Wednesday 6 September - Olympia, WA

This will likely be our last report from Olympia, WA. Today is scheduled for last minute chores and cleanup before we head out tomorrow a.m. to Sequim, WA to visit our friends, Shell and Lyn McGuire. Chores include laundry, cleaning carpet spots (don’t know it can get so dirty in such a short time), and a visit to a local Oriental restaurant we spotted last weekend.

First, a tribute to our traveling companions and friends for much of the summer, Connie Wright and Harold Cleveland (in photo above). In addition to accompanying us to Canada in June, we have gambled at the local Indian casino, eaten fine food at their beautiful home, and played more than a few games of cards. Harold made me promise to report on his prowess at Hearts in a blog, so here it is: Harold; don’t give up your day job! Seriously, great fun and great experiences this summer. Thanks, guys.

Yesterday’s outing to get the motor-home serviced went well. Folks in Chehalis were helpful and accommodating. I learned that our electrical generator in the motor-home runs on propane (I thought it ran on diesel fuel). They found a broken bracket underneath the motor-home and welded it back (without asking first). Another first: a $500 oil-change bill! To be fair, it was a lot more work than a simple oil change. They replaced all air cleaners (which were probably in really bad shape), serviced the generator, lubed the chassis, etc. In all, roughly 6 hours of work.

While under the unit they discovered some bad stabilizer bar bushings and suggested a place a few blocks away. When one is on the road, it is always a crap-shoot whether you can get service quickly, or even the same week! But those folks rearranged their work schedule to work on the unit. They confirmed the bushings were bad, but did not have replacement parts – have to get that at an RV dealer – but it was not safety-critical. They did find uneven tire wire on the front and were able to do a front end check and alignment. (And yes, I confirmed that the front tires were wearing unevenly, although I might not have realized it until too late to save the tires.)

Although I have not spoken of Margaret’s health / progress recently, it is because she has been making excellent recovery. According to the medical folks in Idaho Falls, she is roughly half way through the recovery phase. She no longer needs a nap every time she empties the trash! Her sense of humor has returned. This two-week stay-in-one-place is what was needed.

Got to run. Things to do. Places to go. Money to win at the casino – last chance!

Wayne