It has been brought (and non too gently)
that it has been sometime since I have submitted a report. I did have good intentions but as usual for
me, I was side tracked. Here is what I
started a month ago.
September seems to have been rather
busy. Started off with a nice Labor Day
weekend visit from Mike’s grandson & the 2 great grandkids. There was a potluck in Chinook with Mike’s
fishing buddy’s & their wives. Bill
made some yummy BB Cue ribs. A few days
later, we had a potluck gathering around the firepit for a guest from Italy
staying with my son & daughter-in-law.
I finally got around to buying the Mexican
insurance for the vehicles and then started gathering supplies in anticipation
of our trip south. I also finished the
quilt for next year’s yacht club silent auction to be held in May. I then started quilting on 1 of 3 quilts my
youngest sister & me are doing for our cousin in Ohio.
My youngest son came from Olympia a couple
different times for a visit. Once he
helped his daughter bag a deer and a second time to help his renter put siding
on the house. I drove up to Puyallup to
visit my middle sister and see the changes she had made to her house. Looks good!
Mike & me drove to Westport for a last visit til spring with his
sister. Finally, after putting it off
for 2 months, I gave Opal a close shearing.
We will be in VERY hot weather soon.
Mike is busily packing the two pickups, a
cargo trailer, and his Bayliner. I have
been dragging my feet and he keeps wanting to know how many tubs I will
have. I finally was able to get
everything to him and he found places to put everything. By the way Mike has bought a Ford 150
4-wheel drive and a 17’ Bayliner both of which will stay in Mexico. Our original plan was for me to drive the
F-150 pulling the Bayliner. HOWEVER, a
few days before departure, the master cylinder on the clutch on the F-150 went
out. My son Claude, who among other
things is a mechanic, helped Mike change it.
So now I will drive the Ford 350 with the 13’ Smokercraft boat on top
and towing the 6x8 cargo trailer.
(That was as far as I had gotten, so to
continue on--)
We were finally loaded and hit the road on
Monday Sept 24th. I missed a
few gears starting out. (Both pickups
have standard transmissions!) But by
the time we made the Oregon border and I also pulled the seat forward a bit
more, using a clutch came back to me.
We made a couple stops in central
California to visit with friends. About
half way up the grapevine just after pulling out of a rest area the 150 heated
up. Steam was really pouring out. Mike was able to pull around the corner into
a gas station at the little town of Lebec to assess the situation. We needed a mechanic. Thank you to the gods who watch over
travelers as there was a shop across the street from the gas station. They were able to go get a new radiator,
pull out the old one, install the new one and had us back on the road in about
3 hours.
AND THEN we got into the LA area and it is
getting dark. If that is light traffic,
I do not want to be driving there when it’s heavy traffic!! To top it off, we had to stop at 3 motels
before we found one who would let Opal stay.
We breezed through the border crossing at
Tecate and made it to Loreto in 2 ½ days.
It was hot & humid but I wasn’t complaining. Too much that is.
Will try and get the next installment out
in a few days. In the meantime stay
safe, warm, & dry. Hugs &
Love, Patty.
