Uncategorized – Page 53 – The MoHo and Other Traveling Tales

August 23 From Home to Le Page

Leaving Rocky Point in the early morning light, traveling via West Side Road to Highway 97. This part of our route is beautiful every time, even though familiar.

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Of course we had to stop at our favorite little restaurant along the route, the Diamond Lake Junction Cafe. Handwritten notes from all over the world are displayed under the table glass praising the wonderful food found in this unassuming little cafe. Yes, I know this photo is a bit scary, but we share the breakfast and have leftovers for another meal, and it is sooooo good!

Highway 97 can get a bit boring after so many years traveling, but the windmills along the Columbia River approaching the Biggs Junction are growing in number every year……

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Our destination for the evening was the delightful COE campground at the mouth of the John Day River just east of John Day Dam on I-84. We have camped at LePage in the past and it is a perfect stopover for our trip north.

The rest are the days photos are linked here….

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JOURNAL: We have traveled north on Highway 97 so many times that it’s hard to feel as though we are really finally on our big road trip. Leaving the house at a few minutes before eight, we were right on schedule as planned. The weather was perfect as well, with cool morning temperatures. There was a prediction of frost after midnight, but I didn’t see any sign of frozen flowers this morning.

The drive was uneventful, with Mo driving and me knitting. I am working on a little cap to match the scarf I knitted from some really fabulous thick and thin hand dyed yarn in shades of purples, blues, and greens. It kept me entertained as we followed the stick straight road through the lodgepole pines. If we had never been on this route before, we may have thought that there was something of interest to see. A few miles north of Chiloquin and the KlaMoYa Casino is Collier State Park, with a logging museum and the lovely Williamson River and the clear spring run from Blue Springs just a half mile west of the highway. Once up the hill to the pumice plateau, the lodgepole is dominant, and on the west you can see Mt Scott and Mt Thielson of the high Cascades.

THowever, for us the most exciting thing this morning was breakfast. Again we stopped at the Diamond Lake Junction for a great if sinful breakfast of chicken fried steak and eggs. This little place is becoming more and more well known, and on the tables under glass are hand written notes from people from all over the world touting the great food. One person suggested that they need to be on the food channel, and I would imagine that someday they will get there, maybe on Dives and Diners or some such.

Once we headed north again, I was entertained by knitting and fiddling with the new NUVI GPS that I bought for this trip. I tested it during the last few weeks, getting used to the buttons and commands, so it doesn’t have many surprises. It’s entertaining, (on a long flat straight road) to fiddle with the trip computer, and see just what path Garmin Girl thinks we should follow to get from here to there. Garmin Girl has been silenced, however, since she makes Mo crazy when she is constantly “recalculating” and of course, that happens every time we decide to make a detour. I think we will love Garmin Girl much more when we are on roads we don’t know as well as this one.

We also stopped at Bi-Mart in LaPine to pick up some incidentals, and at the Biggs Junction for gas, the last gas we will have pumped for us on this trip, I believe. One of the delights of Oregon, at least for some of us, is that we don’t pump our own gas. It’s often frustrating to outsiders to have to wait around for a service person, but it is easy to get used to when you live in Oregon. North of Bend the landscape is dry and open, especially this time of year. I found it hard to really appreciate it, and kept waiting for the good road trip feeling to settle in. Finally, going down the grade into Biggs Junction, I got a taste of it. At last, on the road again. The dark massive basalt columns were a dramatic contrast to dry yellow grasses on the hills. Coming around a curve, we could see the peaks of two volcanoes, and sometimes Rainier would come into view as well. There is a place in the road, just before Shaniko, that is called the “mountain finder”, with a large stone circle with the volcanoes named facing the direction to identify them. Again, we have been there several times and it was on the other side of the road so we didn’t stop. We also didn’t stop for the tiny town of Shaniko, almost a ghost town, where we once explored the old buildings and had great ice cream cones. I feel jaded somehow, frustrated with how bored I am with this landscape, and ready for something that I can’t predict to come around the corner. Soon.

Biggs Junction used to be such a landmark for me, coming from Spokane on those long drives to California 30 years ago. It seemed so far away, a bit romantic. The bridge across the Columbia, the MaryHill Museum across the river, fascinating and lovely, the replica of Stonhenge. There is a lot to see here, but only if you haven’t seen it a bunch of times in the past. We are in a rush to somewhere, but certainly not Spokane, where we have been before as well. How many years of traveling does it take to get tired of all the roads that are available to you? I wonder.

How many miles will pass before we see something that isn’t familiar and predictable. Maybe once we get to Bonner’s Ferry, once we are traveling along Highway 2 in Montana. Yes, I have been there too, but it has been a dozen years at least. Maybe things will seem new and fresh when we get to Montana at least. Maybe by the time we leave there and drive along the Kootenai River to Libby things will seem fresh, and this traveling will feel like a road trip.

I have no idea what that feeling really is for RV’rs who travel the United States year around. It’s a small country after all, and there just aren’t that many roads to find after 65 years of traveling it. But maybe I am full of it, maybe when we cross Montana into North Dakota and Minnesota, and into Canada it will seem fresh and new and I will at least really be glad that we are on the road.

But. In the mean time, after settling in to the campground at LePage this evening, we made some pea soup, or I should say I opened a can of pea soup, put in some ham from Easter in the freezer, and sautéed some garlic bread. We ate outside on the picnic table, cleaned up, and played some cards. Our site is near perfect, especially for one night, a pull through, level and on the water with a picnic table. We didn’t even need to unhook or take out the awning since the sun was on the other side. We have hookups here, and when the fan didn’t do the job, we turned on the air conditioning.

Jeremy, the cat, has been in and out a bit, and sat with us while we played cards. Later Mo went for a walk and I wrote on the laptop. When she returned, Jeremy was sitting on the MoHo steps, big as you please, watching the water quietly. somehow he got out of his carrier and decided to come outside with me. whew. I was lucky he didn’t run off. I didn’t even know he was there, and the door was wide open. I don’t want to lose a cat on this trip, so will have to be more vigilant for sure.

We have no big plans tomorrow, except to see Mo’s brother, Don, who seems to be busy with different sorts of things, but will still come down to Riverside State Park to meet us. Mo is going indoors now, and I will follow. I still feel a bit strange from the Zyrtec I had to take this morning. Hay fever hit me hard as we were leaving, and I couldn’t stop sneezing. Yukky. It’s better now, so hopefully I left whatever was the trigger behind me in Rocky Point.

My computer screen is weird as well, so that’s a bit worrisome. Sigh. Would be nice if things just worked without glitches….sigh again. It’s a power thing, obviously, since as soon as I unplug it, the screen goes very dark and I can’t seem to find how to turn it up. anywhere. Cars on the freeway, trains going by, river lapping against the rocks here beside our campsite. Twilight on the John Day River, pink skies in the east reflected from the unseen sunset. Tomorrow should be a good day, another familiar day driving familiar roads to familiar places. But it is certainly better than driving I-5!! through the San Joaquin Valley. Gak. Yes, this is better by far, even if familiar.

Cruising Alaska Day 6 and 7 at sea

Click here for more photos:

Yesterday we enjoyed a sea day. Tonight we will dock in Victoria, but not until 7PM, so I would say this qualifies as a sea day as well. On sea days, the time just rolls by, and before you blink, it’s time to dress for dinner. On this cruise, both formal nights have been held on sea days, which is really quite nice. By morning yesterday, we were in the North Pacific, west of the Queen Charlotte Islands, and shrouded in fog. The fog persisted all day, and it was chilly, so not really conducive to hanging out on the deck. Mo and I had a late breakfast, wandered around the ship a bit, listening to the pianist in the Atrium. We spent some time in the casino, where I actually won a tiny bit of money. We knew it would be a late night, so took it easy, playing cards in our stateroom enjoying the view of nothing, but still enjoying our balcony. There are a lot of scheduled activities on a cruise ship on these sea days, but I do love most the chance to do just about nothing. I get very few real “nothing” days at home in my regular life.

Even though it was chilly in the afternoon, the sun tried to warm the fog a bit and we decided to try a swim. We are on the 12th deck, and the terrace pool at the back of the ship is on 12 as well. We discovered that we could leave our room and travel all the way to the back of the ship without having to go into a public space at all. The hall emerges within feet of the pool. It was perfect for us, with no one else in the pool. It was also pretty nice to make a run for the room and the hot shower after our swim. The water was heated, and is fresh water, which is nice, but the wind was still really cold. It did feel good to get in a bit of a swim, though.

We dressed early for dinner, and took our cute little printed invitations to the Captain’s Circle cocktail party. Since we are two time cruisers with Princess, we are now part of this elite group. The captain informed us later that this elite group numbers more than 10 million, so I guess it’s not that elite. We had complimentary rum punch and cute little canapés while we listened to the captain tell his story, and applauded the cruisers with the most cruise days on princess, a couple with 440 days at sea! Gee, that would be a year and a half of continuous cruising. They were pretty old, so maybe they have had 20 years or so to rack up those days. It would have been interesting to see their trips. The third place couple were fairly young, but only had 150 days or so. I guess you would have to really like cruising to get into a group like that!

There were door prizes as well, and we wondered a bit how much longer the program would last and what we should do next. Calling out the names of the winners, suddenly there it was, “Ms Sligar?” Mo won a bottle off champagne! What fun that was for us, and they eventually delivered the bottle to our dining table and then we took it to the stateroom. The formal dinner was excellent, with lobster and shrimp and beef wellington for Mo. The prawns were nearly as big as the lobster, but even as a shrimp lover, I was delighted with the lobster. Yum! We went to the casino to win a little bit more and then to the last production show of the cruise, “Do You Wanna Dance”. Once again, this show was truly excellent, with great dancing and costumes, and lots of lights and glitz. I loved it.

I so love the dress up nights, as much for watching all the other folks as for dressing up myself. It’s fun to be shiny and glitzy and have a chance to wear rhinestones and sparkles and not appear ridiculous.

Today has been another quiet time in the cabin, punctuated by a meal here and there. After morning tea, we started watching a movie with Sandra Bullock, “The Proposal” and couldn’t get away for breakfast until after ten. Of course, the Neptune deck “Taste of Alaska” buffet was scheduled for 11:30 so I had just over 90 minutes to get ready for more food. Finally this ship came through with the carved fruit, ice sculptures, and fancy production. The Alaskan salmon was poached, delicate and perfect, the sushi was fresh and tasty, and I do love having all the pickled ginger that I want with my sushi. Mo and I shared another Alaskan Summer Ale with our meal and then headed back to try to finish spending our casino money.

On this ship, if you win, you have to cash out to your cruise card. This could be really dangerous, since there is a green button on the slot machine that is called “charge to your cruise card”. Stay away from THAT button. If you win, you cash out to your cruise card casino account and the money is waiting for you the next time you put in your card. I had 6.95 left in my casino account that I really needed to finish off, so plugged in the card to play. After a long time, I had to decide to give up since I couldn’t seem to lose. I cashed in my casino card just an hour before the cruise casino official closing with $70.00 to the good. With the champagne for Mo and the winnings for me, it turned out to be a winning trip!

This afternoon we are slipping into the quiet time of packing for disembarkation tomorrow and finishing up our day. Our landing in Victoria awaits, but it’s a bit of an afterthought, especially so late in the day. We haven’t planned much, but hope to enjoy the city a bit before getting back on ship by 11 for our final sailing to Seattle.

Ahh, something else I forgot to mention. In the past I have had a lot of trouble with being sea sick. The last couple of cruises have been easier, and on the last one I only needed a patch for a very short time. However, after getting terribly ill in Key West on the trip to the Dry Tortugas, I bought some sea bands. They work by applying pressure to meridians and are said to work for morning sickness as well. I am a huge fan! They really DO work, and no drugs. I will keep them with me always, not just for cruises, but for busses, and any other time I might get motion sickness. What an amazing thing!

Home to San Diego January 17

Mo and Sue cruising on the Celebrity Constellation

We arrived in San Diego early Sunday morning, with clear cool skies and fresh air. Even though our ship docked at 7am, we didn’t disembark until after 10 am. Once more the heightened terror alerts seemed to slow the process way down, at least that was the excuse given. With a plane to catch before noon we were both getting a bit stressed, but we didn’t realize that the airport was just a few blocks from the dock. Everything went smoothly and we made our flight in time. It helped that our flight was delayed a bit.

Thinking back on the cruise, we decided that we liked many things about Celebrity. Little things cruise 068 matter, and the service throughout the entire cruise was impeccable. We especially appreciated the little things like fresh water and ice in our room every single morning and evening and not having to buy bottled water. The fancy folded towels were missing, but water meant a lot more than towel animals on the bed at night! We were also provided with comfy terry robes which were replaced each time we used them.

Our cabin was very spacious and comfortable, the beds were great and the bathrooms were especially roomy.

The food was fantastic. This was my fifth cruise and it was the first one that met the ideal of what I imagined ‘”cruise food” to be. The Grand Buffet’s twice at brunch was a great idea. The Seaside Cafe salads were always amazingly fresh and tasty. The food in the dining room at dinner was always very good and the service was wonderful all the time. Ice cream was free, but it certainly wasn’t Ben and Jerry quality.

The ship was small, but still felt roomy, and there were lots of places to hang out that didn’t feel crowded. Sometimes it seemed as though there really wasn’t enough entertainment, with the two mid ship bars often closed and dark. We used them anyway to play cards, but it would have been nice to have some afternoon music and light in them.

The production shows were fabulous, top quality shows, with excellent talent. Perry Grant in the piano bar was funny and entertaining, but it would have been nice to have more entertainment overall. It was a quiet ship with an older clientele. I think we saw less than 10 children on the ship, maybe less than 5, and only one baby.

The lectures were informational and entertaining. They had a scrapbooking class but it seemed expensive. They also had language lessons, but the timing was often wrong for trying to get in on the lectures. What I would wish for on a ship would be art classes, watercolor painting, pastels, or something like that. I would also love some cooking classes, and would like for things to be scheduled at different times so you could actually enjoy everything.

We loved the fact that the ship had excellent elevators with clear signs and maps in good locations showing exactly where you were on the ship and how to get where you were going. Getting around was very easy, without having to wonder whether we were fore or aft, port or starboard.

Overall, it was a good cruise and a lovely ship. However, I still find myself looking forward to going again on one of the really big ships like the Oasis of the Seas. It’s funny, when it all comes down to it, some things are good, some not so good, and most cruise lines I have been on have something to enjoy. I think maybe Princess might be my favorite for the time being.

Day 8 Home and thoughts on cruising

Actually, what I discovered on this trip is that what I love most about cruising, is, well, actually, cruising. Being on a top deck watching the seas and the skies and feeling that huge ship moving beneath me is an incredible rush, and in the entire 7 days I never tired of it. Lots of good things about a cruise, but that movement on the sea is the best part.

The daily posts listed below have some photos in them, but here is the link to all the photos from the cruise.

http://picasaweb.google.com/kyotesue/EasternCaribbean09#

Day 7 Some thoughts on Princess

Our last day of the cruise was spent at sea, with time to relax in deck chairs, and enjoy the lovely gentle seas. Time to think a bit.

Mo has been on 5 cruises, and this was my 4th. Two previous trips were with Royal Caribbean and one 4 day cruise with Holland America. It is sometimes difficult to compare something like a cruise, and I think every experience is individual. For what it is worth, in most ways we were impressed with Princess. The cabin was excellent, and our steward did a great job. We knew there wouldn’t be cute little animals, but chocolates and a turned down bed were fine, and if I had to choose, I would pick the huge closet over fancy towel animals.

The Anytime Dining option has some glitches, but still is a great way to go if you aren’t traveling with a big group of people that you know. The food on Princess was fine and the service was excellent in our experience, but there wasn’t quite the fabulous fancy thing that you expect on a cruise. We didn’t opt for any of the extra charge restaurants, but that shouldn’t be the only way to get great food on a cruise. Talking with a friend about this, we think it may not just be the difference between cruise lines, but an overall difference in cruise food in general.

The spa was wonderful, and my experience on this ship better than others. There are 4 pools, lots of places to hang out, and not very many children or young adult people on this trip. It was pretty quiet, actually, not a party ship at all. It seemed very classy, and mature, unlike the rock climbing wave riding midnight party glitz of the Royal Caribbean. I would still like to someday experience one of those big ships like the Independence of the Seas, but in all, Princess compared very favorably to past cruise experiences.

The only other problem seemed to be the very short times in port. Often, another ship would be in port when we arrived and there after we left. We heard tales of 12 hour port stays, and the 6 or 7 hours that we had in our ports was a real detriment to actually enjoying them. I’m not quite sure why it worked out this way, but might pay closer attention to port stays when planning another cruise. My choice won’t necessarily depend on the company, but on the ports, the price, and the dates.