Leavenworth KOA -- Leavenworth, WA

This was an awesome KOA. We definitely ought to go back with the kids... unfortunately, we got really sick with the flu, so we spent most of the 2 days here inside our RV utilizing the very good WiFi connection to catch up on our TV shows.

It's close to a grocery store, close to downtown Leavenworth, it has a laundry and a great playground... and during the regular season, there's a pancake restaurant, too. The kids would have loved it. We definitely want to come back!

Plus Leavenworth is always a fun place to visit -- cute little town with lots of quaint shops and activities.

PARK INFO:

• Link: http://koa.com/campgrounds/leavenworth/
• + Full hookups
• + Laundry
• + Great WiFi and cell connections
• + BBQ and picnic tables
• + Cute park
• + Playground
• + Close to town and grocery store

Cody's Place -- Brewster, WA

Not an RV park, but our cousin Cody's place in Brewster. We parked the RV next door, on Lyndsay and Rich's newly purchased land -- and got to hang out all evening, plus the next morning, with Cody.

Feeling so lucky to have spent time with you, Cody, LOVE YOU so much.

lyndsay's property next door

quite a view from the rv!

foggy morning

brewster selfie

from the top of our rv (pulled over during the drive)

Silverline Resort -- Winthrop, WA

Winthrop was great.

The resort itself was not fantastic. In fact, one of the shop owners told us to stay at this RV park in town next time we come: http://www.pinenearpark.com/ (he told us they have laundry facilities). :-) Nevertheless, we had a really nice time in Winthrop -- I had forgotten what a cute little town it is!

PARK INFO:

• Link: http://silverlineresort.com/
• + Full hookups
• + Near lake
• - No cell phone service or WiFi
• - No laundry

Lake Easton Resort - Lake Easton, WA

The first time we took the kids out in the RV, they asked about Gracie the whole time! It just didn't seem quite right without her... so this time, we decided to pick her up along the way.

We drove to Jesse and Alex's house in Renton and parked in their yard for the night (Gracie slept out back with us), and then we took off in the morning for Lake Easton -- just over Snoqualmie Pass.

As soon as we got to the RV Park, all three kids tumbled out of the RV like a pile of puppies, they were so excited to start playing. They played outside, inside, all over the place -- playing detective, board games, and all manner of other secret things that the grown ups weren't allowed to know about, but they involved writing things down on their secret lists and running back and forth from the playground.

We were able to use the campground firepit for s'mores, and hike down to the lake.

The park itself wasn't amazing -- it was pretty small, and right by the freeway with lots of road noise. But it was dirt and trees instead of asphalt, and the walk to the lake was gorgeous!

PARK INFO:

• Link: http://www.sunriseresorts.com/resort-locations/lake-easton/
• + Full hookups
• + Near beautiful lake
• + WiFi
• + Central covered firepit area
• + Friendly staff
• - Close to freeway; traffic noise
• - No laundry (was one across freeway)
• - The park itself wasn't anything to write home about

Grandy Creek KOA -- Concrete, WA

Our second outing in the motorhome, this time it's just me and Kelley. It's pouring rain and off-season, so we have a whole area to ourselves. It's way different than the last RV park we were at; this one is all grass and trees and trails. So far I really like it, other than the fact that the advertised WiFi doesn't extend to the whole park so we're using phone access which is basically like dial-up (nerdy nerdy nerdy).

Took my first shower in the RV, and it was kind of awesome with the rain pounding above my head on the skylight! Now we're sitting at the table, listening to music and working on our laptops like the nerds we are.

Played lots of gin rummy and backgammon, plus one game of scrabble (but Kelley beat me too badly to allow any more of that).

Here are some "before" pictures of the motorhome... we have a million ideas for upgrades and improvements. In fact, it already looks so much homier (these pics are from when we drove it off the lot)!

PARK INFO:

• Link: https://koa.com/campgrounds/concrete/site-type/rv-camping-sites/
• + Full hookups
• + Kid-friendly (cool playground and bouncy house, plus on-season swimming pool)
• + Close to several grocery stores
• - No WiFi

Deception Pass -- Whidbey Island, WA

Our Maiden Voyage! We all loved our first trip in the motorhome, which we've only had for a week now.

Maiden Voyages are supposed to be relatively close to home (check) but far away enough that it feels like a vacation (check).

Maiden Voyages are also intended to help suss out problems with the new rig, such as:

• When we arrived at the camp, we realized that there was no longer a vent hood above the bathroom. Meaning that it flew off sometime during our drive. Woops.
• We had to cover up the hole using only things we had in the RV -- so that rain wouldn't come in through the 14" x 14" hole in the ceiling above the toilet. So we ended up driving around for the next week with a white kitchen trash bag tied around the hole, affixed with scotch tape and a bungee cord.
• It turns out that when you are at an RV park, the way you "hook up" to water and sewer is with your own hose. Who knew?
• Also... if you want your motorhome to be level (like, you prefer not to sleep with your feet higher than your head), you are supposed to have leveling jacks
• Mostly, you get to figure things out for the first time in the privacy of your own RV... but Kelley had to try to figure out how to open and close our awning in front of all the obviously-veteran RV'ers. And I'm sorry to say it didn't go well, and it involved the "F" word, and I'm still not really sure we know how it works.

It was really fun to see other people's setups... the guy across the "street" definitely had his system down. He had houseplants that were set out on the picnic table to breathe, a little campstove, and a plastic wine glass he sipped from while he grilled his dinner.

Best of all, our RV was right next to the playground! The playground was the best part of this park, though, which was mainly asphalt and crammed-together RV spots.

All-in-all, a perfect first outing.

PARK INFO:

• Link: http://www.northwhidbeyrvpark.com/campgroundinfo.htm
• + Full hookups
• + Laundry on-site
• + Playground
• + WiFi
• - Not a beautiful park