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Hello, and welcome to the November Newsletter. Belated Happy Thanksgiving to my American pals.
Thanks, everyone, for subscribing to and reading my monthly newsletters. If you're new or missed any editions, you can always catch up by visiting the Archive Page.
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What's New With Us
After missing out on our snowbird trip last year, we were excited to get back on the road south. The USA border opened on November 8th, and we were on the afternoon sailing that day to Port Angeles to begin the 21/22 adventure!
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The ferry docked at around 6 pm, and after a brief chat with US customs, we were on our way. Being it was after dark, we headed only a few miles down the road and overnighted in the local Walmart parking lot. It worked out well as we needed to restock our groceries. Best not to cross with a bunch of fresh food. You never know what USDA has banned this time. ;)
The following day we took the 101 highway south along the Hood Canal to overnight at the Little Creek Casino. The next morning I did a quick run into Olympia, WA and picked up a Turbo 2 Hotspot, and signed up for a Cricket Wireless Simply Data Plan. 100 GB for 55 USD a month. Not too bad. Does what we need.
(Note: Unfortunately, our Canadian Starlink Internet Dish doesn't work in the USA. It's a bummer, but they tell me they are working on it)
We also both have Canadian phones running on Freedom Mobile. They are $99 CAD a year for unlimited talk and text in Canada. We added Freedom's Big Gig Roam Extra, USA 90 day one-time pass option for $100 CAD. You get unlimited talk a text in the USA plus 3 GB of data. All the devices are using the AT&T network, it seems.
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The next leg of our journey took us out to the Pacific coast for a 3-night stay at the Quinault Beach Casino in Ocean Shores, WA, then a return visit to beautiful Nehalem Bay State Park near Cannon Beach, Oregon, for three nights.
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So far, our journey was met with lots of thick gray clouds, fog, sometimes drenching rain, and even a tornado warning but thankfully some sun on the way!
With a rosier forecast, we headed further south on the coast for a 5-night stay at South Beach State Park and three more at Winchester Bay. At the Salmon Point Marina, we had the whole jetty to ourselves.
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We thoroughly enjoyed the Oregon Coast as usual, but after spending the last 1 1/2 years on the west coast, we were eager to be in the dry, sunny desert again. So, we decided to head east over to the I5 freeway to speed up our travel. To save money along the way, we took advantage of some favorite free overnight dry camping spots. No point paying for hookups we don't require.
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First, stop Seven Feathers Casino, then Camping World in Redding, then Cache Creek Casino, then Harris Ranch Inn and Restaurant. Today we headed over the Tehachapi Pass and are in the high desert! Stay tuned.
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For the curious. Here is a Google Map of our journey so far, links to overnight and camping stops, and fees paid.
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Walmart Port Angeles - 1 night - Free
Little Creek Casino - 1 night - Free
Quinault Beach Casino - 3 nights - $40
Nehalem Bay SP - 3 nights - $101
South Beach SP - 5 nights - $163
Salmon Point Marina - 3 nights - $90
Seven Feathers Casino - 2 nights - Free
Cache Creek Casino - 2 nights - Free
Harris Ranch Inn - 1 night - Free
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