Jul 19, 2012 - Gig Harbor

Well we are back in the world of the big city and heavy traffic! We have arrived at the Gig Harbor RV Resort in a small community across The Narrows from Tacoma. We didn’t have any more sun during our stay at Mounthaven, but we did take the opportunity to do one more hike in Mount Rainier National Park. We chose to walk about a mile and a half up the Wonderland Trail starting at the Carter Falls Trailhead and climbing about 500 feet to Carter Falls and Madcap Falls and then going about a quarter mile farther up the trail before turning...

Jun 27, 2012 - Gig Harbor & Poulsbo

We are in Gig Harbor, Washington. We missed this little town the last time we were in Sequim for months. We were told it was beautiful, we were not disappointed. :-) During a heavy storm in 1840, Captain Charles Wilkes brought the Captain's gig (small boat) into the harbor for protection. Later, with the publication of Wilkes 1841 Map of the Oregon Territory, he named the sheltered bay Gig Harbor. Gig Harbor was named one of Smithsonian Magazines top five small towns for culture, heritage and charm. It is known as the crown jewel in Puget...

Jun 14, 2012 - Gig Harbor

Today from our R.V. park in Gig Harbor we drove across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge into Tacoma. Just opened in Tacoma is the Le May America's Car Museum. While we didn't remember the model T's there were a lot of cars that reminded us of our youth and the freedom that a car brought. Interestingly, most of the visitors were older, I guess all the younger crowd was over at the local electronic museum. Tacoma is also the home of Chihuly, our favorite glass artist. To get to the Chihuly Glass Museum you walk across the glass pedestrian bridge....

May 5, 2012 - Gig Harbor - Sequim

Gig Harbor RV Park turns out to be a nice little park in a nice little town. It was raining and dark last night when we got in, and we were tired, so we only saw that we had a nice flat spot assigned to us and that the washrooms weren't far and that was enough. The only problem with the place was that because we got in late, the office was closed and the packet they left for us did not include the washroom or wifi codes. In the morning we headed into town for a look-see. Gig Harbor is completely charming. A tourist-oriented business...

Aug 18, 2011 - Gig Harbor

Decided to stay at Gig harbor because there was a heated pool, but found out that the pump was out when we got there. We are going to stay here until the 21st when we will go back to Eagle Tree RV Park in Poulsbo. We did have an adventure when we got here. Since we came in early on the 17th, we decided to find a place to eat. Gig Horbor is on the side of a mountain and I turned into a paking lot without thinking much. It has a steep dip and I knocked the tow bar off the hitch and almost lost the Miata. In the process lost one of the...

Aug 6, 2011 - Gig Harbor, WA

Next stop - Karen's sister and family live in Gig Harbor - just outside Seattle on a small island - how convenient is that!?!!? We very carefully drove over their small one lane bridge to the island itself and managed to actually park in their driveway! It was really great to spend a week there and just visit and relax from our trip to Alaska..... Over the weekend, we were able to go see a great speedboat race and the Thunderbirds flying over the harbor as well.....

Jun 26, 2011 - Back on the road, 2011

We flew into Portland OR, June 23rd from Anchorage. After getting back into the motor home, we parked at an RV Resort for two days near family in Keizer OR. While we were in Alaska our refrigerator had stopped working so we had to find someone to fix it. Jeff lucked out and called MV Detailing to wash our RV and mentioned that the refrigerator wasn't working and he said "we can fix that too". There is a recall on this type, Norcold, which we had taken care of in AZ but the part they put in failed. MV fixed the problem along with a great job...

Aug 24, 2010 - Starting Point

Debbie has been living in Gig Harbor and is ready to head east to be with family. I'm bringing my grand-son Ben with me. We're flying into Seattle and starting the LONG caravan journey the next morning. One will drive the car while the other two navigate the 30' RV. We're newbies to long distance RVing. This is not a casual vacation. We're going to try to average 600 miles a day. I realize this could be an ambitious goal so we've kept our plans flexible until we get some miles under our (radial) belts. This is exciting, it's scary and it's...

Aug 5, 2010 - On to Washington State

Up very early, 0445, underway 0515. Allison got up and made me coffee and stuffed a sack full of Biscoti. First was a hilly 20 mile ride to Union on a narrow two lane road, State 203, keeping a sharp lookout for animals on the road way. Before Union, the road meanders alongside Catherine Creek for a few miles. I almost slid into it due to ice a few years ago in December. Then, another 10 miles to LaGrande where I picked up the I-84 heading for Pendleton. At Umilita Army Ordnance Depot crossed the Columbia River into Washington. Passed...

Jun 9, 2010 - Gig Harbor, WA (Tacoma)

Gig Harbor is a small town on the peninsula northwest of Tacoma, WA. It is an idyllic setting with sail boats docked in the small harbor and homes dotting the hills around the harbor. Even though the town retains much of its aged charm there are new facilities hidden in the hills so that almost all your favorite shopping areas are nearby and Tacoma and it's amenities are only 1/2 hour away. I could see myself living here. A little on the expensive side for dining out but the atmosphere is engaging and the abundance of pines provides privacy...

May 26, 2010 - Anybody want to buy a car?

Gig Harbor was our next stop and one of the prettiest little coastal towns you'll ever see. It is a true harbor, but for small craft only, with many sport boats both motorized and sail equipped. The hillsides rise steeply around the bay making for some beautiful settings and magnificent homes, although I saw many that were just ordinary real people houses but on the perfect lot. We walked through the town enjoying the scenery, the shops, and plenty of friendly people. Our campground looked a little intimidating at first as it was on the...

May 25, 2010 - Washington State

Wssssh....quick trip across country. In Kingman AZ we had problems with the generator on the RV and spent 4 days there and it still wasn't fixed. We had to take a trip into the heart of Los Angeles (Fontana) to go to Alfateers who, within 5 minutes, diagnosed the problem as human error. We live and learn, sometimes the hard way. We made an overnight stop in our home town-Sacramento. I needed to go into my work and sign some final papers (I officially retire 5/28) and we went to our house to drop some items off that we will not be using in...