Road Trip

Whew!  Our guys ROCK. Breaking camp, draining hoses in a pouring rain is not for the faint of heart.

We've decided to cut short our Hwy 101 trip (sigh) and go directly back to the Beale AFB area. We need to make sure some things are done NOW, if Michael isn't facing a Medical Evaluation Board.

We are taking the trip back south - SLOW. It works best with our current situation. We drove as far as Eugene today and will spend the night in Krista's driveway.  But FIRST....lunch with Mom and Dad and Arielle.

 Arielle had to go to work. The kids went back to their house and continued doing laundry. Michael and I ran a couple of errands - one of them being to get a NEW SMART PHONE to replace my really ODD phone.  We got home about the time Krista did.  Look at her oven.....She can do cook  at two different temps at the same time.

 BreAnne called and was feeling ill. She and Izaak weren't able to come over. Michael and I ran over quickly to pick up our mail and drop off a few outfits for Baby D.

The other kids filled their time with Catan.  Arielle came home. Stacia stayed inside and watched Cinderella - she LOVED sister time. LOL

Krista reads the blog on the big screen. LOL

Humor on I 5

Seen on the side of a truck on I 5. You have to wonder if anyone proof read this before printing or installing the decal?????

Come and See

A rainy, traveling day is a good day to reflect on Sunday's sermon. We attended Faith Fellowship Foursquare in Florence, OR this week.  I could write about our experience as visitors (we could hire out as secret visitors to these churches), the transition we are making to civilian worship experiences, the worship and more.... but my thoughts are on a  message and a worship song.

Pastor George started in John 4 and talked about how Jesus met the Samaritan woman where she was at....and when we have an "encounter" with Jesus we change. We simply invite others to "come and see."  He wove through the gospel of John showing over and over how a response to meeting Jesus personally is change and a passion to invite others to "come and see" Jesus and the change He has made in our lives. He called this our testimony.

This is  my heart. We've been  about introducing others to Jesus. Living authentically with the "sheep" in our care so they can see Jesus in our good and bad days. Our heart is to be part of introducing the nation  of Japan to Jesus - inviting them to come and see the difference He's made in our lives. Yet, this may not happen.

I listened as Pastor George read the honest question of my heart in John 9. Why, God? Why was this man born blind? Why does Michael have Parkinsonism/Parkinson right as we are set to move into missions? Seriously, God? I am known for quarantining sick children and I'm going to be a care-giver? Why? The answer - to bring glory to God. The Holy Spirit took me to a private tutoring session. We've always wanted to bring glory to God. We want to accurately show Jesus in our lives so others are drawn to Him. Our heart is to introduce others to the Love of their lives.

"I am going to glorify myself in this situation. I am giving you a testimony and you will be able to invite others to come and see me at work in this situation. "

As Pastor George spoke, I wrestled.

"I don't want THIS testimony."

What do you do with that? You surrender.

I realized anew God loves me dearly. He KNOWS my heart's desire is to accurately portray Him, to invite others to come and see Him at work...He is working in our lives...He loves us too much to short-circuit the work He will do through this phase of our lives because I'm diligently praying for something different.  He seems to be saying no - but it is because He's saying a bigger, "Yes."

Pastor George asked those to stand who wanted to encounter God in a new way, those committed to invite others to come and see Jesus. I couldn't stand. I was trying not to make a blubbering fool of myself (though maybe church is the best  place to be a fool?).

We have not heard a definitive NO from God. We may still be able to invite others to know Jesus in Japan - but if not - it is our joy to live for Him in such a way that those we encounter will come and see the change Jesus has made in our lives.  It's all very organic - once again I see hospitality, authentic community - just come along and see the work God is doing in my life - and fall in love with Him yourself.

I  was missing familiar worship songs when the worship team moved into this old song from my childhood...it was like God was saying, "Don't put me in a box....I can speak to you from the 70's." I was undone.

Because He lives I can face tomorrow

Because He lives all fear is gone

Because I know, I know, He holds the future

and life is worth the living just because He lives.

This church got it right - the focus is Jesus. We were blessed and refreshed as we travel back to CA to discover what this diagnosis will mean for our retirement plans, our ministry plans and our family life.

Fort Stevens State Park

We enjoy Oregon State Parks. This time of year many loops are closed and there aren't as many programs, but we have found them to be uncrowded, forested and well-maintained.

Fort Stevens was a military defense installation from the Civil War to WW2. It is now a 4,300 acre park near Astoria with more than we could explore in our three night stay.

 

The sites at Fort Stevens State Park  are paved, treed, and well-maintained.  Though the welcome center is only open 0900-1100 at this time of year, the rangers were friendly and helpful to Stacia with the JR Ranger program.  The bathrooms and shower houses are the nicest we've seen in a state park. Our water/electric site was $29. We've found full hookup sites tend to be full - but we can drive in and find water/electric sites. My only complaint of the park is the trash/recycling was a .7 mile walk, which is hardly worth mentioning in the grand scheme of RVing.
We retraced the Lewis and Clark steps here, here, and here and could have spent several days more in the area exploring the expedition. We flew kites, climbed over the Peter Iredale Shipwreck and visited Fort Stevens Military Museum. There is MUCH in Astoria, Seaside and Cannon Beach we didn't have time to do - we're saving up activities for another trip.

 Fort Stevens State Park is a great launching pad into this area of both Washington and Oregon. The National Park Service publishes "Lewis and Clark at the Pacific." This guide is a WEALTH of information for exploring the area - both the Washington and Oregon sides of the river.  

 Click "campgrounds" in the category cloud in the side more for more reviews.

Sunday Living



Sunday afternoon bike rides - now that's living. Oregon state parks are marvelous on Sunday afternoons. ::grin::

Michael fixed Stacia's inner tube AGAIN and we set off to ride from our campsite to Cleowox Lake.  We planned to look and bike....but the kids had other ideas.

 

 

Who would guess they'd SWIM on 18 Oct. They're hard core.

 

 

 

 

Krista and Arielle went home early this morning - they had their own churches to attend. We topped off our evening with a campfire.  It may be our last for a bit of time.  We all read by the campfire - it was perfect. We are heading back to California to get some answers and go to some appointments.  The rain has been a challenge, but we've enjoyed the fall feel up here.

 



Blogging by the fire



Westport Lighthouse Campground and RV Park (Military Campground)

Westport Lighthouse Campground and RV Park is located on the grounds of Gray's Harbor Lighthouse and is run by the United States Coast Guard. You  must have a valid military ID to utilize this campground.  The reservation process was a bit complicated - but was well worth the effort.  The sites have water and electricity. There is a rustic bathroom and shower. Nothing fancy - but not scary to use.  The sites cost only $15 a night.

This is RVing as one dares to imagine it. We were the only ones in the campground, we were under a LIGHTHOUSE, walking distance to the beach, it was quiet and peaceful and wonderful. The campground IS rustic. This was the hardest spot for Michael to get our 31 foot trailer into. Our space was narrow and uneven, and the road was muddy.  However, once we were in - we LOVED it.  We had a lot of space around the "RV dirt pad," a fire ring, two tables and lots of trees around us.

 

 

 

The lighthouse is operational and the keeper gives a GREAT tour. The tour is free to military ID card holders.

 

We barely scratched the surface of things to do in the Westport area, but we had a blast and this little campground is a perfect place to launch for adventures.

The review on this site has contact info and directions. For more campground reviews click "campground" in the category section in the side bar.

Toutle River RV Resort

Toutle River RV Resort is the campground we WANTED to LOVE.  It's also the park that taught me to check Google Earth as well as various RV Park site reviews.

 There is much to love here.  The Tents for Troops program originated with this Resort. They gave us two free nights of camping - we stayed four. Their fees are not posted on the website - but from what we were charged I would guess $45 - $47 a night. This was a great deal for us at $23 a night average. Toutle River RV Resort is located directly off I-5 in Castle Rock, WA. It is one exit away from the exit for Mount Saint Helens. We expected road noise.

 We had trouble trying to make a reservation on the phone, but decided to just drop in. There were LOTS of spaces available and the lady in the gift shop was the friendliest with which we've done business.

This location is loaded with amenities and the facilities were the nicest we've seen. This is a very family friendly resort, right along a river. We met families who come here often on weekends. We could tell how well-organized and maintained this location was as we drove in.

There is much to show from this spot - here are some photos showing some of the amenities.

Private Saunas

Dog wash

Volleyball

Covered Picnic Areas

 

Basketball

Disc Golf

Fun playground

Soccer and "Big Foot" Croquet

RV Wash?

Huge covered area - and covered badmitton, Ping-Pong, basketball

Free to use smoke house

 

Sites

Great fire pits at sites and around resort

Free G rated movies and popcorn for kids

Horseshoes

Hot tub



Pool

The one thing we did not realize is that a train travels behind the Resort every 20 - 30 minutes. Our spot was about mid-way in the park between I 5 and the Train.  Even being a ways from the tracks, we did shake, rattle and yell every 20 - 30 min. The monthly residents say you get used to it. Quite a few have their trailers parked permanently against the fence which runs along the tracks, so I assume they are right.

 We enjoyed our stay here. The kids were happy to have the pool. I was happy to have the hot tub and laundry. The river trail was a great bike ride. We didn't get to use all the free amenities offered as we were busy exploring Mount Saint Helens each day. Some of our kids actually say this is their favorite spot - and judging by the families we met, they are not alone in their assessment.

I'm not sure if we would choose to stay here again. I think if one is driving through  and needs a quick spot to stop, do laundry and let the kids run - Toutle River RV Resort is for you. If one is looking for a destination spot - lots of fun things to do without leaving the location and doesn't mind the train noise - Toutle River RV Resort is a great option.  If one is looking for a bit of quiet - there are other parks which appear to be quieter on the way to Mount Saint Helens: the Mount Saint Helens KOA park (not the other by that name), Silver Cove Resort, Kid Valley Campground to name a few.

  

We loved this park and we hated the train noise....still not sure how to rate the experience.

For more campground reviews click "campground" in the category section in the side bar.