Picture Perfect

 Spent the day taking photos of this delightful young child of God getting ready for her baptism.  She didn't mind the photo shoot one little bit.

We just went over to the Sterling Lake and took pictures in different areas around the walking path.  What a fun spot they have in their cute little town.

I'm so very pleased with all of our grandchildr

en.  

On the Road Again,

 Time for another trip out to Kansas for a special baptism day.  We had to get their early to take pictures and make the program.  The van isn't complete yet, but it's ready to go, and gets the job done.

It seems the rain never stops this year, and we are once again on the road in the rain.  But I'm happy to be there.

 

Are you ready for the tour?  It's not complete yet, but it has everything in it that we need with the exception of the water plumbed.  That is something I don' feel comfortable doing and haven't been able to get Dean excited to help me with much of anything, with the exception of the electrical which I could not have done without him.  

Notice the solar reading light in the window getting charged for the nights possible use.  And we love having our map on the phone/Garmin in front of us.

Just a 2024 Cargo Van that could use a good paint job, topped with 400 watts of solar.

I have used every spare inch of space.  There is a hanging shelf on the back doors and wire bins to hold the clothes.  It will look much better if I hide that, so I will make thin cupboards around it.

At the bottom of the bed, we have hung a lace curtain.  It gives us enough privacy we can dress on the bed while guests are in the front of the van.  This is on the passenger side of the van, and is our vanity.  It has a little shelf above the fridge where the water sits, and can easily be used to fill the sink for dishes, for drinking water or to wash your face first thing in the morning.  

The Ikea buckets hold bathroom drawer supplies like makeup and brushes, lotion and other needed items.  The fire alarm and carbon dioxide monitors hang out of sight in the cubby and in the back are necessities like curling irons, razors and a vanity mirror.  The power isn't working yet on this side of the van, so I ran an extension cord from the inverter making power easily accessible.  Dean cut off the TV and internet cable that were just hanging loose in this area, so those two comforts are gone for good.  I wanted plumbing and have a 35 gallon tank under the bed, but that is likely to never happen.  There is a couple of wire racks hanging under the bed as well, where we store our wet weather clothes and shoes, and on the upper shelf we have games and crafts.  I plan on living in this thing.

The cupboards are unique as I used a dresser with an upper part.  I cut it off and extended it so that we could put the sink in.  There is just barely enough room for the hose to go underneath and drain.  It currently drains into a 5 gallon water jug, but hopefully will soon get converted to draining outside of the van with a lever outside.  I plan on putting a piece of molding over the top of the bottom mess so that it can hide the junk but be lifted up for easy access.  On the very top is storage for bags, spices, Voss plastic bottles of food, and a small size jar of peanut butter.  What else is needed?  The shelves above the sink hold all necessary items for quick access, like pills, salt and pepper, as well as other things that just need to be readily available. 

The bottom part of the dresser takes more space than I should have given it but I wanted something pretty to look at.  It has a silverware drawer, as well as space for all cooking items like plates, cups, containers, and pans.  The dutch oven is stored underneath, and the heater and water tank are immediately under the sink.  There are eye hooks to thread bungees on to keep everything from sliding around.  The drawers still come open even with a magnet inside, so the bottom I keep in place with a dowel through the handles and the top I have a long screw that keeps those drawers locked in place.

On the wall opposite the kitchen is the bench/bed.  We built it when Nikki was still around and thought she might go with us.  It slides out into a full size bed, and with feet underneath our bed, it allows the sleeper to stretch fully out.  Under the pillow portion, is the toilet.  It is not part of the bed, but the comforter is long enough to put over the top of it and hid it a bit.  I made a cushion that goes on top of the seat so it can be sat on as a chair, but at night we just leave it uncovered for ease of access.  Underneath the bench are 3 pull out shelves that store pantry items in water bottles so we have a little of many items.  They are kept from sliding with an eye screw and a hook.  The inverter is under the foot of the bed, not easily accessed but as easy as I could make it.

Dean installed my seat swivel but has yet to install his.  I have a small chest of drawers, probably meant to hold 8.5x11" sheets of paper, that we use to store everything else, including office supplies, dog supplies, junk drawer supplies, and simple tools and fixing supplies.  The fire extinguisher is attached to the side of the van.  There is a pop up table where I use my computer or watch tv from the swivel chair.  Between the seats should be kept clear but we seldom get that done on our trips with our dog.  There is a cubby on the step going out the sliding door where one pair of shoes each are stored.

Welcome to the garage.  On the right is the propane tank, and a 35 gallon water tank for storage (yet unused).  Laundry supplies go above the propane and a shelf holding crafts and games goes the length of the bed.  In the center are items we need to grab from either side.  At the back on the top shelf if the shower.  It holds all items necessary for showers, including the tote and a shower curtain which I hope to someday install in the entrance on the side.  The curtain hangs on a curtain rod that is installed in a circle and a shower head planned to be above the door so that it can be used inside or outside.  The curtain fits inside the tote where there is enough room to easily stand.  It will be dumped outside and not have a drain.  Extra water and dry food storage in a Lifetime cooler fit in the middle on the floor.  The left side stores: chairs, coats, tools, car supplies, fishing rod and fishing box.  Shovel, rake and extension cords hang on the left wall with hitch ball and other large necessary items.

 What more could a girl want?

Candice Wants to Go Camping in Her Vehicle Now Too

 With all of my excitement Candice must have caught some, because she asked us to help her convert her SUV into a camper.  That, I must confess, sounded like a challenge.  She wouldn't have any spare room, and sleeping would be a challenge but we were up for the task, and even Dean got on board when it came to actually building it.  I was more of the designer, and Candice and Dean did most of the work.  The make a pretty handy pair.

We wanted a pull out shelf where she could mix the food, and do the prep work, then replacing it with a portable stove.  The cookware and stove could be stored there.  The mattress could be put in place and left, and their clothing bags could easily be put on the floor space behind the driver and passenger seat .  We had a plan, and we went to town to put it together.

 We used good plywood and made sure it would support two bodies, and a mattress.  It is easily put in and taken out, so that they can put it in when needed.  The only thing I was worried about was the head space from the person lying in the bed to the ceiling.  I was afraid it would be very claustrophobic.

We cut some nice foam to make it totally comfortable and I know they are excited to try it out.  I hope they love it, and that they will actually use it. 

 

Nasty Eye is Making Progress

 I'll spare you the images, but my RA eye is getting better.  It is still inflamed with blood vessels going everywhere but the pie shape bloodshot is gone and the pain is better.  I am hopeful that I will be able to overcome it completely.

Salem Canyon Park, UT

 Taylor and Candice put together a fun get away to heal my broken heart and see if Dean could handle a low key get together up Salem Canyon.  What a perfect get away.  We each drove separately and we loved spending time together.  

The kids fished, and we were able to take our camp chairs and sit next to them where we could enjoy each other and visit.  We were grateful for the van where we had coats and blankets, but in the end, the rain cut the trip short. 

But it's amazing how we think things are ruined but instead the kids were very happy just moving inside out of the rain, and hanging out.  It wasn't big enough for all the adults so it didn't last long, but the attitudes were good and I really appreciated the chance to try again.  

I do love spending time with the kids, and it is never too often.  We are both so proud of what wonderful adults they have all turned out to be, and love spending as much time with them as possible.  This small group turned out to be a good idea, and although it was tough on Dean, he managed to handle it as well as could be expected.

Oregon Bucket List

 What a crazy bucket list trip.  We went through the coast, viewed either near or far all of the lighthouses but somehow I feel so empty.  Some how I feel incomplete.

Dean was happy to get back home, but it was not an immediate recovery.  Just being home wasn't enough.  It took weeks to see any sign of improvement.  

The kids were well aware of my disappointment in not being able to spend more time.  They were equally aware that Dean had given it his all to let me experience some of the locations I longed to go.

We were quite a pair.  Me having looked forward to being able to leave, to travel, to enjoy my surrounds for well over 10 years.

He spent at least that same amount of time, looking forward to retiring and being able to putter around the yard and do the things he wanted to do there.  

We had not planned for this great divide we found ourselves in.

 

Looking back, there wasn't much joy in his face

I should have seen it sooner.  He wasn't joyful in Oregon either, and the whole trip seemed to be just more than he could bear.  I was broken hearted.  I had waited to do this since early 1990's when I dreamd big to try and heal my emotional hurt.  I was ready to leave and travel and all he wanted was to go home and be left alone.  How did we get to this place?  Would he be able to heal quickly, that we could find a happy medium.  

I was ready to lock up the house for 4-6 month, if not year round to go out on the road and see the county.  I had put all of these years into converting the cargo van into a camper that would meet our needs without breaking the bank.  All of our bills were paid and we could afford the gas to travel while being careful to cook meals in the van, and go cheaply.  I thought that not spending any more than just staying home plus a little gas would make it so Dean would be on board.  He was not.

I felt like I had made the trip a bad one by getting the eye problem and not being as fun as I could have been.  But with everything locked down, there wasn't much that could be done around that.  We would just travel home, let him rest and then we would have to take trips that only lasted a few weeks at a time and then I could let him rest at home in between.  Of course, I was still going to figure out a way up to Alaska this summer or next, and an upper New York trip where we could do all of the Sweet genealogy and find Amos.  It would just have to be postponed for a month or two.  Possibly next year.
 

Benson State Recreation Area

 We bypassed Portland with no regrets and found a different waterfall that we could see from the road.  We had tried to find a waterfall Dean was interested in but we couldn't see it from the road, and it would have been closed anyway.  Happening upon the Benson waterfall was a nice bonus for us.  We couldn't stop but got a nice picture from a distance.

 

We drove all day, and when it was night we didn't see any great spots to pull into so we finally took an exit in the middle of nowhere and drove on a dirt road until we were in an area we could see a distance in both directions and pulled over to sleep for the night.  

Vancover, WA was just a blip

 

We didn't even stop in Vancover, but took a picture as we were driving through.  I don't even remember who took the picture, but I was driving.  So depending on where this view is from the window will determine if I took it out the drivers window or if Dean was up long enough to take it out of his.

 

 

Washington, Here We Come

 

The bridge is one of the longest I have driven on, others being in lower California.  It always unnerves me a bit knowing I'm driving over the ocean and if something happens I doubt I could get away from the falling debris, escape the van, and swim to safety.  But, alas, we made it with no problems at all.

We stopped just inside of Washington, at a beautiful little rest stop.  It was filling up quickly so we found a spot and settled down for the evening and night.  What a beautiful view we had of the green of Washington and the Pacific ocean.

 

 Sadly, this is the day that Dean said he had had enough traveling and needed to go home.  We made it into Washington and I had hoped to go up the coast further and maybe make it to the top before turning for home.  His anxiety had gotten the best of him and he was grumpy and tired.  It was frustrating to not be able to go out and enjoy a great meal, but rather just cook in the van and drive and see sites from a distance.

We decided to head into Washington, toward home, and see a famous waterfall. I don't know exactly what happened but we couldn't see it from the road and, of course, it was closed, so this too was a bust.

We drove as far as Moulton, WA, and then got out and stretched out legs.

The joy was gone for Dean.  He was now existing instead of embracing.  He had gone quiet and wanted to do more sleeping than driving, which was fine with me.  I was over my eye problem enough that driving was not a problem for me.

However, the stress of watching him struggle so much and not knowing what to do to help him was a bit overwhelming.  I had thought that seeing new country and feeling the fresh air and getting a little exercise would help with the anxiety but it was as if the trip over the bridge broke something in him.  He was just done.

Astoria, OR

 

We made it to Astoria, and what a beautiful area it is.  Astoria is linked to Washington with a huge bridge but we wanted to spend a little time in the city before crossing into Washington. 

Some of the very best reasons for coming to Astoria were completely out of our reach.  Food was out, visiting the sites was out, as seeing the National Historic Parks and State parks alike.  

About the only thing that was available to us was to drive up to the Astoria Column and drive around the hill, seeing the country from all directions.  It is beautiful and a place that can't be missed.  Imagine being able to go inside and seeing from that distance.  I just had to tell myself they wouldn't be able to see any better, because it would be foggy up there.  I was grateful for what we were able to see from our little walk and from the windows of the van.

We really didn't go downtown as everything was closed, but I later thought we should have.  We could have looked into the windows of the shops and stores and got a little taste of what their city had to offer.

Instead we took pictures and decided to make our way into Washington, where we would spend the night at a rest stop that had room for us.  Then we would travel further up the coast from there. I got the joy of driving over the bridge, which always makes me a little uneasy.

Seaside, OR

 Finally we came to a town where we have plenty of places to park and plenty of places to walk.  They have long paths where we could get all of the walking we could handle very easily.  They had blocks of path along the beach, with entrances here and there, and a few places where you could sit and rest.  There were more people out here, and I don't remember whether they ordered from local shops or if they brought their own food, but they were sitting in the dining area and enjoying the day.  This little area was as full as any place we saw on the trip.

What a fun little town.  I could see myself living there for month at a time during the warm summer.  It as warm enough we didn't need our jackets but still cold enough we didn't want to walk down to the water where the mists would get us chilled to the bone.

Instead we spent our time on the paths and there were enough people out we had to park a couple of block away from the spot we entered the path. 

Seaside and Cloverdale

 

This beach, with a very long beach, at Seaside had more people than just about anywhere else on our trip.  There really wasn't a place to pull over, nor anything to do if we went down, so we just took a picture and moved on.

Passing through Cloverdale brought memories of the ranch but the grass does grow greener on the other side of the fence or country.  What beautiful fields these cows have to roam in.  Dad would have loved to have these patures  for his cattle.  Remind me again why we live in Utah, and especially Delta!
 

Sunday in Oregon in Florence, OR

Dressed with no where to go.  Well, not exactly.  We still had church in the van and what a beautiful area to thank God for his creations and worship him.

We had to go up to the shop to take a picture, even though they were closed because of Covid.  I hadn't noticed the closed sign in the window being in the picture but laugh as I update the blog and see it.  I must confess that I was much happier about taking the photo with the diner closed.  That way God couldn't mistake that we were not trying to break the Sabbath.  LOL

After Sacrament meeting in the van, we went and visited a few more lighthouse sightings and enjoyed the cool breezes (more like winds).  

We tried to take a picture of every single lighthouse even though they were all closed and we weren't allowed to see them up close or inside.

The beaches didn't have a ton of people on them.  Granted it is early in the season and still pretty cold, but each one had a few people there enjoying their day out.  I loved the scenes with the variety of rocks on the beach and in the water.  The paths were all pretty good to traverse but after walking down to a few and not going into the water, we started just taking pictures from a distance.  This one however, we walked down and enjoyed the scene closer up.  The path wound back and forth and was very easy to take.

Covid church days mean you don't have to shave.  The van is really good for most things but a place with a bathroom where you can spend some time actually getting fully ready will be nice.  Rest stops work great for that, but most of those are closed down as well.

This trip feels like our timing wasn't perfect with so much closed down and chilly, but what a wonderful experience and so beautiful.  No wonder Taylor and Chandra loved their trip to Oregon.  I am especially enjoying taking pictures of the light houses, although next time I will make sure they are open for business.
 

Newport OR

 

I really love that we have the technology to put in "Lighthouses" in Google and we can easily find them.  They are all closed and we haven't been inside any, nor seen any signs with pictures of what it is like inside.  I think most charge for a tour, but would loved to have been able to go in at least a few.

We found an interesting site, Boiler Bay State Viewpoint, and it looked like the water was churning, but once again, it was closed and this was as close as we could get to it.  The brochure online looks like it would be a very fun place to spend some time.  

Having everything closed is getting a little bit tiring.  We need to find a place like Eureka where we can just camp in the driveway and take some time to see more sites at each of the locations.  Who ever thought that a broken van would be some of the best part of the trip.

First hike of the day

Certainly loving the little walks we can take here.  I guessed wrong on a path out of the beach and Mindee and I were just about stuck forever.  The path was still obvious but there could have been snakes or sinkholes with each step.  Glad we survived.  Had to take my shoes off to get onto the correct path it was so steep.

He spent the night in the parking lot of the courthouse.  We were not alone as others had the same idea.  

 

I want to wake up to this every morning!

Welcome to Oregon

The feel in Oregon is more our style.  Although NoCal is beautiful and appears much the same the people are less stressed.  In California people were wearing masks on the trails.  Here in Oregon people just move back far enough to allow you to pass safely.

And I must be honest.  I truly am a fan on the beach.  This beach is different than any I have previously seen.  I'm used to Florida beaches or San Diego/Santa Monica beaches where the focus is the sand and water, mostly free of rocks and cliffs.  This was new and unique and delightful.

I would have loved it to be warmer so we could go into the water and enjoy it, but it really was too cold for that craziness.  It was windy and chilly and Mindee was very happy to be on our backs in a bag. 

There weren't a lot of tourists out, but there were still some.  We simply all treated each other with Covid etiquette and walked past each other as far away as possible - each hugging their side of the path.  People were friendly and smiling and it was good to be done with the masks.  At this point we were all pretty confident it was over hyped and we would be just fine in this beautiful air.

Dean was still struggling with anxiety but was trying to play it close to the vest so it wouldn't become a big part of the trip.  We are both out of shape, so we never did long hikes and used our walking sticks to help us along the paths.  Although he was trying to enjoy the trip, I could see he was starting to get a bit uncomfortable.  I hoped it was just that we had been delayed and that had caused him stress.  I was looking forward to the days ahead, when he could calm down and we could both enjoy the trip.  My eye was feeling so much better I hardly noticed it, although I faithfully took the drops to keep it that way.

We stopped often at sites along the way.  There were more spots to pull over and park than had been in California.  The weather here was always breezy and a bit chilly, so we always used our windbreakers, but that was enough to keep us mostly comfortable.

Sleeping was great.  The bed in the van is really pretty nice even though we had to be downsized to fit in the width of the van.  I had cut the mattress to be able to move it alone, so there were times we settled into a joint and that wasn't perfect.  Still, we were able to get the rest we needed.  I'm loving life.

Still in Eureka

Still in Eureka but the parts delivery  came in at 8.  We packed while they worked on the van and we were on the road by 9:30.

We spent some time at a Redwood forest in Eureka while waiting and I think back on it as one of the best parts of the trip.  It was just a city park in the middle of town, but it had walking paths, and redwoods and I thought we got to see everything we wanted to see right there.  They had places we could sit and rest on stumps while we were walking the paths, and picnic tables we could eat our lunch on. If I ever take this trip again, I'm going to schedule a low key walk through Eureka's park.

We headed through the Redwood forest.  Zoom in to see the heads poking out of the van.  There weren't a lot of obvious places to pull over and hike as the lots are all closed and other cars were out and on the pullouts.  We didn't feel slighted because of the Eureka park.

Van in shop but we took a loaner

 We woke up early to be ready for them to work on the van.  Deliver came in at 10 and by noon we were told it would be another day.

They were very good to us and told us that we could take one f their cars as a loner so that we would not simply waste the day.  They were very good to let us stay in the van on their property so that we didn't have to get a motel room.  

We had an enjoyable time on our ebikes seeing the area near the shop yesterday but we were ready to take them up on their offer to take a car.  We went north about an hour and spent the rest of the working day.

Briana told us of a couple of fun spots, Trinidad Point and the Lighthouse drive in.  She said the hike was not too hard and so we climbed up the hill to the cross.  I had to rest just about every bench but had to take the trip back down backwards in spots.  It was harder than my feet could handle.  At least that section was paved.

This is such a beautiful place.  I can't believe how green with flowers growing everywhere.  This must be close to heaven, at least it would be if it were further from Pelosi.  

I would move to Northern California in a minute if it wasn't for their crazy politics and influence from Hollywood.  Northern California seems pretty normal with people that are kind and caring.  We really lucked out choosing the shop we did.  It really didn't put a kink in our vacation at all.

Briana, the receptionist at the shop, told us what to order for lunch.  We thought it sounded great so we followed her suggest.  Oh, yes, we are doing this for a family gathering.  Corn bread with sage cone, mashed potato and gravy, with pulled pork on top.  What a fun and delicious meal.

I may have purchased a waffle cone maker while still in the parking lot for our next family get together.  It really was delicious.

Lounge day in the auto shop

We spent the morning in the shop but by 11 we were antsy and went put for a ride on our bikes. 

McDonald's won't take orders on a bike.  We went over to Burger King.  I went in while Dad stayed put with Mindy.  While waiting a homeless man came in and ordered.  His card wasn't working so I instinctively stepped up and paid for him.  He didn't even realize for two minutes when he found enough cash for one sandwich.  He was delighted to be able to get what he really wanted.  Made me feel good too.

After a short ride we went back to the shop to find out they had to order parts.  We took the van to drive around town.

Dad wasn't feeling well so while he was sleeping I went scouting.  There are no public dumpsters so I made three grocery bag trips to Safeways trash cans out front.
The best find was the redwood forest city park.  It felt just as wonderful as the Sequoia National Park with slightly smaller trees. 

May have been one of my favorite spots this far on the trip.

After shopping and walking we were ready to go back and watch a movie in the alleyway of the autoshop.