We had a few odds and ends to have done to the coach, and we heard good things about Brazel’s RV in Centralia, WA. So, we planned a weekend to spend a few days in the RV, and then drop it off at Brazel’s for some minor work. We spent Thursday and Friday night at Lake Pleasant RV Park in Bothel, WA.
Saturday morning, we then drove down to American Heritage Campground in Olympia, WA
Wooded area, with plenty of privacy
The view above…
We left early Sunday morning for the drive home. The total trip is 1295 miles,or about 23-1/2 hours if we averaged 55 mph overall. We originally planned for three days, stopping near San Jose, CA the first night, and Canyonville, OR the second night.That would put the drive at about 460 miles (8-1/2 hours) each of the first two days, and then 355 miles for the final day. Our main concern was the possibility of snow at Siskiyou Pass.
The first day, we drove a bit further than planned, and ended up overnighting at the Walmart Supercenter in Willows, CA. Of course, we had shopping to do in Wal-Mart anyway, and bought odds and ends. We parked at the far end of the parking lot, which allowed us to open one of the bedroom slides.
View from Rest Stop
The next morning, we left early and hit the road again. We stopped at one of the rest stops on the way for breakfast – which offered beautiful views of the mountainsides. We made it over the mountain passes without incident and stopped for lunch near Azalea, OR.
The second night (Monday night), we stopped at the Walmart Supercenter near Woodburn, OR, and again, did yet more shopping at Wal-Mart.
Since we were making good time, we decided to stop on the way home to stay at an RV park Tuesday night, and relax.
Cruise ship coming down the Columbia River
We picked Columbia Riverfront RV Park in Woodland, WA. We ended up with a great site, overlooking the Columbia River. While relaxing in the RV, we glanced out the window to see a huge cruise ship coming down the river. The river didn’t appear wide enough to accommodate a cruise ship, so we were rather surprised.
The next day, we left around 9:15 am (after dumping the tanks), and pulled up in front of our house at about 2:45 pm.
We flew out early Friday morning (Feb 28, 2015 @ 6:40 am) to Palm Springs to pick up the RV. Upon arrival, we rented a car and immediately drove to the RV Storage site. The RV started right up, and we drove it about a mile down the road to the RV Park (Indian Waters RV Resort).
View from front window at site.
That’s us, on the right (with our rental car on the left of the RV)
We had a perfect spot right across the street from the clubhouse, and the person taking us to the site guided me right into the spot.
Hot Tub, Heated Pool, etc…
The park is very nice with lots of amenities: Heated Pool, Hot Tub, Pickleball Courts, and various activities scheduled for most days.
We spent the weekend (Fri-Sun morning) getting acclimated to the RV, and trying to figure out how everything worked, and where the switches are located. We also made several runs to Walmart to stock up on supplies (Coffee Maker, Toaster Oven, Pillows, Sheets, etc…)
Joshua Tree Nat’l Park is only about an hour away, but we didn’t make it there this trip. We would definitely stay here again when we are in the area in the future.
Last week, we bought an RV! Larry flew out to Palm Springs CA to look at it, and it was exactly as the seller had described it. Since they were expecting snow in the mountain pass (Siskiyou Pass), we stored it in Palm Springs, and will pick it up in March when the weather should be better for the return drive.
(Click picture for additional photos)
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