Road Trip Summer 2026 in our 2020 Freedom Elite 28FE RV. Vancouver Canada, Victoria BC, Olympic National Park

July 10 through July 26 2026

Vancouver Canada, Victoria BC, Olympic National Park

Our third big road trip in our 2020 Freedom Elite 28FE RV – Our Summer 2026 journey begins in Sonoma County California heading north on Highway 5 to Vancouver Canada, then west to Victoria BC, then back down to Olympic National Park. We will then head south on the 101 to revisit a few of our favorite spots along the coast of Washington, Oregon, and California. The trip will be 2433 miles in 15 days.

July 10 Day 1 – From Home to Redding California

As usual our trip started off smooth and easy. LIES!!! ALL LIES!!!! I have been stressing out for two weeks about this trip. Our last camping trip to Collins Lake a few weeks ago started off with our little Honda Element, that we tow behind the RV, catching on fire. FUN! The brakes were engaged for the drive to my oldest son’s girlfriends house 20 minutes away. By the time we arrived at her house there were big flames coming out of both front tires. A wonderful lady in a large SUV came flying up next to us screaming our car was on fire. We immediately jumped into action detaching the car from the RV, calling the fire department, and using every single fire extinguisher that was handed to me. Unfortunately, it was burning so hot that the three extinguishers I used only annoyed the fire.

The good thing was that we were able to leave the car at the girlfriend’s house and continue on to Collins Lake. We really only wanted the car for trips to the ice cream store. No big loss. However it is a huge loss not to have a car on these big road trips. We need it to get to a lot of the fun destinations.

Less than two weeks. That’s how much time we had to work with the insurance company and the mechanic to get the car fixed. This would be a very unreasonable thing to expect to happen in such a short amount of time. However, my friend and everyone in his shop moved Heaven and Earth to make it happen. We were planning to leave at 1pm on Friday the 10. They got the car done by 11am that day. FANTASTIC. Hubby and I rushed down to the shop to pick up the car. On the way home the check engine light came on and it started sputtering. DRATT!!!

Turns out it has been a long while since we drove it on the highway. We had no idea that it was having issues completely unrelated to the fire. We limped home, hooked it up to the RV and took it back to the mechanic. While we were on our way back, they were on the phone getting the parts ordered and delivered.

So, just a little side note here. While hubby was out front hooking up the car to the RV, I was inside filling our water bottles for the drive. That’s when I noticed a rather large puddle of water in front of the refrigerator. I opened the fridge doors to find it way too warm inside. Dead. The fridge was dead. We threw what we could salvage in the garage freezer, told our neighbor to take what she wanted, and threw the rest of the food out. So that’s fun.

We waited in front of the mechanics shop for about 2 hours while the car was being fixed. No complaints on our side. We were so grateful they were working on it so right away, and plus we were hanging out in the comfort of our RV. Hubby even got a little nap in.

We arrived at the Redding RV Park in Redding at about 9pm. They have the easiest check-in and the spots were level. We couldn’t have asked for more. Cheese and crackers for dinner, and then all four of us went to sleep.

After a day like that we were done done. I feel very lucky though. Even with all that had gone wrong or bad, we still came out okay in the end. Had we stuck to the plan of going straight from the mechanic shop to Redding, we would never had known the car had other issues. We also would not have noticed the refrigerator had died. That would have been a mess to come home to. Yuck! I can just imagine the smell.

July 11 Day 2 – Next Stop: Creswell Oregon.

This morning we all slept in a bit. We had another long day of driving ahead of us and the more rested we were the better. We were packed up and were on the road by 9am.

To normal humans highway 5 is pretty easy I guess. Two lanes and not a lot of traffic. To me however highway 5 is the road of hell. Some of you may remember I have a huge fear of riding in cars. I also have a fear of hills, cliffs, and sharks. I also hate vastness. That was a new fear unlocked in Montana. I spend pretty much the whole ride flinching and making brake signals with my hands. I am finally able to not scream “BRAKES” every few minutes, but hubby knows what I am doing in the passenger’s seat pressing the imaginary handbrakes. Brakes brakes brakes. A few times I just went to the back and buried my face in my phone. I did this for a good 2.5 or so hours until we reached the Visitors Center in Ashland.

I have to say the people at the visitors center are amazing. Victoria hooked us up with free coffee, tea, and a lot of excellent information on places to see. We chatted it up with her for a good hour or so. She gave me a good amount of destination reading material to help me keep my eyes off the road and maybe help with my anxiety.

I am so sorry Victoria. Against everyone’s wishes I continued to use my invisible hand brakes and was in absolute fear the whole way. Hubby is an excellent driver, and I know this. Logic has nothing to do with it.

We arrived in Creswell Oregon around 4pm. Alive! Amazing. We pulled into our home for the night, The Meadowlark RV Park. Another super easy check-in and set up.

We were advised at the Ashland Visitors center to visit the Creswell Bakery. It was an absolute must. Best sweet and savory pastries in the world. How can we argue with that. They closed at 6pm and by the time were were all set up at the RV park it was 5pm. No time to waste. It was about .4 miles from where we were and we were determined to get our treats!

SUCCESS!!! Treats have been acquired. We would have to wait until the morning to enjoy them though. Hubby went right to work making us a delicious Manwich meal before a rather offensive game of Cards Against Humanity. I really don’t think I will ever look at my sweet boys the same way again. I lost as you can probably tell. Off to bed. We have an early day tomorrow.

July 12 Day 3 – Cresswell to the Portland Japanese Garden.

Hubby has talked for years about building a koi pond in our backyard, and this past October his dream was finally coming true. Currently the pond is finished, and the deck next it is 99% done. So a trip to the Portland Japanese Garden was an must for inspiration for our own little Japanese inspired backyard.

We left Cresswell around 8am and made it into Portland around 11 or so. We parked our RV at a Walmart and jumped into the Honda Element for the 20 minute drive to the gardens.

Hubby asked that I drive since he needed a brake and he was much better at being a navigator than I am. Fair enough. I was a bit of a nervous wreck though. We hadn’t test drove the car yet since it came out of the shop the second time. Add to my anxiety the fact that I was driving in a place that was completely foreign to me. UGH! I am such a pain in the butt to travel with. I kept my mouth shut and jumped in the driver’s seat. Act cool! Off we went, and it wasn’t nearly as bad as I pictured it would be. We found parking and made our way into the gardens.

I walked super slow. Every step I took I took the time to just be in the present. Breath deep. That and I took a bunch of pictures. My sweet hubby and boys did not complain once. I think they appreciate all the pictures as well. Hubby and I spent a good amount of time pointing out all the cool features that we might be able to recreate in our yard at a much smaller scale.

A quick trip through the gift shop to pick up a few souvenirs and then off to the little cafe for lunch. The Portland Japanese Garden was the perfect first real destination of our trip. I felt like we finally started our vacation.

Around 2pm we headed back to the RV at Walmart, hooked up the Element and were back on the road to our next spot for the night. This night we are at Angle Lake RV Park in Sea Tac. We are literally parked about 50 feet from the lake. This was no easy spot to get into. A few times we bottomed out trying to back into the spot. Hubby always seems to make it work though, so I just stood back and let him know I was there if he needed me. He didn’t. Not only did he get the RV parked level, he hooked up all the utilities and then went inside to make dinner. El Pastor on corn tortillas. I wasn’t going to, but after all that, I shared a few pieces of dark chocolate bar from Trader Joes with him.

I can’t believe we are already in Seattle Washington. Didn’t we just leave Sonoma County? Time is really weird on trips like this. What happened just a few days ago feels like weeks. I love spending this time with the boys and hubby. It’s like we are in our own little world and we get to reconnect.

Tomorrow we are taking the Link light rail to downtown Seattle. The rail is just a 10 minute walk from our campsite, so that’s pretty nice.

July 13 Day 4 Seattle

This morning we woke up, and headed out the door around 9am. we had a full day planned and I wanted to do it all. A quick walk to the Link light rail and we were on our way. The trip was about 35 minutes. Not long and it was a heck of a lot better than trying to find parking. It may have been a Monday, but it was still pretty crowded downtown. First stop: The Chilhuly Garden & Glass. OH MY GOLLY!!! Hubby wasnt too sure about the price we paid to get in, but that quickly left his mind at the very first exhibit we saw.

This is the first thing you saw when you walked in. I can’t remember the exact demenions, but certainly over 8 feet tall, maybe 15 feet wide??? Huge! And Stunning. The boys were absolutly mesmerized as well. All four of us spent the entire time taking a million pictures of everything we saw. WOW!! CLICK CLICK CLICK!!! WOWEEEE!!! CLICK CLICK CLICK! We werent alone either. Everyone around us was doing the same thing.

That was just the inside of the exhibit. Then we went outside into the garden.

Amazing as that was, we still had other places to visit. Next on the agenda was walking past the Space Needle. There is no way in heckadoodle I am going in there. No. No no no no. I will stand next to it though.

Right next door was the Museum of Pop Culture. The museum is dedicated to anything that is part of popular culture. Everything from music to movies and television. It was a nice way to slow down the pace and walk leisurly through the many exhibits. It had more stairs than I would like, but well worth the pain.

What would be a trip to Seattle without visiting Pikes Place Market. Hubby was dead set of watching fish fly. He was not disappointed. I didn’t take any pictures because the large crowd made it next to impossible to get a good angle, but I assure you fish did in fact fly, and it was delightful. The fish may argue with me on that one. Or not.. they were dead. We grabbed a few small baskets of fresh berries and made our way around the market. Pretty crowded for a Monday. I am sure the perfectly sunny weather had something to do with it. Stopping at Salt & Straw for ice cream was the perfect ending to our day in Seattle.

After all that we limped and crawled on to the light rail and made our way back to the campsite. It was a beautiful night to enjoy a little quiet time outside and watch the action on the lake.

Tomorrow we pack up once again and head across the border to Canada.

July 14 Day 5 Seattle to Vancouver

We made it to Vancouver! That was not an easy drive. Hubby says it was just fine, but our GPS was not being kind at all. It was telling us to take exits off the highway, only to get back on the highway immediately. It was also telling us to takes left turns where there weren’t any. The last thing it did before Hubby finally lost it was send us down a dead end street, and then told us to turn left. I hate “Lefts” right now. THERE IS NO LEFT! I was pulling my hair out and hubby was silently agitated at this point, but the look on his face said it all. We did eventually make it and got settled into our home for the next three nights, the Capilano River RV Park. We chose this place because it was very close to everything we wanted to visit. It’s really funny how the car fire didn’t upset me nearly as much as left turns that don’t exist did. I held it together and kept calm while hubby did his thing, but inside I was screaming.

It was still pretty early when we got settled in at the RV park, and I didn’t want to waste the precious time that we had here in Vancouver. The steam clock in Gastown was on my bucket list, so I rounded up the troops and we called an Uber to get us there. I wasn’t feeling too lucky about getting our driving directions from any apps that this point. At 3pm the Uber picked us up and we were on our way to a very highly talked about steam clock. About 30 minutes later we were a quarter of a mile away. Note to self: traffic is no joke in Vancouver. The Uber driver basically said stay where you are between the hours of 3 and 6, because you are not going anywhere fast. At the 30 minute mark we had looped around the RV park and could see our RV again. Once we hit the Lions Gate bridge we were scooting a bit faster.

It took us 45 minutes to get to Gastown. I think normally it is only a 12 minute drive. The Uber driver dropped us off right in front of the steam clock. Nice! Less than 20 seconds later it did it’s thing of whistling and spouting steam, and after a short time it was over.

Okay. That was… cool. Umm… now what? All those blog posts about Gastown and videos I watched for some reason made it seem like a bigger deal than it was. Don’t get me wrong, the clock is cool. I just don’t know why it seemed like a bigger thing than it was. All around us were cute touristy shops with Vancouver pins, postcards, and t-shirts. Of course I grabbed my souvenirs. That took 10 minutes. There were some shops that had beautiful jewelry and art that were fun to browse through, but just didn’t hold anyone’s attention long enough. The Gastown buildings were amazing to look at, but all of this wasn’t really our jam.

I will tell you what was our jam. Sooda Korean BBQ on w Cordova Street. OH MY GOLLY!!! The food was so creative and everything we ordered had the most amazing flavors. Just like us we ordered too much. I had the Bulgogi (Not pictured), Honey Garlic Sooda Box (Mega), Seafood Pancakes (not pictured), Tokbokki, and Sooda fries.

Our eyes were certainly bigger than our stomachs. If you check the place out please note, when the server says the portions are big and for sharing… THEY MEAN IT! We had enough food left over for evening snack that night and a full lunch the next day. It was still amazing as leftovers.

After dinner we explored the cute shops to walk off dinner a bit. Gastown was alive with tourists and we heard the steam clock go off a few more times. It was a pleasant way to end the evening.

July 15 Day 6 Vancouver

The trip on the second day in Vancouver was right back up to level 10 awesome the moment we arrived at the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park. What an amazing place. The magnificent trees, the incredible bridges, and the adorable squirrels. I loved the squirrels.  My family is all about getting into nature and exploring. I have to remember when I am planning these huge RV trips. My youngest baby basset and I have a pretty big fear of heights, but for some reason I just wasn’t worrying about it. The suspension bridge is extremely high up and very bouncy. Two things that should have prevented me from going across. Don’t get me wrong, I was nervous, but I think I was more excited to get across and see the beautiful ponds and gardens… and squirrels.

After we left I asked my youngest what he thought. He said he was screaming in fear the entire time, but he had a lot of fun as well. Cool, I guess???

July 16 – Vancouver

I really needed the day in Stanley Park and the Vancouver Aquarium. We have been going at such a high pace and doing so much, slowing it down a bit felt necessary. That morning we were able to get up and have breakfast at our own pace with no schedule to adhere to. After a few cups of coffee and a good breakfast we heading out the door to The Vancouver Aquarium in our little Honda Element.

I haven’t been driving the motorhome at all this trip. I feel kinda guilty about that, but to be honest I am very nervous about driving. Which is weird since I used to drive a huge UPS truck, stick shift, one hand on the wheel, one hand holding the Thomas map guide, and the other hand shifting gears. Yes, I know that’s three hands. That’s just how I did it.

I will drive the Honda Element on our little excursions with hubby navigating. It’s really the least I can do. Driving in Canada is almost the same as the US, but there are definitely a few differences that I had to note. First of all, people in Vancouver are way nicer than California. On the highway people were all driving nicely. No one was trying to cut-off other drivers, it wasn’t a race, and everyone was going about the same speed. It felt weird. I am so used to being surrounded by jerks who are out to get you. Every time you get on the highway its a battle and you are on high alert. At one point I was in front at a stop light, and I hadn’t noticed it turned green. I may have been there for at least 10 seconds not moving. No one honked at me. They just waited. WHAT??? There was a guy in my neighborhood at home that would honk at you if you stopped for more than 3 seconds at a stop sign. He would lay on the horn even if you were waiting for a child to cross. Crazy!

Anywhoo.. back to our adventure. The Vancouver Aquarium. As soon as we entered I was taken back in time to when my two boys were small kids. We were surrounded by parents with huge bags filled with goldfish crackers and juice boxes, trying to corral their youngins who excitedly ran from tank to tank pressing their faces up to the glass, smooshing their noses. You couldn’t walk three feet without having to dodge a teacup human running by with a pink stuffed axolotl or otter. I loved it. My boys didn’t need corralling. At 18 and 19 I felt comfortable letting them wander unaccompanied. I took my time enjoying each exhibit. The chaos happening all around me was not my responsibility. It blurred away as I got lost in the colorful fish and sea anemones.

After the aquarium we hopped back in the car and drove around the entire park. We stopped at a few places of interest, took way too many pictures, and continued on with the drive at a slow leisurely pace. Part way through we parked and took a short walk along the sea wall, stopping for a meal at a beach side food stand. When we felt raindrops we knew it was time to head back.

That night we were entertained by a huge lightening and thunder storm. Bundled up inside looking out the back window we watched lighting bolts flash across the sky.

I just wasn’t in a picture taking mood that day, and apparently I took exactly zero pictures. I just asked the family if they took any pictures, and hubby said he had one of a monkey. Fine. One picture of a monkey and one of the bridge for now

July 17 – Day 8 Vancouver to Victoria

I got up at 4am this morning to get my work done before we headed to the Ferry to take us from Horseshoe Bay to Nanaimo. We packed the motorhome up quickly as if we had done this a few times before, and were right on time to check in at the ferry terminal. The ferry ride over was about an hour and forty-five minutes.Not too bad. We sat right up front and just relaxed. We landed in Nanaimo, were on the road to Victoria before noon, and reached our campsite at around 2pm.

At this point we were all tired, but it was still too early for me to call it a day. An absolute must do for me was the Butchart Gardens. It was Friday and I wanted to go on a weekday to maybe avoid the weekend crowds.

As you can imagine the Butchart Gardens did NOT disappoint. The tiredness quickly dissipated as soon as we walked through the entry. We spent hours walking down every single path, sitting on every single bench, and took about ten thousand pictures.

We couldn’t have asked for more perfect weather either. As with the Portland Japanese Garden, I could very easily see that when it rains a whole new level of beauty comes out. If you are ever in the area when it rains, I would highly suggest going. The little creeks that form would be amazing looking.

July 18 – Day 9. Victoria.

We had booked a whale watching tour for 10am this morning. We parked right by the dock and checked ourselves in. Once again the weather was amazing! Let me start by saying this. It was a beautiful day and perfect weather. The boat ride was fun with gorgeous views. Would I recommend it? Yes. BUT…. you must have realistic expectations.

Let me put on my Northern California hat on here for a moment. I live in an area with plenty of sea lions and bald eagles. We also have humpback whales you can see right from the shoreline. This is nothing new to me. So when I signed up for the whale watching tour from a brochure that had an orca on it, I thought I was signing up for orcas. There are statues and tourist tchotchkes all over the place of orcas! My fault was not asking what types of whales we would be seeing. After about a 45 minutes boat ride out, again very beautiful, we slowly make our way between little islands with seals. Cool cool, but I am here for the orcas, so I hang back out of the way and let the other passengers have a clear view to take pictures.

After another short ride we arrive where the whales are spotted. There are about three or four other tour boats in the area all pointing in the same direction. I heard the crew say the whales are active and doing their whale thing. SHWEET!!! I made my way to the top deck of the boat just in time to see a plum of water shoot up from the surface, followed by a short dark grey fin. DAMMIT!!! Sorry for the language. I asked the tour guide at that point what whales we will see today. He said there are two humpbacks in the area. No Orcas? Nope, not today. DAMMIT! I am pretty sure I hid my disappointment. I hope. I liked the guide, he was nice, very social, and had very interesting things to tell us about the whales in the area, their personalities and habits. Cool cool, but no orcas? No.

To be honest I hate whale watching. The few times I have done it, the only thing you see is a few plumes of water and a fin. Not my cup of tea. I went out on a snorkeling trip in Mexico once and had a whale breach the water right next to us while we were heading to our swim spot. That was AMAZING!!! Watching a whale come up out of the water is breathtaking. A whale spitting out water is not amazing. Sorry.

I don’t regret going. It was a beautiful day and the ride was pleasant. After the whale watching we walked along the waters edge by Victoria’s Parliament building, the Empress Hotel, and of course we had to walk down Fan Tan Alley.

As much as I would like to push on and do more. At that point we were done done. The sun and wind on the boat, the long walks through town. We had a wonderful day, but it was time to rest again.

July 19th A day of rest in Victoria,BC

We have already done the two big things on my bucket list for Victoria and we had the whole day to plan something new. But this is us we are talking about and it has been a few days since trouble had found us. Trouble this time is in the shape of a little mouse in the RV. OH MY GOSH!!! EW EW EW EW!!! I found a nest it had made overnight in our utensil drawer. Poop pee and shredded up tin foil. A leak had also started in the shower, so hubby looked under the shower pan to see what was up. What was up was a little mouse who didn’t like being disturbed. EW EW EW!!! I just sent hubby off to the store to get battle supplies. This just might be what our free bonus day in Victoria looks like. UGH

Later that day….

I hate that we spent our last day in Victoria, BC cleaning the trailer, setting up the anti mouse stuff, and sitting around doing nothing. But boy did we need a day like that. Not the mouse part, but a day of doing next to nothing. We still have a lot of trip left and we needed a day of rest. I would have liked to enjoy Victoria a bit more, but having a mouse in an RV chewing wires can be devastating. I’m just going to take it as a sign to rest. Hubby made delicious burgers and fries and we enjoyed some chocolate cake hubby and my youngest bought to get my mind off the mouse. Now we sit. Tomorrow we are taking the ferry to Port Angeles, then off to the Olympic National Forrest.

Canada.. you have been amazing. Your people are so nice and your parks and cities are amazing. We hate to leave and can’t wait to come back.

July 20 – Victoria BC to Washington

We really have mastered the get up and go with the RV. I love it. We reached the Victoria Ferry building at about 8:45. Plenty of time to check in and get loaded up. The ride was okay. I was certain I was over getting seasick, but at one point we were rocking pretty hard from side to side. The water was actually quite calm, so another ship must have passed us or something. Either way I was very unhappy with my situation. We got through US cutomes pretty quick and were on our way to Olympic National Forrest.

It felt like the drive was only a few minutes before we hit amazing views of the water.

LOOK AT THE COLOR OF THAT WATER!!! Seriously! I can’t even with how beautiful that looks. Below are a few more pictures of trees and water. The second picture is of a tree that was just in a parking lot. So pretty.

We decided to visit Soleduck Trail before we made our way to the campground in Forks. Just to clarify. The map we got says Sol Duc Falls, but the name of the trail at the trail entrance says Soleduck Trail. It was only .8 miles, but it really felt longer than that to the falls. I didn’t mind at all. It was a beautiful hike. Not too many hills and filled with squirrels. I love squirrels.

I really wanted to steal some moss. I didn’t because that would have been wrong. I am not going to lie though. I was really thinking about it. Anywhoo… here are some pictures from the Hall of Mosses hike.

I actually took so many pictures this day that my phone died. I have never in my life had a phone die from too many pictures. This is when I stole hubby’s phone and took these pictures.

We arrived at the entrance to the falls around 3pm on a Monday. Parking at that time was a bit rough. You had to circle around a few times and just hope you got a spot. It wasn’t impossible, but it was a bit tricky. On the advice of another traveler we planned to visit the Hoh rain forest the next day, and planned to get there around 7:15 am to avoid the crowd.

June 21 – Hoh Rain Forrest & Second Beach in La Push.

This morning was another super early day. I was up at 4am getting the Kindle Blog and email together before we could start our day. We were told we needed to enter the Hoh Rain Forrest by 7:15am at the latest. We are staying in Forks, WA, and it is about a 45 minute drive to the park. We arrived at exactly 7:18, to find the first parking lot was already full, so we made our way to the overflow lot. It was about 75% full, but still plenty of spaces. There are a few hiking options. Hall of Mosses is an 0.8 mile loop, then there is Spruce Nature trail that is 1.2 miles, and then there is the Hoh River Trail at 34 miles round trip.

We are not big hikers. We love hiking, but just small ones, so we stuck to the 0.8 mile Hall of Mosses. I could try and describe it, but I could not do it justice. Thankfully I got pictures!

What I really love about the Sol Duc trail as well as the Hall of Mosses was they are short hikes, but still well worth the trip to the location. As I had said before, we are not big hikers, but we love to hike. These short hikes are very fun, worth the trouble to drive and park, and the pictures you come back with are gorgeous. At least I think so.

We finished our hike just in time to for the visitor’s center to open up at 9am. There was quite a line to get in, and the mad dash to the stickers, pins, and post cards was insane. There were plenty to choose from, so no worries of them running out, but GOSH! I got what I needed and we headed out of the park.

Now, when I say it is vital to get to the parking lot by 7:15, I mean no later than 7:15. NOT 7:20…NOT 7:30. 7:15am is the latest. As we drove past the entry gate there was a mile long line of cars waiting to get in. Not an exaggeration. It was literally a mile long. When one car left, one car was let in. Those people were going to be there waiting in line for hours. We drove right in at 7:15am. This was on a Tuesday.

After the Hall of Mosses hike we made our way back to the RV park in Forks for a quick bite to eat, and sunblock. Next on our list was a trip to Second Beach in La Push. You might recognize some of the names of places I am mentioning. Forks is the town where the movies Twilight was based. We are seeing a few mentions of the movie, but nothing too crazy. I saw all the movies and they were entertaining, but I am not going out of my way to see any of the places were scenes took place.

It was around noon when we reached Second Beach in La Push. The parking lot was full, but not impossible to find a spot. The 0.8 mile hike to the beach was incredible. A slight challenge, and more stairs than I like, but the path was so pretty I didn’t mind the workout.

July 22 – Leaving the Olympic National Forest and Heading to Seaside Oregon.

Our plan today was to get up early and hit the road so we could spend as much time in Seaside Oregon as possible. On our first major trip in this RV we fell in love with Seaside. We walked along the boardwalk, visited the cute aquarium and had just the most pleasant day. We were hoping to enjoy Seaside again this trip.

That would not be the case for us. Nope. I woke up, did a little work, and when it was time for me to get ready for the day I opened the toiletry drawer and discovered our little mouse had been spending quite a bit of time in it. GROSS!!!!!! Both the medicine drawer and the toiletry drawer were poo and pee filled. The mouse had been stealing tissue and was making a nest under our bed. I can’t even tell you how absolutely horrified I was. Every morning, that we have had the mouse, I wake up to see exactly where he had been running around freely while we sleep. Let’s just say he got too close.

We spent a good hour using Clorox wipes to wipe down every bottle, brush, and basket. We also discovered he was running loose in the huge drawer under the couch. We cleaned that as well. You would think after a long trip like this the RV would be kinda dirty. Nope. It is actually the cleanest it has ever been. The real horror is I am not sure if the poop in the drawers is from last night or has it been like that the whole time. Ew. I will say I was feeling rather defeated at this point.

I couldn’t let this ruin my trip. We still had a beautiful drive out of the Olympic National Forrest and a wonderful day planned in Seaside. I was promised there would be ice cream. Double scoop should do it.

Later that day….

NO ICE CREAM FOR YOU!!!!! Seriously… The drive to Seaside was pretty amazing. My anxiety about riding in cars is still pretty bad, but I really do love the view. Highway 101 south is so pretty, even when the weather is a bit cloudy. All the while I was thinking I didn’t mind if our day in Seaside was a bit chilly. It would still be a nice walk along the beach. We are Northern California people and cold beaches don’t scare us.

When we arrived though, it wasn’t just a few clouds. It was gusts of wind that threatened to knock you over, and thunder that reminded you that you are just a small speck on this planet. Then came the rain. Soooooo…. no walk along the boardwalk, and no ice cream.

Instead hubby made a delicious dinner and we spent the time in the RV playing Bananagrams and Gin Rummy. It was a lazy and pleasant time. We don’t always have to do an excursion. I am sad we didn’t get to visit Seaside, but we will be back.

July 23 – Off to Florence

This morning was the first morning I didn’t see mouse poop. I didn’t want to celebrate too much because I was worried I might be wrong. I checked every single drawer and cabinet. Nothing. Ohhhhhh! Don’t tell the RV gods that something might be going right. Especially since I booked two tickets for sand dunes rides for the boys at 2:30 in Florence. We were still four hours away. Those tickets are non-refundable. That has all the ingredients for something to go wrong. I’m not going to drag it out. We made it to Florence with an hour and a half to spare.

The drive from Seaside to Florence is probably my favorite section of highway 101. It’s slow, winding, and green, interrupted by the occasional sweet little seaside towns. I really wanted to stop and explore, but the boys had reservations for the sand dune rides at 2:30. Maybe next time.

We made it to Florence around 1pm and checked into the RV park. By the time we set up the RV and had lunch, it was time for the boys to head out. Hubby and I stayed back and cleaned the places the rat had been again and put everything back. No more living out of paper bags. FINALLY!

When the boys returned we headed to Old Town Florence. I missed out on Seaside, but Florence certainly made up for it. We had been there before and I loved it. Our first stop was to get our names on the list for dinner at The Waterfront Depot. Hubby promised the boys a fantastic seafood dinner on this trip and The Waterfront Depot was going to fulfill that promise. It would be an hour wait, so it was the perfect opportunity to walk around and check out the cute shops.

Dinner was amazing. We sat outside with a view of the water on a sheltered deck that kept us out of any cool breezes. We started out with crab stuffed mushrooms and lime-pepper shrimp. DELICIOUS! Hubby and I both ordered the crab encrusted halibut and substituted the salad with a bowl of clam chowder. The boys ordered salmon piccata and wild Alaskan salmon Cajun style. Of course we each tried each other dishes and the flavors were amazing. What’s funny is when I experience a truly good restaurant I often think I should try cooking at home. There is more to life than the food I make day in and day out. I would really like that feeling to follow me home.

The Waterfront Depot is a very popular restaurant, so if you ever plan to go try and make a reservation ahead of time. We had an hour wait on a Thursday. WORTH IT!!!

After dinner we had ice cream at Bj’s Ice Cream Parlor. I finally got my ice cream. Delicious! The servings there are huge. That golly I had plenty of room in my desert stomach.

July 24 – Florence to ??????

This morning there is still no sign of the mouse. I think I can celebrate now. Today we are hitting the road again traveling south on the 101. At this time we have no plans. I hate not having a plan. The unknown is a very uncomfortable place for me. Hubby could very well get a wild hair and drive all 10 hours home. I hate driving that much. That is when you really see the crazy come out of me.

Later that day: 6pm

I am happy to say that hubby did not try to drive all the way home from Florence. It’s 6pm and we just pulled into a RV park in Garberville. About 25 minutes north of the Avenue of the Giants. Ohh. I was hoping we would stop there. The very first trip we went on, we traveled north on the 101 and drove right through it. I so badly wanted to stop and look around. This time I will be driving the Honda Element while hubby drives the RV, so we can all get a good look at the trees.

Tonight we are staying at the Rivers Edge RV Park. Hubby decided he only had another hour or so of driving in him and called them up to see if they had anything available. They did. Hubby, once again was right. I like to plan, but he says it will be fine to play it by ear. I hate not having plans. I would say I hate that he was right, but if I was right we wouldn’t have a place to spend the night. It’s a super nice place to. check out the view everyone here has.

The Honda Element is parked right in front of the RV, so the RV is facing the view pictured. Across the path in front of us is the Eel river.

The drive from Florence south on the 101 was beautiful. Long stretches along the coast with views of the ocean and the redwoods. I hated most of it. Hubby drove perfectly well. He enjoyed the drive. I can acknowledge the views were stunning, but I still feared we were going to drive right off the cliff. I am very proud to say that I did not do the hand brake motions that I was doing earlier this week. I also only screamed brakes four times in six hours. That’s pretty good for me. To be completely honest it might have been because I was in the back part of the RV with my face in my phone ignoring the scary parts. My oldest was up front keeping hubby entertained.

This is the last night of our trip. How did it go by so fast? I feel like we left so long ago. I am ready to be home. I miss my pups and I miss the garden. Surprisingly I am not at all sick of my hubby and the boys. They might be tired of me. I won’t ask. Hubby is cooking dinner right now. Burgers..yummy. I am hoping to get a few more games of cards in tonight.