Saturday, 30 July, living in WA, but hanging in Idaho

We had to get up early this morning.  As it turned out, I got up at 6:00 and Bella got up shortly after so we went for a walk.
I worked on getting the blog caught up until 7:30 and then started packing up for today's adventure.
We reserved a boat yesterday to use today on Priest Lake.  There are two lakes, upper and lower and they are connected by a Thorofare.
We left at 8:30 and stopped in at Newport's Saturday morning Farmer's Market.  We bought some fruit and veggies, then continued our journey up to Blue Diamond Resort and Marina in Cavanaugh Bay.  We rented a fishing boat. I put a life vest on Bella just in case and we took off.
We zoomed up Lower Priest at 25 mph.  We were really bouncing, but Bella seemed ok with it.  She trembled far less in it than she does in the car.  When we got to the Thorofare we slowed way down.  It is a "no wake zone"  because the banks are delicate.

Rob is driving 

Bella and I were just enjoying the ride.

We saw an Eagle flying around and diving for fish as we were coming up the lake so we were watching for them again.

We saw a big next, but don't think the birds were eagles.  Not sure what they were.

We found a nice beach and pulled up on shore for lunch.

Upper lake is smaller and surrounded by beautiful mountains.  We went around it more slowly and then decide to head back through the Thorofare to lower lake to stop in at a couple of the resorts for some adult beverages.

We pulled in to Grandview Lodge and it was a bit tricky to dock.  

 Rob didn't explain my roll to me very well so it was not as pretty as it should have been.  Plus it was really windy and the docks were really bouncy. 

The little boat in the middle is ours.

We had a drink and a giant plate of nachos and headed out again. 

We continued on slowly, which was nice.  Not so crazy about the hard landings in the bouncing.  We pulled into Hills Resort and Marina.  It is much nicer.  We got gas then docked and went in for another beverage.

It is a fun place with a lot going on.  They had beach volleyball in front of us and paddle ball beside us.  Plus, the deck was pretty lively.  Lots going on in the water as well with boats, jet skies, and paddle boards.

Bella enjoyed it as well.

We headed out again and returned to the marina where we rented the boat.  They had a Blues, Brews, and Bar-B-Q going on.  Originally we had planned on staying for it, but when we got there we saw it was $25. per person which did not include the beer.  We decided NOT!

We drove on home and we were all pretty tired. We sat outside for a little while, but the mosquitos were out and about so we went in and went to bed.  Another awesome adventurous day.

Friday, 29 July, Little Diamond Lake, WA

We really slept in this morning, all three of us.  I think we really needed it.
When we did get up I took Bella out for a little walk and then we sat out and enjoyed our coffee.
About 10ish we decided to go for a little walk.  Rob showed Bella and I the clubhouse, pool and the little lake.  We walked back, grabbed some water and headed out.
We wanted to check out the area.  First we headed into the town of Newport which is basically where we are.  We found some really cool Wood carving Statues.  Would have love to have had either one of them up in Tahoe.

 This one has a bear within, a couple cubs, and the whole thing is shaped like a bear

This one just has bears with in and on.  It's stained and the address is carved into it as well.

Next we crossed the border and went in to Idaho.  We stopped in at the Albeni Falls Dam and Power Plant.  We did a little walking around this place and checked out the Visitor Center for some Brochures.

From there we went into a cute little town called Sand Point.  I believe we will be seeing more of this area as it is supposed to have some awesome Mountain Biking trails.  That will be for another day.  Today, though, we stopped in at a restaurant called Spuds and had lunch.  Rob had a BLT on a giant homemade hogie roll.  I had a tortilla salad.  Mine was quite yummy, but huge.

 We sat on their patio overlooking the marina.  It was fun, as there was a lot of activity.  Boats, Stand Up Paddlers, jet skies, walkers, etc.  It was wonderful.

 From there we drove up to Schweitzer Mountain Resort. 

 It was beautiful.  This is another place that is supposed to have good mountain biking.  They have a lot going on at the base camp. They have giant checkers and chess, they have a rock climbing wall, a bouncy flipping thing.  They had a big zip line

In the middle of the field is the landing platform for the zip line.

Here's a better shot of it.

And here is a picture of the resort center.

We went for a 2.5 mile hike out to a place called picnic point.  We followed a map of various ski trails to get out to it and had some nice views along the way.

This one is looking back at the resort and the ski runs.  During the summer they run a couple of the ski lifts.  One just to take people up to the top to check it out, and one that carries bikes so the crazies can ride down the ski runs.  We don't find that to be especially fun.  We'd rather hike.

Picnic point was a nice spot to have a snack and to enjoy the view of Lake Pend Oreille. There were some other lovely views that Rob captured as well.

 Like He and I

And Bella and I

We captured this one on the way back to the Resort center.

When we got back we desired adult beverages so we stopped in at a Wine, cheese, and beer bar.  I ordered a glass of wine, Rob a beer and we split a cheese and fruit platter that included french baguette and olives.  We sat out on a patio with a lovely view.

After we finished we headed back to the car.  Bella was off leash, as were a couple other dogs that she decided to make friends with.  One was a big goofy lab pup named Juno.  Bella kept scolding him.  He kept jumping at her and pawing at her and she kept nipping and yipping at him.  We moved on and she encountered Haggred, a very big Saint Bernard. She wasn't quite sure about him, but she tried to be brave.

From there we returned to our home on wheels.

I enjoyed a glass of wine and the peace and quiet, as well as the nice smells of a camp fire and then went to bed.  It was another fun day.

Thursday, 28 July, Tahoe to Spokane to Newport, WA

Man are we zombies.  Definitely not enough sleep.
Rob was upset because he miscalculated our departure time from Donner in order to get to the airport on time. We needed to leave at 5 am but we didn't leave until 5:30.  He was driving like a bat out of hell and stressing.  
He dropped me at the airport to check our bags and check ourselves and Bella in and then he went to turn in the car. Luckily there was virtually no line for check in or through security.
We got to the gate and we saw on the board that we already had seat assignments.  Awesome.  We were sitting in separate rows, but a nice lady traded with Rob so were were able to sit together. Bella was much calmer.  She was probably as exhausted as we were.  I slept all the way to Portland.
Portland was a little bit more of a wait for seats.  There were three standbys and one had already been assigned a seat but Rob and I had not.  I was not worried though because the board said there were still three open seats.  Finally we got our assignments and again we were in separate rows, and again a nice man traded with Rob so we could sit together.  
We got to Spokane safely.  I headed out with Bella and Rob went for our bags.  I begged some water from a Taxi driver to give to Bella.  She was very grateful.  She did her business and everyone felt much better.
We got to the RV, which we had left pretty much ready to go, and hooked up and left.  I went on ahead.  We are going up to Little Diamond Lake KOA.  We are supposed to be there for two weeks, but we have to change sites after the first week.  We are supposed to be on the KOA side for $48. a night and then move over to the Thousand Trails side for $10. per night.  I found our site and it is beautiful.
But, as we got Rob backed in I realized we only have 30 amps, not 50.  We will only be able to run one air conditioner and it is supposed to be hot for the next several days.  We have no wifi, no cable, no sewer.  We are paying $48. per night for water and 30 amps.  I was not happy.  We didn't even hook up.  I went back to the office and asked about a 50 amp site.  She said they were all booked up for the weekend.  I told her we had made the reservations a month ago, but she was not able to help me.  
Rob had taken Bella for a walk and while he was gone I located another RV park back in Spokane.  I think it is more like the Ranch where we own in SoCal, because the sites are for sale.  Anyway, I called them and they could accommodate us for next week.  Then we called Thousand Trails to see if we could change our reservations from next week to this week and they said yes.
I went back to the office and told them we were cancelling our stay with them and moving over to the Thousand Trails side.  They said ok and refunded our money.  Im willing to pay $10. per night for water and only 30, but not $48.  Also, the Park next week is on 40 for full hook ups.
Rob and I were so tired after moving to the new site and setting up that we both took naps.  
The thousand Trails side, by the way, is crappy.  They are definitely not as nice as the KOA sites and I think they must have been set up for motorhomes because all the hookups are at the street and we need them at the back of the spaces.  
Any way, I slept for a couple hours.  Rob had done a walk about and went down to the lake for a swim and swam in the pool as well.  
I woke up, had a little dinner, and then we all went to bed.
Sorry, no pictures today.

Wednesday, July 27, Tahoe Donner

We slept in a separate condo down stairs from Jen's.  I slept really well.  Jen has to work this morning.  She is teaching sailing through the Rec center.  Cali is also in a water sports day camp and so everyone was gone early this morning.  

Rob and I decided to go to Wildflower for breakfast.  It is a favorite in Incline.  As we were headed for the car we ran into Jen and Leila coming back from a walk.  

We had a good breakfast and then Rob left (to walk across the street) for his Dr.s apt.  I still had 30 min before mine so I went by our former Vets office to see if they might be able to fit Bella in to trim her nails.

Justin was there and it was nice seeing each other again.  He trimmed her nails with no problem.

I went to my appointment and all is well with all of us.  We are good for another year.  Actually, Rob is only good for another six months.  He has to have a flight physical every six months.  He routinely gets one elsewhere and then we both come to Tahoe to see our Dr. Koch.  

We went to Raileys to pick up prescriptions and, since we had to wait, got a sandwich from the deli and had lunch.  

After Railey's we went by our old house.  We lived in Incline for 17 years and just sold our house this past November.  We knew they were doing some work on it and wanted to check it out.  

Sadly, the yards were all dead.  No lawn and most of the planters were dead as well.  They changed all the windows.  They removed the garden window from the kitchen, they removed the sliding doors from the downstairs and just put a window in instead.  That seems scary, I didn't see any egress from the downstairs.  They put a sliding door in from the up-stairs master bedroom and are redoing the deck up there to include one from the master.  They added a set of three windows in the living room, on the only solid wall.

While standing on the side of the house looking into the kitchen I realized I could see all the way through to the neighbors roof.  What are they doing on the inside?

Well, I boldly walked up to the front door and looked in.  What I could see was that they have removed all the entry way cabinets and are putting the stairs where the left entry (as you are standing outside at the front door looking in) closets were.  They have removed all the cabinet running along the living room and are closing off the stairway that was there.  They have removed all the rock work of the fireplace.  That's all we could see, we couldn't really see anything to the right.  Obviously no one was there.  Next year, though, I would like to go by again and knock on the door and ask to see all the changes.  

From there we went back to Jen's. We changed into swim wear and waited for everyone to get back.  We fixed some snacks and drinks, loaded up 5 Stand-up paddle boards, paddles, etc and headed to Stampede Reservoir.  It was another hot day.  90 in Tahoe which is crazy hot.

Jen has two inflatable SUB that we were trying out.  One she had already pumped up and so we pumped up the other.  It has to be inflated to 15 psi.  She and I could only get it to 10, so Rob came and pumped it up the rest of the way.  He also finished the other one getting it up to 15 psi as well.  

We put the fins in, put a life vest on Bella and Leila and off we went.

 I started out on my knees just to get used to the board and to help Bella get a little more comfortable.  Eventually I did stand up though.  Rob and I even swapped boards out in the water.  We put her on his board first, then I got on and he switched over to mine.  It went quite smoothly.  I didn't like the board he was on.  It was narrower and pointy so we swapped back.  Bella did a bit of trembling, but eventually she calmed down and sat down.
We all paddled for a bit and tried out the various boards.  Two are hard boards and two are inflatables.  We all really liked the inflatables.  Rob & I are considering getting a couple.  They deflate and the board, fins, pump and paddle all fit into a back pack.  They would be perfect for us to take with us.
We all came in for snacks and then went out again because the wind had died down and the water was really calm.

 That's Jen and Tony

Rob and Jen.
 Bella is barking at them because she doesn't want them in the water any more.

Sadly it was time to pack up and go.  

 Tony and Rob loading three of the SUP 

Jen and Leila

On the way out of Stampede, before reaching I-80, we pulled over at a vista point and watched the International Space Station fly over.  They had never seen it before.  Another couple was there sitting in the back of their pickup waiting to watch the sun set.  They were pretty thrilled to see the Space Station as well.

Afterward we went back to Jen's for a late dinner and finally went to bed at 11 pm.  Yuk!  We have to leave at 5 am for the air port.

It is always fun and adventuresome having out with Jen.  She is wild and crazy and very athletic (she's a fire fighter/paramedic)  We used to mountain bike together, traveled around Mexico together, hiked, etc.  She is my only female friend who I get to do all those things with.  I miss her a lot.  She and Rob have been friends since second grade.

Tuesday, 26 July, going to Tahoe.at

Yuk!  Those ribs did not agree with either one of us.

I woke up at 3 am with rumbly tummy and could not go back to sleep.  Rob also woke up several times during the night.

I got up at 4:00 to take a shower and get ready for the airport.  Rob got up at 4:30 and we left at 5.

The airport situation, as far as checking luggage, checking Bella in, and getting through security went very smoothly. When we got to the gate they already had seat assignments for us (we are flying standby of course).  The flight to Boise was good.  Bella had a real hard time settling down tho and trembled and repositioned throughout most of it.  

The situation and flight from Boise to Reno went smoothly as well.  Rob went to get the car and I went for our bags.  I met him in line for the car and gave him the bags and I took Bella out for a walk.  

In Reno we went to Michaels and Costco, then Rob wanted to go hit some golf balls so Bella and I went to Virginia Lake.  We had a nice walk around the lake, although it was hot in Reno.

Rob finished so we went up to the lake to our friend Jennifer's house in Donner.  She was still at work and Tony and Cali weren't there either.  That was a blessing, as Rob and I were exhausted and in serious need for a nap.  We both laid down and slept for about an hour and a half until Tony, Cali and Leila (Leila is the dog) came in.  We had a nice visit with them and then Jen came home.  

We visited, then Rob, Jen, Cali, and the two dogs went for about a 45 min. walk.  We came back and had bar-b-q burgers, salad, etc.  We visited for a little longer, but it was 11:00 and Rob and I were totally exhausted and finally went down stairs to bed.  

Monday, 25 July; Leaving Leavenworth for Spokane

Sad but excited, today we leave beautiful Leavenworth for Spokane.  I have never been to Spokane so it is exciting for me, but I really love it here in Leavenworth.
We sat outside and enjoyed our coffee and the peace and quiet.  Pam came by with her two dogs and we bid her a fond farewell.  She is from Oklahoma and has been here all winter and has yet to sit down and plan her next move.  She is very nice and has two big dogs that she walks at least twice a days. Usually they go in opposite directions and we mostly see her almost split in half, ams extended and big dog on the end of their leads.
We finally decide to get a move on and packed and stowed everything.  We left about 10:30.
I stopped in Wenatchee at Walmart to get some plant food for the Plumeria.  Have I told you about our plumeria?  Well, I have been raising them at the ranch.  I have three very large ones.  Two pinks and a yellow.  They have been in big pots that we bring in to the build out in the winter to keep them from freezing and then put out in the spring.  They were actually getting to big and heavy to do that.  Rhonda is taking care of all the plants on our lot while we are gone.  She weeds, trims, and feeds everything.  She also covers delicate plants in the winters.  That is her business and she works for probably a third of the park.  Anyway, we agreed to plant the two biggest Plumerias and the smaller, which is the yellow and smells the best, we (I) decided to bring with us.  So, we are hauling this big ass plant around with us.  In a couple weeks it is going to bloom and it will be worth it, but for right now it is just a pain in the butt.  Note to self, next time haul around a tomato plant or something that produces something you can eat!
Anyway, I stopped at Walmart to get it some food. I also needed gas. As you may recall, we have two vehicles.  I am driving my little car and Rob is driving the Pick-up pulling the RV.
Rob was on the road ahead of me.  He called me and suggested I go up to Little Diamond and check it out.  We are headed right now to Fairchild Air Force Base.  We will stay there until Thursday. The reason for this is; We are flying to Reno tomorrow because we both have Dr.s appointments for our annual physical on Wednesday with our Dr. in Tahoe that we have been seeing for the past 16 years.  
It is much cheaper to stay on an Air Force Base than a KOA.  When we get back we are supposed to go up to the KOA for two weeks.  Rob suggested that I go directly to the KOA and check it out to see if we want to go up there or just stay at the Air Force Base.  The KOA is about 55 miles northeast of Spokane.  So, that was the plan.
Everything changed however in a little town called Reardan which is about 22 miles west of Spokane.  I was passing a truck going about 70 mph when all of a sudden I started hearing wap, wap, wap.  I pulled over and looked at my tires and looked under the car and didn't see anything.  So I started again, but the noise was still there.  I called Rob and told him something was wrong with my car.  I pulled over again into a Cafe parking lot, in the shade and looked under the car again.  Sure enough, I found it.  The inside of my left rear tire was coming apart.  Thank God it didn't pop or come apart completely, I probably would have crashed.
I called Rob again and roadside assistance.  My cool car has a button I press for assistance.  They contacted AAA to send someone out to change my tire.  It would be within the hour.  In the meantime, (actually while I was on the phone with them) Rob, whom I thought was ahead of me was actually behind saw me and pulled over.  We cancelled AAA and he changed the tire.  
I limped into Spokane on my spare and into a Lexus dealership.  I had an extended warrantee on my tires.  I knew I was due for some new ones.  My tires are bigger in the back than the front, so they cannot be rotated.  I have 41,000 plus miles on my tires already and figured they would have to be replaced soon.  I just had my car serviced 4,ooo miles ago and they said they were still good.  We called Costco to see how much they would be and they said $1000.  plus, they would have to order my rears.  
Anyway, I went to Lexus because of the warrantee.  As it turned out, my warrantee was worthless.  My car was seriously out of alignment and wore my tires severely.  They said it should have been noted by the last service people.  Anyway, short story made really long, I had them do my alignment and got 4 new tires.  They worked out between the two Lexus dealerships to not charge me for the alignment and the tires were cheaper than what Costco had and they had all 4 in stock.  So, two hours later I was out the door with my car safe again. Yippee!
Meanwhile, Rob had gone on to Fairchild and got all set up.  Naturally I didn't go to Little Diamond, I went straight to him.  
We went to the mess hall for dinner.  We had ribs, yum, and then we went into Spokane to check it out.  
We went to Riverside park and walked about.

Then we walked down to the Power Plant with the huge waterfall.  It's beautiful.

We walked down by the power plant into the park.

And then we went across the big bridge and Rob got a picture of the Bison skull.  It was an original skull, but when they restored the bridge they used the original skull as a mold to make a concrete one.

That's the park to the right.

Across the bridge we discovered an Anthony's Seafood restaurant.  They are famous for, among other things, their fruit slumps, and Rob loves their peach ice cream (when it is in season).  We went in to see if they did have Peach Ice Cream yet and yes indeed they did, and peach Slump.  So, we asked to be seated.

What a nice table and view!  We had a glass of wine, Rob had the ice cream and I had the slump.  I could only eat half of it. It was yummy, but I was still to full from the dinner.

I told him I was really tired, I didn't sleep so well and got up at like 5:30, and was ready to call it a night.

We drove back to the base, prepared coffee for the morning and went to bed.  We have to get up early for our flight.