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Driving Miss Donna - what does this mean? Whenever I want to go somewhere, if Don is home he will usually drive. He always says he is driving miss Donna! This blog is for our travels, usually with our truck and fifth wheel trailer, but sometimes in our other wheels. When we are not vacationing check in for updates, although less frequent, about our life at home and our wonderful family:)

Sunday, April 28, 2013

Putting Some “Definition” to the Days

I often ask Don "Are we on a holiday or vacation – and what is the difference if any?"  Being what I guess we need to call semi-retired, if you haven’t taken time off work to go somewhere…  See what I mean.  On the other hand we both made it clear to people we work for that we would not be available, so maybe we are on a holiday.

va·ca·tion noun, often attributive \vā-ˈkā-shən, və-\
Definition of VACATION 1 : a respite or a time of respite from something

hol·i·day noun \ˈhä-lə-ˌdā, British usually ˈhä-lə-dē\

Definition of HOLIDAY 2: a day on which one is exempt from work; specifically: a day marked by a general suspension of work in commemoration of an event

Based on Webster – we are on a vacation, not a holiday!  Thanks Don for those definitions.
Anyway where have we been since my last post?  Well our stay in Brookings didn’t last longer than planned, three days, but it was different than planned.  The trailer jack repair was a three day episode, and so we walked – a lot!  Not sure if I mentioned my determination to walk 10,000 steps a day.  That started in August 2012, and has been amazing.  The average person, working or stay at home, walks 3200 steps a day.  So making it to 10,000 every day is not always easy.  I have missed 4 days since August, where I have achieved only 5,000 – 7,000 approximately.  A few of those days have been travel days with the fifth.  I know the exact amount because I wear a pedometer from the minute I wake until bed.  It is hooked to the computer,so I can get all sorts of stats.  I actually just reached my 10,000 mile award.  MILES – not km!  Anyhow, Don is usually along for the walk when he is home, and especially this vacation.  The days in Brookings we logged about 25,000 steps a day.  We walked to MacDonalds to play on the internet, we walked the beach, we walked the campgrounds, we walked and walked.  We would normally be sightseeing, and I think you could say we are restless folk…
So the repair was final and complete on Wednesday morning (thanks to Pirate Energy in Brookings for trying hard, and coming in UNDER thir quote) and we headed to South Beach State Park.  This would be our last stop on the coast and it was a great campground.  With easy access to the beach, and lots of areas to explore the days passed quickly. 
I have promised not to fill the blog with pictures and comments about food but sometimes rules have to be broken.  Our favourite restaurant in Oregon is Mo’s.  There are 5 locations along the coast and the food is fabulous.  The first one opened in 1946 in Newport, which is where we were.  We visited them twice this stop which is a bit extreme for us in eating out, but this adventure is nearing an end.
While exploring the maps of the area, I remembered a trip a few years ago where we decided to see covered bridges.  It turned out we could see a few in an afternoon so we packed a lunch and set off.
The order we stopped in is Chitwood, Harris, Ritner Creek and Drift Creek.  I also threw in one photo of the inside construction, for those interested in more than the “pretty”.
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Covered bridges are a very cool structure, and it is always neat to see the ones that are still being used like Chitwood, or the ones that folks were passionate enough about to save and move. like Ritner Creek. According to good old Google, Oregon has 50!  That number is likely to be inaccurate as the Drift Creek wasn’t listed.
I think I see another trip coming up just discovering bridges – maybe in an eastern state??  I will have to talk to my driver.
Anyhow – Saturday we said goodbye to the ocean water for this trip, and headed east.  Driving along the Columbia River on the Washington or Oregon side is a scenic and peaceful trip.  If you recall in September after leaving Portland we choose the Washington side, so this time we stuck to Oregon. 
This picture does not so it justice, but as we drove along I noticed Mount Hood.  Although we did get closer, the fog set in, and I like this photo as you can see the snowy majestic peak.
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A sight not common to us when travelling in the fall, but apparently common in the spring, are barges travelling.  At the beginning of the day I was quickly struggling to get photos as we drove, but while sitting and relaxing, look what was out the window:
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So today is Sunday – another lazy morning and a few hours of travel.  Destination?  Farragut State Park north of Coeur d'alene, Idaho, which most of you know is a favourite going home stop, spring or fall.
I will try to write one more time – take care!

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