Restaurants

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CJ’s Beachhouse Restaurant, Birch Bay

Tonight, I took a leisurely 25 minute stroll to CJ’s Beachhouse restaurant. All reviews, except for a very funny one, for this restaurant marked it as being an excellent choice for an affordable seafood dinner.

I got there and, to my surprise, discovered that I wasn’t in the mood for fancy, or healthy. I’ll make a side note here to mention that I’ve been making healthy meals at home since I got here, with lots of fresh produce! So, I ordered the prawns and fish, battered and fried, which normally come with fries and coleslaw. I opted for a garden salad with house dressing instead of more grease.

The meal started with fresh hot rolls. Next time, I will ask them to not bring me a basket of them because they are too yummy. They were yeasty and sweet, which is the only way I like white bread. It was very hard not to scarf them all down!

To drink, I asked for a pint of local brew and was brought a cloudy ale with a spicy finish from a Redmond, WA, brewery called Mac and Jack’s. Their website is pretty useless, so I have no idea if this is the only beer they brew. It was the perfect complement to the bland fish and a great for leisurely sipping with a good book.

The prawns and fish were adequate, with the portion being generous. I actually don’t like most batters, so I can’t give a fair review of this one. I just like the taste and texture of fish cooked in the breading (I know I’m weird 🙂 ). For seasonings, I had a choice of lemon, malt vinegar, seafood sauce (the red stuff with horseradish), and tartar sauce.  Lemon for the fish and red sauce for the shrimp worked for me tonight (another night I would have favoured malt vinegar, but I never eat tartar sauce). This was definitely what I was in the mood for and I savoured every morsel!

The salad was excellent. It was fresh and the veggies were crisp. No iceberg lettuce in sight, just a nice assortment of dark green leaves, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, finely grated cheese, croutons, and a side of the house shallot dressing.

With tip, dinner came to $23, which was reasonable since I had the pint. Service was slooooow, but I had a book and wasn’t in a rush, so it was fine.

Next time, I will go for lunch since they have really nice under $10 deals between 11:30 and 4.

All in all, a nice supper by the sea, and I got in a long walk too!

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Seattle RV Show and Meeting a Friend

It was exactly 22 months today that I first went to Seattle. That might not seem like so long ago, but, just think. Back then, I’d only been RVing a little over six months. I’d never had a bad accident with the rig, never been to the Yukon, never toured Vancouver Island. I was still very much at the beginning of my RVing life.

I went to Seattle to attend the Seattle RV Show, and that wound up coinciding with a trip north by reader Joan, with whom I’ve been corresponding for months about decor issues. So, we finally had a chance to meet! She had a little gift for Miranda that I will show off soon as I get my darn library chair recovered! Thanks!

The drive to Seattle this morning was blustery, but uneventful. I’m glad I arrived early since major rain was in the forecast for later in the day, so I was able to head back in daylight. I can do rain or night driving; both is a bit too much for me if I want to get home with my sanity intact.

Even with a stop for breakfast, I got to Seattle in two hours flat at 9:45. I’d bought my tickets online to get a free parking pass, so I wandered around the general vicinity of Qwest Event Centre to find the ‘north parking lot.’ I knew I was going in the right direction when I encountered very slow traffic. I just followed the column straight into the parking lot! I didn’t get parked till almost 10:30. That was a long time riding the clutch!

The show was surprisingly disappointing! There were a lot of rigs, but many were duplicates and most were towables. I think I counted a half dozen Jayco Greyhawks! There were also no vendors to speak of; what was there was mostly not RV related. I think it was  probably a good place to shop for a rig, I saw some great deals, but it wasn’t such a great place to go out and see what new RV-related products are out.

I did find a few rigs that I actually liked in terms of layout and appearance, but I don’t know about the quality. There was a Coachman model that had beautiful rustic flooring and solid wood cabinetry like Miranda. It was the first rig I’ve ever entered where I wouldn’t change anything about the factory decor! I had a chance to tour a Born Free, which is one of the top class C manufacturers. Very disappointing. I liked the knotty pine cabinetry, but that was it. The whole thing felt shoddy and was missing finishing touches. I found one A, a Winnebago I think, that I really liked. It had bunkbeds in a slide out across from the bathroom and a full bedroom in the back. Rip out the beds, put in a custom office in an armoire, and I’d be very happy!

But I am thinking of down, not up, sizing, so I spent more time looking at the truck campers. I saw some models with slides and dry baths that I really liked and could see myself in at some point down the road.

So, the show was barely worth the drive down, but the company more than made up for it. I’m hoping to make it to Joan’s neck of the woods next month and am therefore grateful that I had a chance to meet her and some of her friends.

I left Seattle around 1:30. I hadn’t thought to bring my camera and the weather wasn’t conducive to wanting to hang around and do tourism. Getting out of town was fun since I got caught in traffic going up James street. This picture illustrates what I mean by fun:

Even though I am an expert at driving with a standard transmission, I’m shocked I managed to crawl up that hill without stalling once, especially since my clutch leg was shaking by the time I cleared the top. Seattle, Montreal, and San Francisco are three cities in which I would not own a manual transmission car!

Rain started to pour around Marysville, so I pulled into the Applebee’s for a late lunch. The service was appalling, but the food was awesome, and I have a full meal left for tonight, so my $12 went far! The restaurant was surprisingly busy for mid-afternoon and I was told I’d have to wait for a table since the only free space was in the bar area. I said that’d be fine. To which the server responded “Sorry, you need to be at least 21 to sit there.” HOW YOUNG DO I LOOK PEOPLE?! I actually had to pull out ID to be able to sit in the ‘bar area’ to order a pasta lunch!

The rain didn’t let up the rest of the drive and now it’s not only coming down in sheets, there are huge gusts rocking the rig back and forth. I’m glad I got with daylight to spare. Now, a beer and a chance to review some of the information I picked up at the show!

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On a Distant Shore

I have a standing contract with a UK company. I triple verified that because this contract was set up in Canada and is with a non-US client, it’s okay for me to continue with it during my stay in the States. It’s not steady income. Some days I make nothing, other days I cover rent for the day. I usually check out the task list first thing in the morning, while I have my coffee, and work at it steadily until I either run out of work or need to get started on more pressing projects.

I’ve been on an early schedule since I left Osoyoos last Monday, something that is likely going to keep up so long as it’s sunny out. So, I was in the office at 8 this morning and was able to put in two hours of work before running out of tasks.

Due for a break, I headed down the hill to the beach and discovered a little café that’s open in the winter! Most of the other business are shut tight, so this gem was a sight to behold! The owner and I had a good gab about the weather while he prepared me a mocha (a real treat since otherwise I never have sugary coffee drinks). I wouldn’t want to get in the habit of going there for a mid-morning coffee every day ($$$), but a few times a week when it’s so nice out will be great. They also make sandwiches and sell ice cream, so the café offers me a place that’s super close by to duck to when I need to get out of the rig. If I have to drive to go somewhere, I’m more likely to stay shut in when I’m in the groove of my day.

Standing on the beach, looking at White Rock in the distance, I had to laugh, remembering standing on its beach and looking out towards what I now know is Birch Bay, Washington. You really never know where your life is going to take you. And now that I realise just how close I am to the Canadian border, having seen it, I can understand better the US customs officials’ bewilderment that I wasn’t go very far into their country!

White Rock, BC, in the distance

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Like Déjà-Vu All Over Again

Shortly after my last post I headed outside and stuck a hair dryer between the rig and the valves in the hope of thawing them out. Then, I got the car loaded with the bike and auxiliary propane tank. I was ready to deal with the kayak when Donna, who always has impeccable timing, came out to help. She got to work on my valves while I did some other prep and Ken helped me try to fill my fresh water tank.

The rig was ready by about quarter to eleven or so and I rolled down to the office to get propane. That took a bit of time since they seem to have a problem with the nozzle that screws onto the propane tank. I then went back up the hill to fetch the car and say my teary goodbyes after Donna helped me adjust my mirrors.

I gassed up at the Husky and rolled out of Osoyoos for hopefully the last time in my life at bang on noon. ETA for Tradex: 6PM.

Miranda performed well on the very sinuous highway 3A that took us through Keremeos, Princeton, and Manning Provincial Park. It’s a frustrating drive because you crawl up a mountain only to come down the other side. It got a bit slick near the top, so I inched my way down. I appreciate that the long queue behind me didn’t honk when it finally got a chance to pass me! My memories of the last time I did this are pretty fuzzy, but I know that today’s drive was very easy compared to that of two years ago!

Like last time, I ended up driving straight through. I got cell reception at Hope, so I was able to check the time and was shocked: it was 3:30 and I was less than an hour from Tradex!

We pulled in at just shy of 4:30 in waning daylight and I was quickly able to match reality to the maps I’d looked at. I parked but did not unhook just in case. Since it was still quite early, I decided to see if anyone was in at the administrative office. There was, and she knew nothing about the arrangement made for me to park here until I can move to power hookups on Thursday! I just had to say the magic words “I’ve been driving my RV all day and I just want to stop!” for her to agree to sort it out in the morning. So, I went back to the rig and moved to a flatter spot (I’m on grass), then unhooked.

It’s unusually cold here, too, and I’m going to be without power for three days. I’m therefore focusing on heat and my phantom draw exclusively. No lights, no water pump, no computer charging. So, decided that I might as well start off strong and not heat until as late as possible since I was only twenty minutes from Langley where there is a Montana’s right across from a movie theatre. I figure that it’d be safe to go back there after two years.

It’s amazing how much easier this gets every time I do it, with ‘this’ being the whole packing up and driving off after a prolonged period of being parked. It’s also amazing how different the rig is now than it was when I arrived in Osoyoos four months ago. I had to move all of half a dozen things and I was set up the same way I am when I’m parked.

The next few days are going to be manic! I have an early morning interview each day and I need to go to Surrey tomorrow to pick up some things I need for the show. I’ll post all the juicy details as soon as I can!

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Avoiding the Crowds

I went to Omak today to do a bit of shopping and to see a movie, but the main purpose of the trip was to have an oil change done on the car. Arranging for that in Penticton is as difficult today as it was two years ago; the places with the cheapest prices are always booked up weeks in advance.

Since today is the American Thanksgiving, I called ahead to make sure the Walmart would be open and that it would be possible have the oil change done. Yes and yes. So I headed off around 11 and pulled into Walmart at about noon. The folks at Tire & Lube got my information and then I was free to do some shopping.

The store was very quiet and the aisles were stacked with things marked “not for sale before Friday.” It’s going to be a zoo there tomorrow! I don’t care what sorts of deals can be had on Black Friday, the crowds aren’t worth it.

A dehumidifier was the only big ticket thing I was interested in, but they didn’t have any. So, I stocked up on some dry goods and assorted sundries, nothing really notable, and went to collect my car. It wasn’t done yet, so I had a chance to sit for a bit, amused that the only magazines in the waiting room were about handguns.

An oil change was just $30!!!!!!!!!!! I also got a full tank of gas today for $25. You can’t get an oil change done up here for under $60! And this wasn’t a basic oil change, either; they did all the checks and fluid top ups, and they sent me home with almost a full quart of oil!

It was two when I left Walmart and the movie started at four, so I hoped to enjoy a nice leisurely lunch. HA! The  ONLY restaurant in town that was open was Burger King! If I hadn’t had so much time to kill and it hadn’t been so cold I would have gotten lunch fixings at the Walmart grocery section and had a picnic in the car, but BK it was today. Yuck!

The movie I wanted to see was Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I. I can’t believe we’re one movie away from the end. What a cinematic journey this series has been over the past ten years. The movie was worth the wait and the long drive home in the dark.

I made it back to the border in record time and breezed through at quarter past seven. I was ravenous by this time so I was grateful that Ella‘s was open. There I tucked into a ridiculously generous plate of chicken souvlaki for just $13.

Donna informed me tonight that Penticton’s selection of dehumidifiers is pathetic, so I’m going to try Sears catalogue, but I may end up having to go out again tomorrow.