Travels with haRVy

Since getting back onboard haRVy a few days after Christmas, we’ve only paid for a camping spot once. Thanks to friends and generous Boondockers Welcome hosts in the Seattle area, we’ve enjoyed several comfortable places to roost at no charge. Dean and Sue in Des Moines (don’t get confused, we are in Washington State, not Iowa) even shared their casual New Year’s Eve celebration with us. A nod of gratitude to you both, plus Micheal in Seattle, Colleen and Dale in Olympia, and Wendy in Ocean Shores.

We amused ourselves for an afternoon by visiting the Museum of Flight at Boeing Field.

The original Boeing Airplane Company manufacturing plant was moved to become part of the museum.

This guys said he liked my new jacket.

We got to tour inside this Air Force One that was used by presidents Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon.

A flying car with folding wings.

Here we’ve tucked haRVy behind Wendy’s Ocean Shores beach house for protection from high winds and heavy rains. We stayed high and dry while upwards of nine inches of rain fell in a day and a half.

Here’s what the nearby town of Hoquiam looked like as we drove through.

There was a lot of serious flooding throughout the area.
Here we are practically fording a river as it flows over the road.

We had to stop and reroute here in Raymond due to a mudslide blocking Highway 101.

The drive east on Route 6 was dry and pleasant. It brought us to Rainbow Falls State Park. The CCC developed the campground and built this restroom in 1935.

Lots of tall trees here. We were the only campers besides the campground hosts whom we never saw. Yes, we had to pay for the campsite, but we thoroughly enjoyed the HOT showers!

After an hour’s drive south the next morning, sensational views of Mt. St. Helens revealed themselves as we hiked the wetlands trail around the closed (bah!) visitor center.

Selfie

Absolutely stunning! We were so lucky to see and capture this image.

Later that same day we got this glimpse of Mt. Hood from the north shore of Columbia River at the Port of Camas.

No winter storage for these yachts.

The next morning we found out that camping is not allowed here.

Stay tuned for more posts from the shores of the Columbia River. We’re currently heading east on the north shore in Washington. Later we will drive back west on the south shore towards Portland, Oregon.