Blog
A four month blog in 2019 for a sample of what our outings are like.
March 18-21 RV outing at the Riverbend Campground near Nisqually WA
We had a great time at
Riverbend Campground and the weather was a perfect 73 degrees every day! Usually we have 6 to 8 Tiffin RV's show up. This time we only had 5 as several members winter down south. The group plans outings once a month from March through November so it was nice to see everybody again since our last outing in November of 2018.
Monday
most of us got there early at noon and went to the wildlife refuge at Nisqually
for a few hours at high tide plus and minus one hour and enjoyed lots of wildlife while walking along their boardwalk. Then it was meet up at 6PM for dessert, games and a large campfire at the clubhouse.
Tuesday
we had Cheese Cream Blintzes, bacon, fruit, coffee, and muffins for breakfast at the clubhouse and then our meeting. At noon my nephew joined us with a 15 person van and gave us a tour of his ecology work at JBLM
with the wounded warriors. Everyone really enjoyed it. Tuesday night we ate at the Nisqually Bar & Grill and it was great food and fun seeing the diverse group from business suits to bikers. Then it was back to the clubhouse for desserts and games.
Wednesday
Teri and I went for a long hike around the campground and along the Nisqually river and one of our friends kayaked the river. We lounged around with the group the rest of the day and headed out to the Red Wind Casino
for dinner for the all you can eat buffet. It was crab night. After dinner we headed back to the clubhouse for dessert and games.
Thursday
was departure day and we are looking forward to the April get together.
April 14-18 RV outing at the Swinomish Casino near Anacortes WA. This was a smaller than usual group of only three Tiffin's as many don't like driving north through Seattle and some are wintering in the south.
Sunday
we all showed up in the afternoon and got checked in at the Swinomish Casino RV park
and were placed next to each other in nice pull through spots looking over Padilla Bay and Hat Island. We could watch the wildlife right from the front window. We counted 34 Great Blue Herons on our little walk on the Estuary just in front of the RV. Several of us gathered in Mike and Laura's new Phaeton and played cards and socialized for the evening.
Monday
morning we joined up at Mike's place for breakfast and had scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, muffins, fruit, juices, coffee and fun conversation. After the meal we had our meeting. Around noon Teri, Laura, Mike and I headed out to a local boat launch area and launched Mike in his kayak and he paddled off to La Conner. The rest of us drove to La Conner and enjoyed wandering around the town with a stop for ice cream and snacks at the local bakery. We caught up with Mike as he paddled in and then took off and viewed the fields of tulips on the way back to the Casino.
Tuesday
part of the group took off to see the tulips and the rest went on a scenic drive to the top of Mt. Erie
and then drove along the beautiful Marine Drive into Anacortes. We also drove through Washington Parks' loop drive
and checked out a few RV places for future reference. We all joined up for dinner at the Farmhouse restaurant. Prospective members Larry & Karen drove over from Mt Vernon to have dinner with us. They were up from Gig Harbor to see the Tulips. Later we met up at Mike's place for deserts and card games.
Wednesday
half the group went on a sight seeing trip to Deception Pass
to check out the swift currents on the tide change which is faster than many boats can do at cruise speed. I left early and went for a 5 mile hike on the dike trail of Padilla Bay. After that I checked out the Padilla Bay Interpretive Center. We all drove together in Ben's car to Mt. Vernon to have dinner at the Mexico Cafe. Shortly after we got back we met at Mike's place for lemon meringue pie and card games.
Thursday
we said our goodbyes and are looking forward to the next adventure at Sandy Riverfront RV park in Troutdale, OR in May.
May 6- 9 outing at the Sandy Riverfront RV park
in Troutdale, OR. A total of 10 Tiffin coaches showed up and the weather was 70's to 80's every day! The Sandy River originates on the slopes of Mount Hood and runs 55 miles to the Columbia River and has sandy beaches.
Sunday
several of us joined along the way and and ended up with a caravan of 5 Tiffins and arrived at Sandy Riverfront RV at about 3PM. The other five Tiffins had already arrived. After settling in we met up at the clubhouse for a Potluck dinner and it was delicious with plenty of extra food. After dinner several played cards and others sat around outside in the perfect 75 degree weather and chatted.
Monday
we had our breakfast by the hosts and our meeting. We voted in 3 new couples. After the meeting Teri and I went for a hike up Wahkeena Falls loop trail and enjoyed the view of the Columbia River and the beautiful falls. Later that night we all gathered at Tad's
Chicken and Dumpling Restaurant for dinner. We all returned to the clubhouse for desserts and cards.
Tuesday several of us who had blow up kayaks went a few miles up river and launched for a beautiful float down to our RV park. Others went to the discount outlets a short distance away from the RV park. Later that night most of us showed up at the Power Station Pub at McMenamins just a few miles away and part of a 74-acre hotel estate. Some of the group had toured the property, bought some wine, and some blown glass pieces. We all ate outside once again in perfect sunny weather. After dinner it was back to the clubhouse for fun and games.
Wednesday 8 of us drove out to the Multnomah Falls Lodge
for breakfast and then toured the falls and gift shop. Several took the old Hwy 30 which was built back in the early 1900's and enjoyed the amazing views and scenery along the way. Teri and I drove out to the Bonneville Lock and Dam with two other couples and checked out the fish hatcheries and sturgeon pond. Then we went over the Bridge of the Gods to the little town of Stevenson
and made a pit stop at an outdoor burger and shake place for lunch. Later that night we showed up at the clubhouse for the raffle and horderves.
Thursday
we all departed and will see everyone next month at Skamokawa RV park in Washington.
June 11-16 outing at the Skamokawa Vista Park
offered amazing views of the huge ships passing by on their way up the Columbia River. We reserved the spots next to the river and 7 coaches showed up for the festivities. Monday most of us had arrived by noon and it was a beautiful day in the low 80's. The next few days were perfect weather and some of us went kayaking while others went sightseeing in nearby towns and communities and some checked out the heritage sites of Lewis and Clark trail. We had several meals at the local Duck Inn
and enjoyed getting caught up on each others activities. The hosts provided breakfast at the clubhouse followed by the meeting where we decided to come back to the same park next year in May. We had a potluck one night and a grand fire at the clubhouse. We usually got together and played cards in the evening and enjoyed watching the ships pass by. One night we gathered to watch the movie Churchill on one of our members outside TV screen. We had five days of fun and good weather and said our good byes until our next trip to Pacific Beach.
No campouts due to Covid-19 until August 2021 Description of campouts since then are listed in the Minutes under the Archives tab.