Hot Showers

This has turned out to be an absolutely wonderful day.  By the time we went to bed last night, we had a rough idea of how we wanted to rearrange our trip to best utilize our time in Washington.  Gene was able to make a list of the campgrounds, their phone numbers and what changes in our reservations he wanted to make.  Since none of those campground offices opened before 9 AM, we sipped coffee and had a leisurely breakfast.  This is not a bad way to start any day.

After breakfast, I took the time to catch up on various blogs I regularly read and on emails.  I also made a batch of cookies.   Gene was busy with his campground list.  His first order of business was to extend our stay here and cancel the reservations where we had planned to go tonight.

Our original plan called for a 3 night stay near Mount St. Helen’s then on to Mt. Rainier for a 9 night stay.  Following Rainier, we were going to return to the coast to see the Lewis and Clark stuff near Astoria, Oregon.  Then it was on to Forks for a few days to visit the Hoh Rain Forest, then start our month stay near Port Angeles.  Last night during the course of our long discussion with maps, guide books, my National Park Passport book, and High Points book in hand, we decided our priorities for Washington were Mt. Rainier, Hoh Rain Forest, and Olympic National  Park.  With that in mind, we decided to cancel all our reservations except Mt Rainier and Port Angeles.  Our latest plan (and of course our plans can and do change) is to visit Astoria and the Lewis and Clark stuff this week.  It is a little over a hundred miles over there, but it is still doable as a day trip.  While at Mt. Rainier (which we will extend to a 2-week stay) we will visit Mount St. Helen’s.   We’ll stay longer at Mt. Rainier than originally planned and eliminate our stay at Forks.  We can make a few day trips to the Hoh Rain Forest from Port Angeles instead.  We are happy with this new itinerary.  Gene was able to make all the necessary changes with the exception of Mt. Rainier.  That campground did not answer their phone and have not as yet returned our call.  Gene sent them an email requesting a change in our reservation, but, again, we have not had a response.  If that works out, then this plan is a go.

Our temperatures have moderated somewhat, and today was much cooler than the past few with afternoon temps in the 80s rather than the 90s.  With a slight breeze, it was very comfortable sitting outside.  Neighbors, Joyce and Mac, came over for a short time.  I thoroughly enjoyed just sitting out enjoying the sunshine, the fresh air, and visiting with friends.  We first met Mac and Joyce in Nashville a little over 3 years ago.  They were parked next to us at the Yogi Campground where they were starting their workamping position for the season.  We quickly became friends and have followed their travels over these past years, always looking for an opportunity for our paths to cross again.

Since we think our leak is from the drain pipe from the shower, we used the campground showers this afternoon.  Oh my.  First let me say the showers were spotless and there were plenty of showers for the number of campsites.  One of the things I missed most when moving into our RV were the loooong, hooooot showers.  At first, I always went to the “big shower house” in the campground.  As time passed, I slowly got in the habit of showering in our RV.  As Gene was fond of saying, “I paid a lot of money for my own bathroom and I’m gonna use it”.  Finally, the convenience of having my own bathroom with all my stuff and not having to wear flip flops to bathe, I gave up my habit of loooong, hooooot showers.  It has been about 3 years since I’ve had a shower like that. There was lots of water pressure and unending hot water.  By the end of the week, I may have slipped back into my old sinful ways.

Tomorrow, we are planning our trip to Astoria to visit the Lewis and Clark stuff.  It will be a long day with at least 4 hours on the road.  My post may be very late.