Paradise Campground, Silver Creek, WA (6/1– 6/22)

Drive

We are enjoying the shorter drives from one stop to the next. The drive from Seaside, Oregon to Silver Creek, Washington was just two and a half hours and was uneventful for the most part. As we were preparing to leave Seaside, we discovered that our outdoor shower would not turn off and was spraying water everywhere. We decided that we would not delay our drive and instead troubleshoot once we arrived at our next camp. To stop the leak, we had to turn off our water pump, which meant we couldn’t use our water until we fixed the issue. Luckily, we found an RV repair shop near our camp and were able to buy the parts and replace the faucet the next day.

 

Campsite

We chose this campsite for it’s proximity to Olympia, where Cathy’s family lives and where many of the events would be taking place. The scenery coming into our camp was great including a clear shot of Mayfield Lake and Mt. St. Helens, and glimpses of Mt. Rainier and Mt. Adams. Anyone who knows Cathy knows how much she loves Christmas, so it was fitting that our neighbor was a Christmas tree farm! The camp was nestled in a dense forest and deer and other critters made several appearances, which we have always enjoyed.

Day Trips/Special Events

When planning for our RV Reboot road trip, we knew we wanted to be in Washington in June to attend our nieces’ graduations. Maddie graduated from 8^th grade and Mckenzie graduated from high school. We had so much fun attending the many graduation ceremonies and parties. We have loved watching the girls grow from cuddly little babies into the beautiful young women they are today.

Much of the first two weeks in Washington revolved around catching up with family and celebrating. We also found time to attend a few other special events. The Cystic Fibrosis Great Strides walk is dear to our hearts, as we lost three of Cathy’s siblings to the disease. It brings us great joy to walk and raise funds and awareness for this terrible disease. We walk in memory of our lost loved ones, but also for friends who still live with this disease and are hoping for many more tomorrows. It was a beautiful day for a walk around Capitol Lake with friends and family.

Cathy grew up in Washington State and remembers the day that Mt. St. Helens erupted. We decided to make a drive to the visitor’s center and see how the mountain looks 36 years later. The destruction definitely left its mark, but there is an amazing amount life returning to the area.

Many of Cathy’s friends still live in Washington so it was great to get together with some of them. Even with a longer stay here, there never seems to be enough time to see everyone we want to see. A small group of Cathy’s high school friends had an old school get together at the local skating rink. Nothing has changed since then, except maybe our fitness levels! It was much more difficult than Cathy remembers, but she still had a great time. Believe it or not, Jon escaped childhood without ever roller-skating! It was his first time and he managed to stay on his feet the entire time.  Cathy’s friends Kenna and Tony hosted a small BBQ at their place that evening. It is funny how no matter how much time passes, we are all able to pick up right where we left off. Good times were had by all. A couple of Cathy’s friends weren’t able to make it that day, but were able to meet up for lunch another day in Tacoma.

Another fun event was a birthday party for one of Cathy’s best friends’ daughter! Cathy and Stefane are both nurses and have been friends since 1986! We were there for her daughter Halia’s first birthday a couple years ago and were excited to be in town for her 3^rd birthday this year and to meet Halia’s new little brother. Cathy may or may not have monopolized baby Vino for most of the party.

 

Guests

We always look forward to hosting guests in our RV and were fortunate to have two sets of visitors this time. Stefane, Vino, and the kids made the long drive to visit us and see our new home. We walked around camp, the kids played on the playground, and we enjoyed catching up in person. Towards the end of our trip, Cathy’s sister Rosie brought a couple of her girls and their friend for a day of fun. There was swimming, kayaking, Wii games, and daisy chain making. We love having visitors!

 

Fitness

Jon was able to join the family at the local YMCA to keep up on his workouts and offer some personal training to the family. Our niece Maddie will be trying out for the high school volleyball team, so Jon wanted to teach her various exercises in preparation for tryouts. Jon worked with Kenzie last summer and was impressed with the progress she has made in just a year.

Next Stop

Our next stop will be in Gig Harbor for a week-long stay with our friends Keith and Lisa, who we met during our March visit to Arizona.  One of the greatest perks of RVing is the nice people we have met during our journey!