“USA 🇺🇸 Washington ~in Packwood with Our Friends “Six Dogs” and on to Oregon!”
WASHINGTON
At the Cabela’s parking lot in Union Gap ⬇️
⬇️ And, a rare photo of…Blue sky and a clean BUG!… might just be getting a little summer, after all!
The Whale Got Repairs ⬇️
Union Gap, Washington
Good news! The Whale does not have an airbag issue at this time.. it’s all good. We as is Daryl, redistributed weight, is all.
We did, however, need to replace the super slide canvas/vinyl topper, as it is vital to keeping the rain outside (it covers the slide outs).
Anyway, we now know that after so much rain/storms we had in Alaska for the “summer,” the pine cones and needles that fall didnt have a chance to blow off, like in dry weather, so they accumulated and ended up rolling into the roller and rotting the canvas.
Now we know. I just don’t like the big guy up on that roof, so might figure out a maintenance plan for an rv place to do it, when doing a lot of glampimg in foul weather!
Our two other slide toppers are fine for now, thankfully, but are getting a little worn. They are seven years old.
Since we were there, at the Clickit RV Repair in Union Gap/Yakima, we had a loose wire fixed on a headlight, and a loose awning leg re-screwed to keep it from moving, while driving, and the house water filter changed. $870 later, and a half day, we were good to go.
We recommend Clickit RV in Union Gap. Very helpful and very nice
Before leaving Union Gap/Yakima, Daryl hit-up our first lower 48 grocery store, since leaving Montana last May. He bought $168 worth of fruit, vegetables, meats, etc, nothing out of the ordinary. In Alaska and Canada, the prices were easily double this and we weren’t even buying meat!! (we bought meats, ahead for the freezer, prior to leaving).
The shelves were completely stocked, not all or half empty like we were used to.
I also, finally had the time to work on a few stats, from our big trip North. As full-time RVers, it is difficult to “put a pin in it,” for a start and stop on this big trip, but in our case, we literally left Kingman, Arizona, (with our newly rebuilt and restored VW Bug… and yes, we know how well that turned out) ANYWAYZZZZ, we left from there to go to Alaska, so our round-trip miles will not be complete, till we return to Kingman, Arizona, mid September. Unfortunately, our newly purchased and installed A/C has never worked (what a shock-NOT) and since we paid this guy already, he needs to get it right. He will NOT be touching the engine!
Once we get back to Arizona, I will be able to finalize stats, completely. It was A LOT OF MILES! Daryl has never driven so many miles in anything, ever, like this for for a single trip. I have never been a passenger for this big of trip; riding in continual motion; daily/weekly. We had a big, busy itinerary, with many scheduled stops and excursions. I’m so glad we did everything we wanted to do, on this trip to Alaska. It was a lot of work to plan. It was a lot of work to accomplish, and it took gobs of money to see it through.
After a second night in Union Gap, Washington, since crossing-over from Canada, we departed, and headed to Packwood, to stay at our friends place; Six Dogs, for a few nights. We met them in Alaska.
We have had enough nights and days of change (primarily much better roads) and good sleep, since enduring Canada, beyond Stewart BC, to get back “home,” (home is America) recently, and it’s much more enjoyable. We have internet in The Whale again. We have premium fuel available for Jonah again, fuel prices are lower, and my cell phone works only in the USA. It’s all good!
When we left Union Gap, we had sunshine and dry pavement. It was beautiful, and our easy, two-hour drive to Packwood, Washington seemed unreal.
T w o h o u r s was nothing!!!
We drove over the White Pass Summit and it was quite scenic. This area gets one to Mount Rainier National Park and not too far from there is Olympic National Park. (I’ve been to both). Beautiful places!
No escape from road work
We easily made our destination to “Six Dogs” place, and got an escort straight to our spot.
We all had mechanical issues, on our Alasks trip, and we hated on the terrible roads, and the crap weather. Cindy and I both say: NEVER AGAIN IN AN RV!!!
We aren’t quite at the laughing stage about any of our struggles, yet, but one day we will be. I mean we could have spent three months in Europe, living five-star for what we spent in and to get to Alaska. Ha!
⬆️ So, allow me introduce our friends: Michael and Cindy and their pups, ⬇️ who all gave them the moniker; “Six Dogs,” which really caught on. They literally traveled to Alaska with their six dogs in their big rig coach! They made it look easy, too!
Quite impressive.
We were honored to be invited to their beautiful property to enjoy some more visiting time, to relax, and rest-up. We also got to get to know their sweet pups (Labradoodkes) and they are quite well mannered, very sweet and loving, and of course cute.
Just about each morning, at dawn there are Deer and Elk that wander through their property and along their river. On our first morning, we saw a mama Elk and her baby. No pictures, as it was still a little dark… There is also a mama Elk with twin babies, but we did not see them.
We spent two nights, and would have loved to have spent more. We all cooked and enjoyed lots of great conversations. Even the second night, their neighbors came for dinner. The more the merrier.
On our first night, at Six Dogs, it began raining, 🤪 and through the next day: typical for where we go, but in this area, it has been very dry all summer and they desperately need the rain.
I’ve been honored a nickname from Six Dogs “Talia Seven Dog” …. Rains From Heaven. Yep, got a bit of a reputation.
⬆️ I have to share this story about Cindy and her washed dog rugs… hanging out to dry.
WELL, another time, Facebook banned her for a photo she posted.. unrelated to her rugs hanging on the fence, drying in the background, because the dog bone etching on the rug, was only visible when laying flat. When hanging on the fence, the way she had them, before, with half of the picture not showing… it looked like a ..umm …an anatomy part. So Daryl moved one of the rugs on the fence to mess with her. Funny. Not funny because Facebook is so stupid.
And we are off, like a herd of turtles!!
THANKS YOU Cindy and Michael!!! ❌⭕️
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OREGON
⬆️ That’s a bug splat on my windshield, coving the sign. “That bug will NEVER have the guts to do that again!” 🤣
We got under way from Packwood, before noon and made our way to Oregon! It took about three hours, with some slow down on a Friday, before the holiday weekend.
We are not in Alaska any more…
In the Portland, Oregon Metro area
#trafficjams
Debby and Vern live in the hills of Sherwood, south of Portland, where we got invited to park The Whale and stay for five nights.
For those who do not know, Debby and I met in junior high and used to be country neighbors. We rode our horses together back in the day. Long story short, Debby would eventually live with my family by freshman year of high school. So, she’s been my sister, by another mister for almost 50 years. We are the same age, and our bdays are 14 days apart. Way back then, I used to brag about being “older.” Now, she loves to remind me I am “older.” We learned to drive, together, and eventually drove to school, together, in my 1968 VW Bug.
We had pulled over on 99W, prior to the road we needed to turn off on, as it’s a curvy and narrow one. I then drove the Bug and got out of the way, while Daryl backed The Whale in, once we arrived at Debby’s place.
On this part of the asphalt it’s thicker, so we stayed on this and not the drive around part near house, where the asphalt is thinner. The Whale weighs in at 45,000 pounds, give or take.
There are very few options in the Newberg/Sherwood area for camping or Glamping, to visit my family, when we go there in our big rig. On our way TO Alaska, we stopped at our friends home in Prineville, coming up from Arizona and left The Whale at her house and drove to Newberg for a few nights. Oh, btw, that’s when Jonah broke down the first time, and needed a new oil cooler…So Linda, bless her good heart and soul, lended us her car, to drive to Newberg. When we came back, Jonah was fixed and we headed for Alaska, from Oregon, via Montana.
Recently, while waiting for The Whale at the RV place, in Union Gap, we took Jonah to a self-car wash and also did more deep cleaning inside her. The vacuums were broken, so gotta find another place, yet, but she is looking better.
The Whale is also getting her third cleaning, on our first full day in Oregon, since being in Alaska. Daryl is literally wiping down every cupboard, the ceiling, and inside windows. I’m mopping, and washing inside windows and the big dash area. Every nook and cranny harbors glacier dust. It’s unreal! First thing Daryl did was pull all our ceiling intake filters out and washed them. It took three washing’s, before the water was no longer BLACK!
Debby n Vern have extra room for our items in our refrigerator, too, because after our cleaning day, we will move into their house and shut down The Whales main breakers, so the batteries won’t drain, till the morning of our departure from Sherwood.
We are too heavy for their asphalt drive, to park near shore power.
Prior to arrival in Sherwood, I also put in an on-line order for delivery at Debby’s house. It’s been over three months of continual travel in a very remote place. We need our drinking water filters replaced in The Whale, my cell phone case tore; you know wear and tear replacement stuff. Being on the move all the time, makes it hard to have a deliverable address.
Our friend, Linda, in Prineville, has received our new order of business cards and new signal lights (for towing Bug) since what we have got waterlogged, (no shock there) and aren’t working as well. We appreciate our friends help so much! We will see Linda again, after Sherwood.
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Just Some Random Thoughts ⬇️
When traveling from point A to B in the lifestyle we choose to live, it is necessary to overnight at places, as we make our way. Boondocking or drydocking are not my preference, but free nights, doing so, sure beats paying for one night at a time at campgrounds, unless there are zero pull outs to do so.
That being said, we have noticed more and more Walmarts are putting up signs for no overnight parking, after many many years of allowing it. It’s def a sign of the times. California was one of the first states to say no.
*While in Alaska, with Jonah in a repair shop, we found ourselves needing to be in Anchorage (I never scheduled any stays in Anchorage)….anywho, we stayed overnight at a Cabela’s and it was great. My daughter had a return flight out of Anchorage to get her home to the east coast, and this Cabela’s was 12 minutes from the airport.
Recently, upon our return to the lower 48, in Washington, we needed to get The Whale in to a shop for some repairs. Luckily for us, there was a Cabela’s, four minutes from the RV repair place. Easy Peasy.
While there are far more Walmarts than Cabrla’s, I will make an effort to find Cabela’s, en-route, now, whenever possible
*I used to be concerned, in parking lots, overnights, especially over Jonah. I didn’t want her messed with, especially when she isn’t hooked to The Whale. We had no idea when we got Jonah, the attention she would draw. Kids and adults! It’s actually a lot of fun during the daytime. Many conversations begin with… “I had a VW bug, when I was young….” I love seeing people’s faces light up at their memories.. good memories!
We’ve been boondocking so much, over the last three months, I don’t worry about Jonah any more. I guess it just took time to get used to it. I don’t want her stolen, any less, but some things are out of our control, so I’ve relaxed about it.
During our harrowing time, returning south, through Canada, due to being constantly surrounded by fires, we did something we NEVER do, and that was leave the key in the Bugs ignition (while hooked to the Whale of course). In the event, we would have to evacuate, if the winds shifted direction. There would have been no time to get the spare key, put it in the ignition, “partially on” in the ignition (to keep the steering wheel from locking), put in neutral and brake off…. Without these steps, Jonah would be drug behind The Whale, till her tires disintegrated, and her gears destroyed.
If we had to bug-out, quickly, there would be no time, to get the bug ready, properly, so we left the key in and all set, the entire drive, down through Canada, through and near fires.
I’m happy to report, now that we are back in the USA, we have unpacked our bug-out bags, and no longer leave the Bug in bug-out mode, when overnighting/boondocking. The difference between fires in the USA (lower 48) and Canada/Alaska up North, are the number of road systems. We have more options for “escape” in the L48, and this is such a good thing. Thinking (so sadly) the people of Maui.. obviously, limited road systems made it impossible for everybody to get to safety.
I can say the same about the Tsunami alert we experienced, while in Alaska. Again, limited road systems would have had us driving TOWARDS the Tsunami, so we stayed put and said our prayers, which were answered.
Honestly, between that Tsunami scare and all the the fires, up north, my nerves were frazzled. I had trouble sleeping, while “in it.” All that being said, the USA has many states, in continual peril, but we can pick and choose where we go, right now, so much easier, with more space and road systems to choose from.
*We are fully tuned in again to the outside world, as TMobile did what we asked, and unpaused our internet service, right on time! Not having service during our trip down through the fires, was not a good thing. Thankfully, Daryls phone provider allowed some roaming. It was obviously enough, but we couldn’t check when and where we wanted to. Whew! So glad that’s in the past! Now my phone works again, in the USA, and I can talk to people, again. It’s very strange to integrate back to civilization and get hooked back in, after our kind of spring and summer.
*We had more struggles in the four months, traveling in Alaska/Canada, than we did in 4.5 years of traveling overseas/living in foreign lands, continually. (like 48 different countries in that time)….I would have never guessed this would be so.
Till the next blog…Laters, Y’all
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WASHINGTON
OREGON
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About Us

About Us
Hello and Welcome to our Travel Blog Website, We enjoy writing about our experiences and taking photos of our adventuring along the way. Our names are: Daryl and Pen, but Daryl calls me “Bunny.” We met, quite randomly, whilst both… Read More
Love all the beauty of your many travels
Thank you so much. We love to share about living this lifestyle! Thx for checking our blog out!
We have been so blessed to meet both of you. Thank you for dropping in to visit. Much love from Six Dogs!!
Hi!
We feel the same way. This journey of life is made so special when meeting new friends and enjoying great times!
You guys are the best!!!!⭕️❌