Crossing the Border

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Our view on the hike this a.m. in the L.L. Stubbs Stewart park in Oregon.

It’s Thursday evening and we find ourselves in the L.L. Stubbs Stewart State park in Oregon.  Perched on top of a high hill and close enough to the ocean that the breeze is cool and constant.  Blew the smell of our mahogany barbecued bone-in pork chops all over this campground.   In addition to pork chops, I made homemade applesauce and coleslaw to round out the meal.  Yum.

The last few days have been a whirlwind.  When we left Whistler, we drove the Canadian/U.S. Border while remembering the tale of a couple that had crossed not a week earlier and it took them 4 hours with search of their RV included.  We were dreading it.  So, this is how it went.

We took a more obscure crossing location.  Did not want to use I-5.  When it was our turn to be grilled, I drove up to the kiosk, handed the man our passports and waited.  Turned out, he was a friendly sort.  So friendly that we were informed that he had moved up to Lynden, WA not too long ago from San Diego.  He had been to Morro Bay many times and Cambria too.  He’d been married twice.  Now lives in a 2500 square foot condo in Lynden and is very happy with his new life.  Without asking we heard all about his travel plans with his children to go see the eclipse.  When he asked what we had done for work before we retired and we replied “Stockbroker.  Both of us.”, he became very animated.  Told us, “I bought Apple and doubled my money but I sold out too soon.”  He went on to tell us how he studied stocks and how well he was doing in the market.

Getting back to business he asked if we had fruit.  Yes, we had fruit.  We relinquished all our citrus to him and he was quite pleased.  He then gave us directions to the campground in Lynden, just a few miles down the road.

The only thing he knew about us is what was in our passport and our last job.  His information was much more interesting than anything we could have offered.  It was a hoot.  And then we drove away.  Sort of reminded me of the pitcher’s mound.  You know, when the manager comes out and the catcher struts to the mound.  A long conversation ensues.  We always wonder what they are saying.  Are they discuss their stock picks?  contemplating a move to Timbuktu?  So, the truck driver must have thought we were getting the interrogation to end all interrogations.  Not.

We spent two days in the KOA at Lynden.  Nice little ‘Norman Rockwell’ kind of town.

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On a main street in Lynden, WA

Agricultural place with the last night of their fair going on when we arrived.  Everyone in town was there.  We particularly liked seeing the square dancing couple…her in her bright yellow shirt that stood perpendicular to the sidewalk she was strutting on.  All those starched petticoats underneath.  Brought back memories.

And remember the hoops?  When I was a Rainbow girl, we had to wear formals and we always wore hoops under them.  So, when you sat down, if you weren’t careful, your underwear would be exposed when the hoop sprang up skyward.  Finesse was required.  And practice.

But I digress.

While in Lynden, a small homemade RV parked next to us the second night.    Here it is.

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12 years and it came to this!! Awesome.

It turns out, a young girl of 12 years of age and her father, made the RV and it was her inspiration.  We were extremely impressed and it buoyed our spirits to know that there are bright spots everywhere!!  And she was a definite bright spot.  That girl is going places.

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She also did the decorating inside. It not fully finished says Mom. We were duly impressed.

 

Leaving Lynden, we headed back to Silver Lake Cove RV park near Mt. St. Helens.  Loved it the first time.  Really loved it on the return because it was almost empty.  And because we saw an osprey…killing another bird in the tree.  Nature and all.  But this time,  Silver Lake Cove was a two day stopover.

We left there today and made a stop in Vancouver, WA to get our RV repaired.  And here we now are on the hill in Oregon.

Rayman had a day of accidents.  He stubbed his toe, cut his chin while shaving, hit his head, braised his thumb, tripped going up the stairs into the RV.  I don’t know what to do?  Buy a life insurance policy, refuse to let him drive, invest in Johnson & Johnson (band-aids etc), or hope tomorrow is a safer day.

Speaking of tomorrow, we are meeting up with my cousin and her husband for Chinese food in Beaverton, OR and a movie.  We’re not to far out of Beaverton.  You go from major metro area to country in no time at all.

We’re here for a week, without TV.  Nice.  And we saw on the bulletin board that this is star gazing territory because of the absence of big city lights.  Looking forward to seeing the Milky Way tonight.  But I’ll be carrying my driver with me.




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