If you are expecting to see pictures of those critters called elks, sorry to disappoint. We are talking about Elks Lodges and their members. If you recall, Jim became an Elk in the Spring of 2019 (along with a lot of our RVing friends) purposely to be able to make use of various Lodge’s RV camping spots.
So there we were, leaving Montana heading towards Idaho with no idea of how far we were going to go or where we were going to stay.
While driving, I suddenly remembered John and Tina from California (Facebook blog here) had mentioned on Facebook that they were heading to the Elks Lodge in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. We had met John and Tina through our friends Dan and Amy and have camped with them twice. A quick exchange of text messages and we had a destination (the Coeur d’Alene Elks Lodge of course) and a dinner date for that night.
We had a great visit with John and Tina and got to see a bit of Coeur d’Alene. The town is a tourist mecca, so it’s not my ideal spot in the summer. But I would love to go back off season and explore!
The next morning (also known as Friday), we again got an early start. Our eventual goal was the Oregon Coast to meet up with Janelle.
Again we had no idea of our final destination that day. While stopped for a quick breakfast, I got an email from Wade and Debi (full-time RVers out of Oregon…Facebook blog here) whom first met when we all were boondocking north of Organ Pipe National Monument a few years back. They were at an Elks Lodge in Bend, Oregon and there were open RV spots WITH power. Being it was going to be HOT HOT HOT, power was necessary. So Score!!! Again, a few text messages later and we had a destination and friends to meet up with. Wade and Debi even offered to hold a spot for us and put a cone out to keep others out. Wow! Thanks Wade and Debi!
Instead of going all the way into Portland like we have done when Callie lived there, this was our opportunity to drive the high desert along the east side of the Cascade Mountain Range.
We arrived at the Bend Elks Lodge and found our spot next to Wade and Debi’s Montana 5th wheel.
We were introduced to David and Celia from Virginia (blog at https://piddlinaround.net/). They were friends with Wade and Debi and now were our friends. That’s how this RVing community works.
Saturday morning rolled around and I had plans to visit the Sister’s Outdoor Quilt Show (HUGE quilt show in Sister’s, Oregon). However, when I got up I found Jim dressed in his heavy sweat suit drinking hot chocolate. What? It was HOT outside. Out came the thermometer to discover a 100 degree fever. Jim also had a headache, chills, and aches. You can probably guess what came next.
We were grateful Jim did NOT have COVID. We have both been vaccinated and figured it wasn’t that. But we had to make sure since we were in close proximity to others. I skipped the Quilt Show and played nurse. Jim spent all that Saturday couch bound. We hoped Jim would be better the next day.
Even with Jim sick, I had a great weekend with friends. It was nice to have ready companionship right outside your door, especially when your husband wasn’t much of a companion. Debi provided some chicken soup for Jim. I stitched up a rip-stop nylon surge suppressor cover for Wade. In the evening, all of us traded stories of great places to stop and what Elks Lodges were good and great. I wasn’t able to see much of Bend (Urgent Care does not count), but having ready friends in a pleasant surrounding really made the difference.
As for Jim, he woke up Sunday morning with his left knee swelling. Monday morning his right knee was swelling. Both knees were stiff and painful. What was going on?
If you recall, Jim had both of his knees replaced the summer of 2019. The swollen knees were a concern. We got into his online patient portal with the knee surgeon and wrote him with what was happening. The orthopedic Physician’s Assistant called us back within an hour to talk to Jim. It sounds like Jim’s immune system cranked up to get rid of the virus, but also decided to lay siege on his artificial knee joints. Yikes!
Monday was also the start of a week long camping reservation on the Oregon Coast. Jim was still moving VERY slowly and painfully, but felt he could do the drive. The task of unhooking and buttoning up the RV for travel fell to me. I got it done and we left our Elk friends and started the 5 hour drive through the winding mountain roads. Jim did well on this white-knuckled route despite the virus. We did have to stop halfway for him to take a nap. Once we arrived at the state park, Jim got us parked and I did all the setup while he laid down.
It’s now Thursday and Jim is feeling marginally better, but not terrific. His knees, though a little better, are still swollen and stiff, so he’s not doing much. We are both hopeful that when it comes time to move again next Monday, he’s fully recovered. Thank goodness he decided to get sick during a time when we weren’t moving much.
In conclusion, we had a couple of great Elks Lodge experiences. Having friends at close hand made Jim’s illness more tolerable (for me anyway). We’ll be seeking out more Elks Lodges. Who knows who we will meet!