Castaway's Seafood Grille

208 Pacific Avenue
Long Beach, Washington 98631
(360) 642-4745


We love seafood and our plan was to eat as much of it as possible while on this adventure. This place looked funky, fun and had reasonable prices so after just visiting a few stores looking for souvenirs, we stopped to eat. What a great choice we made.


Looking at the menu, we wanted a taste of everything but we ordered Smoothies, Battered Fried Prawns, Bacon Wrapped Sea Scallops and a cup of the soup of the day which was a Cheesy Broccoli with a twist. We were not disappointed, the food was really tasty and good size portions. Each meal had a sauce included that was not typical as others, very different tasting and we were sure dill weed was a dominant ingredient which is one of our favorite seasonings. The soup was tantalizing on our tongues, creamy with a surprising taste that made it very unique.



On our way back to our rig, we stopped back at the restaurant and picked up Clam Chowder Bread Bowls to take home. The soup was spectacular, creamy, smooth and enough clams and potatoes, just like we like it. Nothing in the soup overpowered the taste, but all the flavorings just complimented one another.

An Extra Day Stop

We chose to take an extra day at The Mill Casino RV Park since we arrived a day earlier than scheduled and they offer a Seafood Buffet that we were looking forward to enjoying but is only served on Friday and Saturday nights. The seafood and the service was definitely worth waiting for, and with the $5 early bird discount, we paid under $20 each for a very fulfilling meal.


On Saturday morning, the sun was shining but was forecasting more rain, but we headed out anyway. After only about 50 miles of more rain and fog, we chose to get off the road and stay overnight boondocking at Three Rivers Casino & Hotel. They had a good area that was just for boondocking rigs, located a short walk from the casino so we parked it and went inside for more play. The casino had many fun slots and we played for a long time without spending our budgeted amount. When we were done, it was still pouring down rain, so we got security to give us a ride to our rig. It poured and the wind whipped us around all night long. The security guard made a comment about needing web feet to live in Oregon, something we do not have and definitely nothing we want to grow.


On Sunday morning again, the sun was shining, so we shoved off again towards our destination of Tillamook, Oregon. We drove over 100 miles in more fog and just a misty rain, things are improving…YEA! The good thing about it is that our next destination is an indoor activity so let it rain all it wants…and it did!


We took a free self-tour of the Tillamook Cheese Factory, but of course we had to purchase lots of cheese and ice cream. It was a pretty neat place to visit.



Spent the night at Tillamook Bay City RV Park located a few miles north of the factory.


Please check out our separate reviews on our blog of the factory, the casino and check out our park review not only on our blog but at RV Parking as well. And, as usual, be sure to check out our photos on our Picasa Web Albums.

Tillamook Cheese Factory

4175 Highway 101 North
Tillamook, OR 97141
503-815-1300


This was a free self-tour of the factory. If you can get out without spending any money on cheese or ice cream then it remains free, but if you are anything like us, then you pay for your tour with cheese and ice cream purchases. Plenty of parking for big rigs for no additional charge, they just do not allow overnight parking.


A very informative tour with an area where you are able to view their actual cheesemakers and packaging staff at work. Even though the area is in off season, the place was pretty packed, but it was a Sunday after all. We do recommend this as a place to stop and visit but it is not on our must see list.

Tillamook Bay City RV Park

7930 Alderbrook Road
Tillamook, OR 97141
503-377-2124


We never seen anyone associated with the park, since we self-registered and paid $25.64 for a FHU, including WiFi and Cable TV, using our Good Sam 10% discount since they were not honoring our CampClub USA 50% discount as it was listed.


It was a smaller park located right on Highway 101, not much traffic but it could be heard. The roads and sites were gravel but were level without any potholes. The restrooms and shower area were clean but were outdated.


Without any personal contact, this place did not stand out to us and if we are ever in the area again, we would look elsewhere for another park to stay, unless they were honoring one of our 50% clubs.

Three Rivers Casino & Hotel

5647 Oregon 126
Florence, OR 97439-9201
(541) 997-7529


The area where they allow boondocking is very inviting and security makes their rounds quite regularly. Picking a spot is not quite clear, there was no clear spaces, at least the night we were there because rigs were parked in every direction. Once you settle in, head to the security area in the casino to register. You just fill out a form with your vehicle information and the length of your stay. You are allowed to stay up to 7 nights and then must leave for at least 14 days before returning. They give you a tag to put on your windshield and then it’ was play time for us.


It poured so hard and the wind was ferocious all night long. We asked security to give us a ride to our rig since it was quite a walk in the pouring rain. They were very pleasant about accommodating our request. They had many new slot machines that we had not played before and they were fairly loose, no big wins but we played a long time on just a little bit of cash. They also have live Keno, a game we always like playing. We ate at their lunch buffet that cost us under $20 and they gave us $10 each in slot play. We had fun and if we are ever in the area again, we would stay here and recommend it to others too.

Our Coastal Drive Continues…

Making it up the coast with only a few minor changes. The plan was to stop at Trees of Mystery and Sky Trail which we did, be sure to read our separate blog on this adventure and check out the photos on our Picasa Web Albums…they are awesome.


We had planned to boondock at Lucky 7 Casino for the night but even though the area was nice enough we were a bit apprehensive. It being the off season and not another RV in sight, the casino being so small, and not being comfortable boondocking behind a convenience/liquor store, we decided to head all the way to North Bend, Oregon instead to hook up at The Mill Casino RV Park.


We crossed another state sign off our list and have added it to our map. It was my first time ever in Oregon and along the coast but Jerry had done it many times, he actually lived in the Portland area for about a year, many years ago while he was doing tile installation. For my first impression, unfortunately, the coastal drive was covered with thick patches of fog, so thick, we could hardly see beyond the highway. Every once in awhile, we would get a glimpse of the shoreline with some really nice huge boulders in the ocean but the fog took over so much, we did not see too much of the beauty. Hopefully, on the way back down it won’t be so foggy or rainy.


We had waited for so many years to do this drive, the first plan was going to be our honeymoon, which we never did. Then, once we began our travels we planned to do it several times, but something always came up. It’s nice to finally cross it off our list, but better weather would have been nicer, but it is what it is and we are just pleased to finally be doing it.


Pumping gas in Oregon was different. In the entire state, there is no self-service, all gas is pumped by an attendant, which made us pretty lazy and we noticed it saved us money. The reasoning behind that is that I never went inside any of the stores and seen anything we could not live without. The normal for us, is Jerry pumps while I go inside to pay and look around. No matter what, there seems to be something new or different for us to taste while in certain areas, so this all changed since I sat in the rig and showed them the money! Something they always asked for when we told them to fill it up. Another new experience to add to the millions of wonderful new and exciting things we are putting on our lists.


Be sure to check out all the great photos we took while on this latest adventure at our Picasa Web Albums.

Trees of Mystery and Sky Trail

15500 US Highway 101 N
16 miles S of Crescent City
Klamath, California 95548
800-638-3389
Tofm@treesofmystery.net


If you are ever in the area, please do not pass this place up. For a mere $14 per person, this self-guided tour will take your breath away.


They do offer senior and children rates. The walk they warn can be a climb, not so bad and we are not hikers or even walkers, so do not let that change your mind about visiting here.


Walking through these magnificent giants is awesome in itself and then to ride the Sky Trail up to higher sights is without a doubt a very spiritual experience.


To be higher then these giants, looking down on some spectacular views, pretty eerie with the fog coming in, but it is something we are so grateful that I did not allow my fears to stop me from enjoying.


Not sure if we would ever do it again, since we are the types that feel, been there…done that…no reason to go back but we highly recommend everyone to visit at least once, you will not regret it.

Be sure to check out ALL of our photos for this latest awesome adventure at our Picasa Web Albums.

Lucky 7 Casino

350 North Indian Road
Smith River, CA 95567-9474
(707) 487-7777


Nothing for signing up for the players card and we chose not to stay overnight in the designated area since we were the only rig and it was behind a convenience store which did not appeal to us. If we are ever in the area again and there might be more rigs boondocking, we may decide to stay overnight.


The casino was fairly small but had loads of different slot machines we had never played before that were not real stingy but while we were there, we did not hear or see any big jackpots given away and we broke even but no win.

Eureka KOA

4050 North Highway 101
Eureka, CA 95503
800-562-3136


We paid $35 for a FHU back in with cable and WiFi, using our Value Kard. Having cable and WiFi is not a plus for us since we use our MiFi card exclusively, except when we do not have service which is NOT very often and we set up our satellite dish because we love watching our programs according to our East/West stations. But, we include it in our review for those of you who want this service.

Being off season, there was plenty of spaces available. We chose to be situated right next to the bigger laundry facilities since that was one of our goals. The washers took $1 to wash and the dryers took a quarter per 10 minutes, which they worked so well, it took less than a dollar for each dryer. The restrooms, showers and laundry area was kept clean and well maintained.


The roads were paved, the sites were gravel and very level with enough room for us to hook up without hearing our neighbors breath. It was wet, damp and so foggy, there wasn’t a view at all. The hosts were very gracious, we pulled in during a break and checked out the self register for a site number, then we went into the office after 3pm to settle up.


It was very convenient for us since it was right on the 101 highway we were on and if we are ever in the area, we would stay here again.

Our Coastal Drive Begins…

Back on the road again…but this time no more freeways. Heading north on 101, all the way to the coast, then following it all the way into Washington. This is a great road, a few places with little winding areas but for the most part it was fabulous. Finally arriving on the coast after waiting all these years was very disappointing. The fog was so thick, the kind where we could not see any part of the ocean, there were times we could hardly see the front of the rig. To make matters worse, the weather forecast is not very promising…for the next 10 days they are forecasting either fog or rain all the way up the coast. Time to make the best of this situation.


Since it had been a very nail-biting drive thus far, we decided to stay in Eureka to get our laundry and a bit more cleaning of the rig completed. In addition, all the batteries for all of our cameras were in need of charging. Usually we put them on their chargers the night before getting back on the road, but we were so excited this time we forgot to charge them.


It was the perfect opportunity to stop for the night, just in case there was a clearing in the fog, we wanted to be ready for photos. We found a KOA, just north of Eureka and even though they were slightly over what we budgeted to camp, we found they were reasonable for being on the coast in California. See our separate RV Park Review for this location on our blog or at RV Parking.


Taking this drive has given us a new perspective on life and there has been much soul searching, not always a good thing but it has us thinking a lot about our purpose in life. Searching for our true calling has always been something we want to achieve but never seem to get there. There has not been a time when we get that aha moment as we did with living this lifestyle. Yes, we know we are exactly where we should be, but there is more, it is not just about us living this lifestyle, there is more, we just can’t put our fingers on it yet. In time that too will surface and we will know what it is, in the meantime we will enjoy each and every moment as we continue to search for our passionate purpose.


The passing of Bruce and Margie has hit us very hard which stirred around some other thoughts. If something happens to us both at the same time as it did with them, who would take care of our arrangements? We know each others wishes upon our deaths, but if we both go at the same time, we have no family left to take care of things. We both have living wills and do not want to be kept alive by machinery. We don’t have any insurance money to fuss about, and we don’t have a huge nest egg but what we would have at the time we would love to donate to a fine charity that helps children or battered families and we both wish to be cremated and scattered in the ocean.


Not sure how this would all be taken care of but we imagine it would be done. Enough said and it’s time to begin thinking about less morbid things…living every moment to the fullest.

For all of our photos, please click here to go to our Picasa Web Albums.

On The Road Again…

Left the lot in the middle of morning traffic, but it seems in California, traffic lasts all day long. The Interstates are in such need of repairs, it was a rough drive through San Jose and then Oakland was so bad, we thought we would lose things off of our rig.


We made it to American Canyon, where we took a Wal-Mart stop. This particular location had such an elegant look about it, the prices reflected that we were in a ritzy area. After picking up just a few items, and a well needed haircut, we continued on our journey.

The drive through Napa Valley was spectacular. So many vineyards and so little time. If we stopped to taste, we would have ended up spending the night, so we passed them by with just some photos, but the area offered such tremendous views that should not be missed.




We arrived at the Konocti Vista Casino for a full hookup, long showers, Jerry’s haircut, a thorough cleaning and some well deserved play time. We had a really late night, so much fun, and really nice to be in vacation mode once again!

Check out our review we wrote in a separate blog entry and our photos from our drive so far at our Picasa Web Albums.

Our Last Days on the Pumpkin Patch

They were quite interesting…

The turkey laid an egg…the pig ate it and tried to eat the turkey too!


Business was booming and we were non-stop selling pumpkins.


It took us only hours to do what we needed to do to shut down our part of the patch, so we were able to leave a day earlier than the original plan.


All in all, we had an interesting time, we learned so much about ourselves. If we had to do it over again, we would, as we said it was a fantastic learning experience. We spent many long hours creating a nice environment for children to enjoy themselves and parents to honor that with some respect…we did not receive that from many of the parents or from the owner. He believes that losing a few pumpkins is worth it, if it brings in the volume of people he is looking for and over disciplining children could lose him some business. We understand his philosophy, but we do not agree with it. We would consider working at another pumpkin patch in the future, if only we could set some rules for destruction by the children or just selling pumpkins would be ideal, dealing with the other nonsense is not for us.

All of our photos from the patch are now downloaded to our Picasa Web Albums, be sure to check them out!

Our Time is Winding Down

Less than a week and the pumpkin patch saga will be over. This is suppose to be our busiest time of all, unfortunately days of rain is putting a damper on business, not entirely but having a slight effect on sales. It has been great since most people are here to purchase a pumpkin and not just come in to play. The 12 hour days are definitely taken a toll on our bodies, but with less than a week to go, we will make it through.

We are so ready to head up the coast, do some sightseeing, have a few play days and just give our bodies the rest and relaxation they so deserve.

Just wanted to update our readers, since this will be a very busy week and weekend, then we will be cleaning up the lot for a few days before heading out, so we may not be updating much until after we leave. We have been doing our best to keep up with everyone’s blogs but sometimes too tired to even comment, let alone write our own blog. Take care and we hope that everyone stays safe and has fun!

Life Has A Way…

Of setting us straight when we wander off track. Every thought we have leads us to our next choice. Every choice we make, leads us to our next destination. You can choose to make it your best day, or you can wallow into what happened yesterday and never get anywhere.



Life isn’t always fair, and we don’t always get what we want, but it is in those moments when things don’t seem to make sense that you find the real value of living your life to the fullest.



We have a tendency to whine about things and to only look at the bad, look at our media after all. There is no news to broadcast if folks are loving and caring for one another. NO, they would rather sensationalize the ugly things that happen instead of focusing on the many wonderful things that went on behind those ugly facts.


For us, we strive to see all the good in every moment.

When we hear yet another child screaming because they are not getting what they want, we are grateful that we have not lost our hearing.

When our bones ache and we feel sore all over, we are grateful that we have healthy enough bodies to allow us to be working today.

When we look out into the pumpkin patch and see people lifting and dropping the pumpkins, at least we know we have sight today, the legs to get up and walk over to them and the voice to ask them to stop.


Yes, we are still grieving over the loss of two wonderful people, but for us the best way through our pain is to see and live the bright side and not dwell on all the could of or should of’s. That is one of the reasons we chose to begin living our dream life, so we don’t have any regrets of not living each moment to the fullest.