to a baby elephant?

Time for a sandwich as everyone was hungry. 

I think Grandma has her mouth full.

Huge silverback gorilla picking grass and relaxing in the sun.

Time for a snack….I thought we just had lunch.  Kids are always hungry. 

Jungle area under glass.  Too cold in Pittsburgh for this to grow outside and it reminded me of Mexico where it does grow outside. 

The StingRay touch tank where the kids were encouraged to pat them….and they seemed to really like it as they all swam up to the edge of the tank. 

The kids could crawl through a tunnel and come up at the other end of the StingRay tank and pat them there as well.  A big hit!

There is a new Polar bear habitat and they seem a lot happier than they were in the old one.

Who wants these captured kids?

The seals were performing and working for their dinner of squid and fish.  Amazingly smart and they seem to enjoy the activity. 

The family watches the seal show. 

There is a large amusement park for the kids to play in when they are tired of looking at animals.

Scooting around.

Happy to be at the Zoo.

Don’t you think this fellow would look lovely in my garden! 

Ava inside the Meerkat viewing bubble.

Krista thinks she’d like one for a pet.  What would Don Diego the guinea pig say!  The poster says you need to have two. 

This little guy made me sad…looks like he needs more friends and room to run.  Such is the problem with Zoos. 

 

I think Grandpa is squeezing Shane’s leg.  Grandpa said he gave him an Indian rope burn on his wrist and then a horse bite on his leg! 

Time to head home.

Under the tunnel and ….

Down the hugely steep escalator to the parking lot and home. 

Old Pittsburgh buildings as we drive home. 

That night we were off to the Asian Bistro for dinner.  Holy cow we are getting really tired!

A great dinner was had by all.  Shane ate sushi, Ava had chicken, I had wonderful prawns and everyone else enjoyed their dinners as well.  Good service, great staff and good prices too.  What else could you ask for at the end of a busy day.