Exploring Bellingham: Euclid Park

Euclid Park near Lake Whatcom in Bellingham.

Like people around the world, Wayne and I are social distancing.  Rather than cross the Canadian border to return to Powell River, we decided to remain at our Bellingham, Washington, part-time home.  We don't have COVID-19 symptoms, so we can still go out using precautions.

Life has changed a lot. I order groceries and supplies online from Fred Meyer and pick them up in the parking lot already bagged. We stay away from crowds, but do go out once a day for a drive, to walk in our neighbourhood, or visit an uncrowded park.

There are many parks scattered throughout Bellingham and in surrounding Whatcom County. We are taking this opportunity to explore some of them while social distancing from other patrons. Our first outing was to Euclid Park on the shore of Lake Whatcom.

Well maintained and uncrowded trails through a wooded Euclid Park.

We drove there on first day of Spring. It was sunny and warm, perfect to get some much needed fresh air and exercise. Parking is limited in a roadside area on Euclid Avenue north or Lakeway Drive. The trails meandering through the forested park are open daily.

We discovered a beautiful beach on Lake Whatcom at the end of a trail.

The first trail to the left takes you to a pocket beach on Lake Whatcom. A few handmade log benches let you enjoy the view and the crystal clear water. I imagine during summer months this is usually a popular swimming hole for locals. Hopefully this summer it will be again.

Signs of spring are so important right now for our well-being.

It was uplifting to see signs of spring along the trail. I highly recommending getting out in nature right now. Our minds and bodies need the soothing respite it offers.  What have you been doing to help yourself and others at this difficult time? - Margy

Wayne and Margy's 2019-20 Snowbird RV Adventure

Snowbird RV Adventure Update

Wayne and I want to thank all of our readers for coming along with us so far on our Snowbird RV Adventure. 

For now, however, we are staying home to take care of ourselves and to do our part to help prevent the further spread of the Coronavirus.  Wayne and I send our best wishes to all of you for continued good health, and we mourn the loss of so many people to this terrible disease.

Once the health danger is past, we will be back on the road with more stories to share. In the meantime, you can scroll down to get caught up on our first two trip segments.

Wayne and I planned for months for our first Snowbird road trip in the new RV we purchased last April.

This time of year it gets darker, colder and wetter at our float cabin on Powell Lake. Sun and warmth are calling. Just like the geese, we are migrating south.

An early November departure was perfect. We beat the snow and ice in the mountain pass between Oregon and California, and we were able to skip winterizing our RV. That was a win-win.

We picked a Forest River Sunseeker 2250 specifically for this adventure. We like the small size for maneuverability and easy parking. It's been a perfect rig for us even on long trips.

The overall 24'4" length of the Sunseeker packs in a lot of living space.

We planned a three part trip.

Part 1 - We left Bellingham on November 4. For 43 days we explored and camped our way from Washington State to Southern California. In mid-December, we put the RV into storage in Southern California, went to USC for basketball and then flew back to Bellingham for a break. You can read about this leg of our trip by scrolling down.

Part 2 - Our second leg of the trip started on February. We flew back south to pick up our RV from Pomona Fairplex RV Storage. After a short stay in Pomona to enjoy our old stomping grounds (we lived there for 24 years), we drove to Arizona for more exploring and a stay in Tempe for Arizona State University softball. By late February, we ended up in the Tucson area where we put our RV in storage once again and flew back to Bellingham for a second break.

Camping in public parks gives you more privacy and nature.

Part 3 - Needless to say, the third and final part of our trip that was supposed to start in late March was cancelled due to the Coronavirus outbreak. Who could have expected a pandemic to catch us mid-way through our Snowbird Adventure.

Private RV parks offer more amenities and full hookups.

When it's safe again to travel, we'll fly to Tucson to check on our RV For now it's safe in electric storage at the Tucson Lazydays KOA RV Resort. -- Wayne and Margy

Snowbird RV Adventure Part 1 Begins: Bellingham to McChord Air Force Base

Part 1: Day 1

Please note that the following posts of our Snowbird RV Adventure Parts 1 and 2 have been reordered for easier reading in chronological order. The posting dates do not reflect the actual calendar dates of our trips.

Camped overnight at the Bellingham RV Park.

November 4: Our Snowbird RV adventure began in Bellingham, Washington. We went to Gotcha Covered RV and Boat Storage to pick up our rig. Catchy name, huh? It aptly describes our secure covered parking spot with a power hookup.

We keep our RV ready to roll except for perishables. For long trips we rent a spot at the Bellingham RV Park closer to our condo. Here we can load last minute items, test our systems and get an early start.

Downtown Seattle was a breeze this time.

We timed our departure to get through the big city of Seattle after the morning rush hour. Google maps with traffic help us plan our route and make adjustments as needed.

I also use Google in satellite view to find places to eat and shop along the way. I choose places that offer RV parking or have large lots nearby. McDonalds in Burlington has RV parking so that's where we stopped for breakfast.

Our first night destination was Holiday Park on McChord Air Force Base in Tacoma, Washington. We like to come here on our first night out because we can easily stock up with fresh food at the Commissary. If you are active duty or a retired veteran with base privileges, we highly recommend military campgrounds and RV parks.

Before we went to the campground, we parked with a view of the runway to watch the C-17 Globemaster transport planes landing. If you like to watch aircraft, bases are a good choice.

We got settled in our spot. On long trips we like to use a variety of RV camping styles. Public parks and some military campgrounds give you more privacy and let you get closer to nature, yet have amenities such as power, water and sometimes even sewer.

Site #30 at the McChord Holiday Park campground is private with full hookups.

After a long day of driving, it's relaxing to sit outside and enjoy a beverage.

Enjoying the outdoors is a big part of RV camping for us.

I take some time to write and add illustrations to my travel journal. That way I can record tips, comment on good sites for the future and to remember the fun times we've had.

Trip Mileage Log

Leg - 135 miles

Total - 135 miles

Stay tuned for more of our travelogue blog posts and get some handy tips from two RVing newbies. -- Wayne and Margy 

Snowbird RV Adventure Part 2 Ends: Return to Bellingham, Washington

Part 2: Day 27

February 28: One reason we chose Lazy Days KOA as our last destination for Part 2 of our Snowbird RV Adventure was its proximity to Tucson International Airport.

Allegiant Airlines flies direct between Tucson and Bellingham during winter,.

We put our Sunseeker RV in a secure area to wait for our return. We have an electric hookup so we can keep our batteries charged and to use our Davis Air-Dryr dehumidifiers. In addition to preventing moisture buildup, they provide some heat to combat cool nights.

We still love our float cabin home in all seasons.

Thanks for coming along on Part 2 of our Snowbird RV Adventure.

After taking care of some business in Bellingham, we'll head home to our float cabin on Powell Lake, an adventure in its own right.

There still may be some winter weather, but after all of the Arizona sunshine it's okay.

Here's a summary of our Snowbird RV Adventure so far.

Trip Log

Part 1 Snowbird RV Adventure Totals
Bellingham, Washington, to Pomona, California
Total RV Driving Distance - 1644 miles
Total Length of Adventure - 43 days
Number of RV Campgrounds and Resorts - 16

The Lakes RV Resort in Chowchilla, Wayne's #1 and Margy's #5 vote.

Part 2 Snowbird RV Adventure Totals
Pomona, California, to Tucson, Arizona
Total RV Driving Distance - 611 miles
Total Length of Adventure - 27 days
Number of RV Campgrounds and Resorts - 7 

Lazy Days KOA Resort in Tucson was Wayne's #1 and Margy's #2 vote.

Snowbird RV Adventure To-Date Totals
Bellingham, Washington, to Tucson, Arizona
Total RV Driving Distance - 611 miles
Total Length of Adventure - 70 days
Number of RV Campgrounds and Resorts - 23

We hope you will come back to follow along on Part 3 of our Snowbird RV Adventure and the trip back north to our homebase in Bellingham, Washington. -- Wayne and Margy

Whidbey Island RV Adventure: Deception Pass State Park

Reading and relaxing in the sun.

Wayne and I got our Forest River Sunseeker RV out of Gotcha Covered (our Bellingham storage location) and headed south to Whidbey Island for a new RV adventure.

It's nice having our RV all set up, ready to go at a moment's notice. All we needed to do was state the fridge and stop at Safeway to pick up fresh food for our five day, four night excursion.

To be ready for our adventure, I made reservations for two nights at Deception Pass State Park. We wanted hookups (power is available all year and water during the warmer months) so we selected Site #39 in the Forest Loop of the Cranberry Lake Campground.

For tent or dry camping, there are spots in the Lower Loop and two other park campgrounds, Bowman and Quarry Pond.

We arrived too early to go to our site, so we went to the nearby West Beach day use area to hang out in the warm sunshine.

Uncrowded West Beach on an October day.

If you aren't a registered camper, you can purchase a day use Discover Pass for $10 or an annual pass (the best deal) good at all Washington State Parks for $30.

Shore flowers and lots of driftwood.

State, county and national parks are a nice change from traditional RV parks. Many have hookups, but the setting is more natural. Site #39 was a drive through yet it had lots of privacy because of the surrounding fir, hemlock and cedar trees.

Site #39 in the Forest Loop.

Just walking around our site I found lots of interesting things to photograph.

Natural beauty in a popular Washington State Park.

The next day we walked to Cranberry Lake.

We watched fighters and submarine chaser aircraft from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island taking off and landing. This was just a hint of what was to come for the second part of our Whidbey Island RV Adventure.

Deception Pass State Park is very popular (and crowded) during the summer months, but during the shoulder season it's a perfect place to stay. -- Margy

Lake Pleasant RV Park, Bothell WA

Blue skies over Site 12 at Lake Pleasant RV Park, Bothell, WA.

If you follow my blog, you know Wayne and I recently purchased an RV. In addition to winter "snow bird" trips to the Southwest, we wanted an RV to attend sports events.

This weekend we took our Forest River Sunseeker south to Seattle for the NCAA Women's Softball Regionals at the University of Washington (UW). Seattle doesn't have many RV parks. The closest I found online was Lake Pleasant RV Park in Bothell.

Our "rent-a-toad" from the Enterprise in Bothell.

Our motorhome is 25' long and we don't have a toad (a car towed behind). Bothell is 13 miles from Husky Softball Stadium.

Public transit was complicated. The Uber estimate was $38-$50 per direction for three games. We decided to use "rent-a-toad." That's my nickname for Enterprise Rent-A-Car. Total cost was $125 for three days with unlimited miles. The Bothell office also provided free pick-up. Deal done!

We enjoyed the wide pad and grassy lakeshore.

Lake Pleasant RV Park lives up to its name. The RV spots surround a long lake in a forested hideaway in the middle of the city. We got one of the prime lakeshore spots for $44 per night for full hookups.

The park is well maintained. Sites are paved, wide, level and divided with trees and hedges for privacy. Green grass adds to the natural ambiance. Each site comes with a picnic table. There are no wood fires, but portable propane fire pits are allowed.

Fellow Canadians made us feel at home.

The laundry, restrooms and showers are immaculate.  Long-term visitors can arrange to receive mail and packages. Propane is available next to the office. There's also a library with a small store.

Lake Pleasant is a nature preserve. It's home to Canada Geese, ducks, and at least one heron. We loved sitting in the sun and waking to the sounds of nature rather than traffic. This trip we missed hiking the forest trails surrounding the park.

We will be back for sure, every time we attend a University of Washington game, professional sports or other event in the Seattle area. Reservations are highly recommended, especially during the busy summer months.

University of Washington vs Mississippi at Husky Stadium.

The combination of the Lake Pleasant RV Park and Enterprise Rent-A-Car make it the perfect spot to stay any time of the year. -- Margy

Wayne and Margy's New RV Adventure

Site 45 at Lost Dutchman State Park.

In January and February, Wayne and I went on a Rental RV Road Trip from Bellingham, Washington to Arizona. We were gone for 25 days and loved the experience. You can read about that trip by clicking here.

When we got back, we started looking for an RV of our own. We really liked the Coachmen Leprechaun we rented. It had a comfy layout for a small 24' overall length Class C. We wanted small for easier driving and parking in restaurant and shopping lots.

We looked at several other brands, but kept coming back to the Coachmen Freelander 21RS with a bed slide-out. Our rental had a rear corner bed. While we were leery of the mechanics of a slide, we wanted increased sleeping comfort.

Since Poulsbo RV is the only Coachmen dealer near us, we went to one of their RV shows. And guess where it was, in the Bellis Fair Mall next to our condo. Seemed like kismet. They only had a larger Freelander display, but did have a Forest River Sunseeker 2250SLE. After much thought, we decided it was even better. Forest River is the parent company of Coachmen so we knew the quality was similar.

What changed our minds was: a Chevy 4500-322HP V8 gas engine, more interior storage, a bathroom sink in the living area, a functional dinette, well laid out kitchen, omnidirectional antennae and tank heaters. To put the icing on the cake, they gave us an extra discount for purchasing the show model. We were happy and Kevin, the salesman, was happy.

Inside our new Sunseeker 2250SLE RV.

We drove 30 miles down to the Poulsbo RV in Mt. Vernon to pick her up after detailing. Having the dealer relatively close is nice. Jacob was the mechanic in charge and he gave us a detailed tour of the coach and all of her systems. Like we did with our rental adventure, we took our new rig to the Bellingham RV Park for the first night to test everything out.

At the Bellingham RV Park for our first night.

When you live in a condo, you have to make alternative plans for RV parking. We chose secure Gotcha Covered near Bellingham. You have a choice of outside parking, or under cover with electrical hookups. We chose the latter. It's close enough to our condo for easy packing.

Parked at Gotcha Covered for storage.

On day six day we started our first New RV Adventure. Come along with us and see what we found. Please note, the posts have been reordered for easier reading. -- Wayne and Margy

Wayne and Margy's New RV Trip Log 1

Trip Log Part 1

McChord Air Force Base Holiday Camp

Entrance to forested McChord AFB Holiday Camp.

Six days after we purchased our Forest River Sunseeker 2250SLE RV, we headed out for our first trip.

It's been a dream to go to sports events and not stay in hotels. It isn't the cost, we just like having our own space.

Our first trip is to Oregon State and the University of Oregon for women's softball. We don't have to rush, so we decided to take two days to reach our first game.

On the way we returned to one of our favourite stops from that first trip, McChord Air Force Base's Holiday Camp. It's restricted to active and retired military and DoD personnel. If you qualify, we highly recommend it. I called ahead and we got the same spot as before, #24. It's in the Upper Loop where the trees are the thickest and the sites the most private. Reservations are recommended for summer. Visit their website for details.

Site #24 at McChord AFB Holiday Camp.

We parked and hooked up to utilities. There's water, electric and power at 37 RV sites. There are additional dry or tent camping spots. Nightly costs are $28 for 50 amp, $25 for 30, $15 for dry and $12 for tents.  There are restrooms, showers, laundry, a dump, playground, picnic area and a walking/jogging trail that goes all the way around the airport runway. That's a long way. We did just a portion. When the C-17s are flying, it's really interesting.

Our bedroom slide out.

The Commissary and BX are a great place to provision your rig. They have plenty RV parking in their largenlots. We did that rather than hauling fresh food down to the storage yard.

We enjoyed our two relaxing days and got to know our new RV a little better. My guess is this might become our first and last stop for many trips that involve driving on I-5.

Sunseeker 2250 Kitchen

As a part of each Trip Log, I'll introduce our new RV.  The 2250 is the smallest Sunseeker made by Forest River. The overall length is 24'-4".  The interior is two feet less with 180 square feet including the cab. Everything is compact yet feels roomy.

The kitchen is on the right or starboard side. It has excellent storage. I keep dishes in the upper cupboard, cleaning and supplies under the sink, and silverware, pots and pans in drawers. The sink is large with a flip-up counter extension. I bought a large wood cutting board for a moveable working surface.

A compact yet complete kitchen.

There's a microwave, fan, and a three burner propane stove with oven. The refrigerator/freezer is a mid-sized auto-select electric/propane model. There's ample room for fresh food.

A mid-sized electric/propane fridge.

On the opposite wall is a combination closet and pantry. You can choose to use both sides for closet space, but we chose to use the pantry option on the right. The shelves are adjustable and deep. I use plastic bins to make reaching items in the back easier.

A closet with a pantry option.

Living in a float home and boating in a 24' Bayliner has helped us learn techniques for small spaces. Applying what we know to a small Class C RV has been an easy transition.

Do you have an RV? Is it something you would like to try? Let me know what you think. -- Margy

Wayne and Margy's New RV Trip Log 5

Trip Log Part 5

American Heritage Camp 
and Back to Bellingham

A red-barkd Arbutus Tree in bloom.

After the softball game at the University of Oregon, we began our homeward journey. Rather than drive a long distance, we returned to one of our favourite (so far) spots, Armitage Park Campground. Good thing we had a reservation. We arrived to a "Campground Full" sign.

In the morning we started north. We wanted something new for our last night. I used the  AllStays app and found American Heritage Campground, a private park near Olympia. It had good reviews and their website showed forested sites with lots of privacy. I called and made a reservation.

Park-like American Heritage Campground.

We arrived in time to top off our propane and relax in the last rays of sunshine. We stayed in camp through breakfast then got back on I-5 for the last leg of our twelve-day RV trip.

Driving through Seattle on a busy Sunday afternoon.

Using an RV allowed us to explore nature in between the collegiate women's softball games. It was a much more relaxing way to travel than staying in hotels and eating in restaurants.

Thanks for coming along on the first outing in our own motorhome. Hope you enjoyed this inaugural trip. There will be many more to come. Do you have any suggestions for places to visit? What are some of your favourites? -- Margy

Planes and Trains at Bellingham's Marine Drive Park

If you are a transportation nut, the place to visit is Marine Drive Park in Bellingham, WA.

Marine Park is next to Bellingham Bay with spectacular views of Lummi Island and Downtown Bellingham and Fairhaven. There's grass, picnic tables, trees and ... airplanes and trains.

Marine Park is bordered by the train tracks that link the States to Canada. You will see both passenger and freight trains pass by so close you could almost touch them. In fact, you have to be careful since the tracks aren't fenced.

While Wayne and I were there, you could hear the train's whistle as it approached from the south. This one was a BNSF (Burlington Northern Santa Fe) freight train with a mixture of cars including telephone poles, lumber and enclosed boxcars with lots of graffiti. I miss cabooses.

The park is also under the flight path from nearby Bellingham International Airport. That's where we keep our airplane 997 in a hangar. It also has commercial service by Alaska and Allegiant Airlines. We saw both take off. This one was Allegiant heading to Las Vegas.

We saw dog walkers, train watchers and a guy using two trees to practice tightrope walking. Marine Park hours are from dawn to dusk, but just before it closes you can see spectacular sunsets. Here are two photos from a previous visits. The first is without flash.

And in this one, I used flash to highlight the native plants in the foreground.

Bellingham has some wonderful places to explore. This is just one of many. -- Margy