Trip to the Olympic Peninsula and Our Stay at the Elwha Dam RV Park & Campground

Monday, April 25, 2016:

After a relaxing morning we were underway cruising along in Serenity.  After about a five minute wait, and a minute of questions we were through the border and cruising down the I-5.

We stopped at a Fred Meyer near Bellingham for groceries and then Jack In The Box in Oak Harbor for a quick lunch.  And we are now aboard the "Kennewick" crossing Admirality Inlet from Coupeville (Whidbey Island) to Port Townsend on the Olympic Peninsula.  After a 25 minute float on the water the ferry is docking.

It's now 6:15pm and we're sitting comfortably in Serenity simply relaxing and "being". 

We love the natural landscape that surrounds us, that we also drove through...tree lined and canopied two lane blacktop...stunning and beautiful...

...we absolutely enjoying the Elwha Dam RV Park & Campground.  Birds are singing in between a stunning and awesome silence that is ever so faintly interrupted by traffic noise...

...life on the road suits us and we most certainly suit life on the road.

Tuesday, April 26, 2016:

As dusk overtook the day last evening those elusive and legendary frogs of the "Frog Pond" next to us came to life in a big way.  With Serenity parked below the shore of the pond we had front row seats to the sounds of the "Frog Orchestra".  And what a treat and delight it is to hear the hundreds of frogs croaking to their hearts content.

After breakfast and a relaxing morning we hiked down to the former site of the Elwha Dam, completed in 1911 and removed in 2014.  The Elwha River is another example of the magnificent gifts of nature however her mighty energy was harnessed to create hydroelectric power that was used to spur man's growth and development of the peninsula.  I could sense the nature's energy and rejoicing now that the two man-made dams are no more and she reclaims the rightful passage of the Elwha River and return of all the life that disappeared when the dam was built.  Nature is in its glory and the trees are rejoicing!

Thank You Nature!

After lunch we unhooked and took Serenity out for a drive so we could visit Joyce, The Joyce General Store and the former Joyce Railroad Station one of the last remaining log built train stations in existence, if I remember correctly.   Once we returned to our temporary home, Site 39, we reconnected Serenity to all the available amenities and headed over the Elwha RV Park Community Center and laundry room around 4:45 pm to catch the results in the latest round of primaries.

When we first stepped in the community center here at Elwha after our arrival the 'ESCAPEES, Sharing the RV Lifestyle' magazine caught my eye.  And in particular the article on page 34, "Advice from a Full-time RVer, Working from the Road".  So Edith and I threw the magazine over to David so he could read it.

He loves, as we do, living and experiencing life in and from Serenity so we hope he is well on his way to "Working From the Road" and joining the author of this article, Brittany Highland, on the road.  We'd love nothing more than to continue driving down US Highway 101 tomorrow to see the rest of the Olympic Peninsula as well as the rest of small town USA rather than heading back home...

...so David has decided that since he wants to RV fulltime badly enough he's willing to plan and sacrifice to make it happen and make it happen within the next twelve months or less.

He as we do need to give into and feed our wanderlust!

David hears the road calling so he's taking the risk to make it happen.

Serenity likely needs a new "house" battery and the cupboard door in the bathroom needs to be repainted.  The house battery was disconnected after our last trip in October but does not appear to be holding any charge.  Or perhaps the connections need to be cleaned.  Either way it's something that needs to be looked at.

Another area we were thinking of tackling is the TV as in removing it but then we discovered that it's just a monitor but with DVD player, USB, and Memory Card Reader so we'll keep it, at least for now.  But the antenna will go.  We want to install a solar panel or two on Serenity's roof so we can keep the batteries charged without relying on an electrical hookup.  We really like the ease and simplicity of the peel n stick solar panels and they look to be about the right size to fit in the space available on Serenity's roof.  More research is required and will be done.

Then of course to really create an independent lifestyle we're also researching portable generators of which there are many in the market to choose from so again...research, research and more research.  And heck, it's fun to do!

Oh, and we still have a 1988 GMC Vandura 3500 Class C Motorhome available "AS IS" to the first person who requests her.  She's had some modifications done inside and out and has not been started in well over a year and likely has a few leaks to deal with but if you're a good do-it-yourself-er she might be a fun project for you to work on.  And we're not kidding, she's "FREE"!  This is photo of her when she was clean:

A few shots of her interior:

 Something else we are looking at is bringing ART into Serenity by finding things that will fit into each door panel...we'll see how it goes...18 panels in all from our count.

And we have to change the bathroom tap--it's appalling!  It does not stick far enough into the sink for us to get our hands under so it's pretty much impossible to wash your hands in the bathroom.  As I was thinking about doing this an idea came to mind on how to reconfigure the location of the shower head and perhaps giving it a separate hot and cold water tap.

Wednesday, April 27, 2016:

On our way back home we stopped and had a quick peek of Ediz Hook before making a stop at Pacific Rim Hobby and going onto to do a walk about of Port Angeles before heading off to lunch.

Port Angeles is a beautiful city.  We love the old architecture that survives in small places such as Port Angeles.  And to top it off many of these old buildings house unique and funky shops that are fun to browse or simply do a little bit of window shopping.  We did not see everything as our stomachs were growling, it was time for lunch...with a friend's recommendation we made our way to Toga's Soup House Deli and Gourmet for the Dungeness Crab Melt--delicious.

Then we were on the road again heading to Port Townsend and the ferry back to Whidbey Island and the road home.  We missed the 2:00pm ferry so with a ninety minute wait for the next we grabbed a coffee and a piece of blackberry pie.  Our choice for coffee was "Better Living Through Coffee" and we sure did feel better after our latte, Americano and piece of pie...what a great coffee experience!

And again Port Townsend is filled with old buildings and brilliant architecture and dozens of unique and funky stores...a return visit to this area is definitely in the cards.

Then we made the quick drive over to the ferry terminal where we once again boarded the "Kennewick" and enjoyed the 30 minute or so ride before once returning to land and another piece of blacktop.

And as the 7pm hour was near we were crossing the border after a twenty minute wait and a minute or so of the usual questions...7:21pm and we're parking Serenity...home once again...and itching to hit the road again!

Happy Camping Folks!