Chacala

We have been reading the blog my life in chacala for over a year now, we are planning on visiting Chacala in Dec. The blog has really sparked an interest.
Look at it if you are thinking on spending some time in one place for a while, think this would be a great place to spend some time in.

Daydreaming of traveling

Group picture Baja

My husband and I have done a lot of traveling with the green tortoise, in Mexico, Baja, and Costa Rica. We have found this to be a good safe and cheap way to travel. So I found myself looking at their web site today and found that they have a lot of new trips which sound really good.
If you don't know anything about the Green Tortouse it's a tour bus out of San Francisco, CA. This is not the kind of tour that you spend a lot of nights in a hotel room. No you need a sleeping bag as a lot of the nights you will be sleeping on the bus, or in the bus, or your tent if you take one with you. You help to fix meals for the group, for most of the meals on the trip.
http://www.greentortoise.com
Anyway we feel that if you don't want to travel alone at first this is the way to go, we also know it's not for everyone. We think we are now able to go out on our own.
I will miss traveling with them.
Last night on the bus, before making up the sleeping areas for the night.

Aug 26 2005

My friend's 25th wedding party I thought was over last weekend, no her mother asked all of us that helped with the wedding out to lunch today. It was wonderful, two of the friends that helped could not make it, they were missed.
After lunch we went shopping, we went to some stores we had not shopped at before it was a lot of fun.
As I have said before I am looking forward to quiting my job, thought it would have been this Sepetember. But now I an looking at Nov. I will need to get my and my huppy's meds refilled for the last time with my current health insurance. I can't get the meds filled again until Oct 28th.
When I quit my job I will lose my insurance, I have been told the day I leave my job the insurance stop's. Oh I could keep it but it would cost me $1026.02 a month to keep both of us insuraned. My PERS retirment fund (I was told) will be $1018 a month. I am not sure at this time if that is what I will be getting, I think it will be more like $800 something a month, we will see as my first check should be here the first of Sept. But it could not get here until the first of Nov. as they have 90 days grace before you get your first check. Anyway I can't aford to get this insurance, so I will be looking for some cheaper insurance, hopefuly with better coverage, yeah right.
So I have been real down knowing that I have to work longer than I thought I would. Frist I thought it would be the first of Sept. As soon as I got my first check from PERS. Then they could keep that first check for 90 days. So I made sure that all my paper work was done, so that I will get that check as close to Sept 1st as possable. Then our meds will run out before we go to Mexico in Dec. so I need to get them refilled before we leave and I can't fill them until Oct 28. So that makes my last day Nov 4th, may be.
Ok so I shouldent feel so sorry for myself, What is a couple of months?

Our trip this winter in planning

One of the places we are planning on visiting this winter is Chacala Mexico. We have been reading a blog called my life in chacala which has sparked a real interst in visting this small fishing town.
Camping is avabile as will as rooms for rent. I think that this may be one of the first places we visit. Larry has checked into some of the prices of the rooms and they seem to be very good.

Aug 23, 2006

I know that this is titled travel cheap, but I also feel that you need to know how we are planning on traveling cheap. Today we went to a county hearing on our land and if we could divide it into 5 or 10 acres parcels. The county said yes, but that is only to half of the land we own. The other half has to wait. Oh but wait, that's not the end, now we have to ask the state, and from what I hear that going to be harder then what we went through with the county, and we are still waiting on the other half from the county.
Why does this make any differance to our traveling cheap? Yes, If we can sell some parcels we would not have to worry about keeping the cost to $50.00 a day
I am going to quit my current job in Nov. We will have to plan on any more trips we have to $1000.00 a month, less $300.00 for the monthly bills we have for our home. I am really going to work at keeping what we spend at less than $700.00 a month Larry wants to keep it less than $50.00 a day. This includes our trip to Mexico starting in Dec, and ending in March.

Aug 18, 2006

The wedding was wonderful. I am not sure what the cost was. I do know that the flowers were given as a gift, as well as the cake. The food was also given from the mother of the bride for the party. I know they paid for the DJ for the music that we all danced to, but don't know the cost. The hall were the party was cost $100, $50 for a cleaning deposit, and $50 for use of the hall. For this event this was the cheapest hall to be found. Most of them started at $500.
The only problem we had was that we had to clean up before we could start decerating for the party. When we left the hall was much cleaner than how we found it. I truly hope that the cleaning deposit will be returned.

Aug 18, 2006

Another wedding to get ready for only this time we don't have to travel over 30 miles round trip. No real cost execpt for gas to the wedding and I an still have over a half a tank from filling up on our way home from the last one.
I helped today with the decerations for the wedding. The bride is one of my best friends. I worked with her for 4 years at the casino. Then she left to work for the State.
I wish I was more involved with the wedding but I will do what she needs me for. Oh, yes this is the couples 25th wedding anneversary, they are re-doing their vows. I didn't know them when they first got married.
She rented the hall I sugested as it was the cheap's one. But I was so upset with how it looked today. We had to clean it from whatever had gone on last weekend. So many other things that I thought should have been in better condution, ok so it has been almost ten years sence I was in the building, but I really thought the people I know that take care of it would have been taking better care of it.
She had to pay a $50 deposit fee for cleaning, and $100 for use of the hall. We will see what kind of refund we can get for use of the hall.

Aug, 2006

Horse Tail falls, we could not go any farther up hwy 30, as it was closed due to countrecation.

Elk

Elk (farm) in Idaho, we saw three of this but don't know if they raise them for meat or for hunting.

Lake Wilcott, Idaho

Camp at Lake Wilcott, Idaho, $16 a day, with showers, For tents.

We were right on the lake. Only problem we had was masitoes, I got bite twice.

We spent two nights here. We could not have a fire in the pit as the fire danger was high.

There was a lot of things going on during the two days we were there. A wedding, Birthday partys and Family renunion. Great campground.

camp sites

Aug 4 2006

our first camp at Catherine Creek Park, $8.00, by Union, Union County, Oregon.

Lake Walcott was on Aug 5 - 6 2006.
I tied to download pictures of our other camps but they seem to be lost in space somewhere.

Back to work

Returned back to work on the 10, 11, and 12th. Nothing has changed, still have to deal with the same problems. The only thing I like about my job is the people I work with. I will miss them when I leave.

We left home at 9:00 a.m. Friday, Aug. 4th. We ate at Wild Hourse Casino in Pendleton for $10.00. Most of the time we don't buy drinks as we have our own drinks in the car. A gallion of OJ for $2:00, will last us for two days. If we want to have rum in our drinks we get a gallion which will last three or four days, $14.95. We had to get gas in Pendleton, I got it at Arrowhead Travel, It's next to the casino, $43.01. We stoped at Catherine Creek State park near Union in eastern Oregon, camp for the night was $8.00. The camp ground had flush bathrooms. We were able to inflate our air mattress from the outlet in the bathroom.
10.00
2.00
14.95- plus @ $3.09 Car gets better milage with plus.
43.01
8.00 = 77.96 For the day

Saturday, Aug. 5 and 6
We ate at Denny's in Ontario, $10.10, just before crossing the border to Idaho.
I started to get sleepy, we decided to stop and get me a Pepsi, $1.00, We also stoped at all the rest stops and vista's on the freeway. I started feeling better and made it to Lake Walcott State Park. We stoped in Hayburn before going to the lake were we bought more gas. Had some problem with the self serve (Oregon does not allow self serve) so we did not compleatly fill the car, $22.45. I also had to buy some imodium, $5.03. Our camp site at the lake was for two nights. Flush restrooms and showers, with hot water. $32.00.
We went back into Rupert, to see my friends new home. We went with them back to Twin Falls were we ment up with another couple that was there for our friends wedding. We ate at Sonic, we don't have Sonic in Oregon, $9.93.
The next morning, after a wonderful shower, we went back to Rupert to help transport things back to the park for the wedding. Ok so things happen and my camera, had a re-chargable battery, will it ran out of juce and I did not have the charger with me, so we had to get a new battery, $13.93. We ate at Subway, $10.00. Total for the 5th and 6th.
10.10
1.00
22.45
5.03
9.93
13.93
10.00 = 62.51 for two days.
Aug. 7th
Wedding over and we start back for home.
We take route 30 instead of the freeway. Fill up the gas tank before we leave $31.40 (plus at $2.99). We stoped in Twin Falls to view Shoshone Falls, $3.00 park fee. We felt it was worth it.
We had Subway again for $10.00. Then we made our way back to Oregon and Farwell Bend State park as the road to Silver City in Idaho was closed. Tent camp site $15.00. Bathroom and shower included. OJ juice $2.00. We drove into Huntington and ate there for $6.45. We ordered one of the specials had it split for us.
31.40
3.00
10.00
15.00
2.00
6.45 = 65.85 for one day

Aug. 8th
We drove on to Pendleton, were we again needed to fill up the gas tank, $46.50. We did the underground tour for $20.00. Subway this time was $11.00. We camped at the Deschutes River State Park, rustic tent site, $8.00. We ate at McDonalds for $7.30. We were not able to find an outlet for the air mattress. We had to buy battarys for the other air pump. $6.00.
46.50
20.00
8.00
7.30
6.00 = 87.80 One day

Aug. 9th
We ran out of gas for our stove so we could not make coffee in the morning. We stoped at a safeway and had our first ever Starbucks coffee, $6.85, we also sharied a croisant. Almost back home and knowing we had nothing to fix to eat we stoped at Red Lobster (I had a gift card) $3.99. Filled the car for the last time on this trip, $34.75.
34.75
3.99
6.85 = 45.59.

We spent a total of $339.71 for 6 days. Average was $57 a day. We were trying for $50 a day but with the battary problems we went over.
We had a great time saw the things we wanted to see. I will try to post some of the pictures later.

Aug, 09, 06

We left on our trip on Aug, 04, arrived back home on Aug. 09. I have not yet added up the receipts for our trip but will post the total cost as soon as I can.
Our first day we camped in Oregon at Catherian Creek, Union County close to Union. Was a real nice camp ground. Larry saw two Salmon swiming up river, but when they saw ( or saw something that was not as it should have been) him made a U turn back upstream.
I found a path to the river, by our camp site, wish I had a gold pan with me as I could see flecks gold in the river. cost for this camp ground was $8.00
The next day ( Aug 5th) we pushed to make it to Lake Wilcott, Idaho. We camped here for two nights. Cost for this camp ground two nights $32.00. Showers included.
I nedded to be there to help with the wedding.
August 4th Catherian Creek,
August 5th Lake Wilcott Lake
August 6th, we had a wedding at the park at Lake Wilcott part.
August 7th, Farwell Bend Park, Oregon, Showers. will post cost.
August 8th, Deschutes river park, $ 8.00 pritmate. Right on the river, great sites.
August 9th, Bonnivale Dam, Vista (crown point) House. Hard time flowing the historic hiway for the Colmana river gourge as part of this road is closed due to repaires, or whatever, we were able to fine our way to vista house, which was a site we wanted to see, we don't like to back track but backtricking on this trip was not that bad, we really wanted to see the sites.
Hope to post pictures too.

back home as I have to be back to work on the 10 th.