Thursday, May 31, 2012

A Little Shopping Trip

Plymouth, WA.

61 deg. partly cloudy, SW wind @ 12 mph.

Forecast = Mostly cloudy. High of 81F. Breezy. Winds from the WSW at 15 to 20 mph.


Jim and Linda decided that they needed a few groceries and some other items, so about 11:00 they took CLT and headed up to Kennewick, WA. where they found a Walgreen's Drug Store. There, they found the items they needed, plus the few groceries they were wanting, (bread, buns and milk).

It was about 22 miles up there and CLT said that it felt really good to get out on the open road for a change, instead of just running around on city streets. : )

By about 12:30 they were back here and were putting everything that they had bought away. Then it was naps, reading and TV for the rest of the afternoon.

For dinner, Jim got out the grill and cooked a brat for him and a hot dog for Linda. While he was doing that, Linda cooked some asparagus on  my stove and got out chips and stuff to go with them.

Today, we'll be heading up to Sprague. From looking at the map, there doesn't seem to be anything anywhere near there, so I'm not sure what to expect as far as Internet, phone, TV or radio. I'm pretty sure that we'll be there at least until next Tuesday, and possibly a whole week.

So,   ,   ,   ,   ,   , if you don't hear from me for awhile, you'll know what's going on.

Did you know that Washington state's capitol building was the last state capitol building to be built with a rotunda?

OH, by the way.  As of tomorrow, (June 1st), Jim and Linda will have been full-timing for 11 years!!!!

On 1 June, 2001 they officially moved out of their house and into their 35' Winnebago Chieftain Motor Home, (Mariah). The vehicle that they towed, was a 1992 Nissan pickup truck that Mariah named TTT, (Tiny Tin Truck).





Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Ahhhhhhh!!!!!

Plymouth, WA.

54 deg. overcast, E. wind @ 6 mph.

Forecast = Mostly cloudy. High of 77F. Winds from the SW at 5 to 15 mph

Ahhhh!!!! It's good to be wandering again. : )  I didn't realize how stiff my joints were getting until we got out onto I-5 about 9:50 and headed South for a few miles before turning East on I-84. It seemed like the farther East we went the more I relaxed.

I was especially able to relax once we got out of the Portland metro area and the traffic started thinning out. Then, it was smooth sailing all the way to I-82, out by Boardman, OR. The only time I even slowed down was to pull into a rest area for Jim and Linda to make a "pit stop" ,check tires and CLT's tow bar.

Once on I-82 we crossed over the Umatilla and Columbia rivers and entered Washington.

About a mile or two after entering Washington, we tuned off of I-82 on Rt. 14 and followed it west for about a mile to Plymouth Road where we turned South until we came to the Plymouth Park, which is a Corps Of Engineers Park. It was 1:15 when we pulled up to the registration booth, so we traveled the 193 miles over here in 3 hours and 25 minutes.

Jim took a few photos of the CG and the surrounding area after we arrived. As you can see, some of the sites are pull-through. Some have full hook-ups with 30 amp electric, and a few, have 50 amp electric with only electric and water. I'm in site #3 which has 50 amp electric and water. (It's also one of the longest pull-through sites in the park.)


Looking at my site from across the road.

None of the sites are right on the river, but the photo below is a view from my site looking towards the river. You can see a small channel of the river through the trees.

This is a shot looking North from the park. As you can see, except right along the river, there are no trees on the low hills in this area. In fact, unless there's a water source there's not much vegetation at all in this area at all.

We'll stay here one more night before heading up to Sprague, WA. where Linda hopes to do some research of here relatives that used to live in that area long ago.

Did you know that the state of Washington is the only state to be named after a United States president?






Tuesday, May 29, 2012

A Great Day and Saying Good-Bye : (

Portland, OR.

49 deg. mostly cloudy, no wind.

Forecast = Partly cloudy in the morning, then overcast. High of 68F. Winds from the NW at 5 to 10 mph.


Being that Jim knew he'd be busy visiting with Jeff later in the day, Jim went out and added some water to my fresh water tank, dumped my tanks and then put all the hoses away yesterday morning. It's a good thing that he did that because after Jeff got here, about 2:00, there was no time to do it for the rest of the day.

Most of the afternoon was spent just visiting with Jeff. About 5:00 Heather arrived and soon after that, they all got into Heather's car and headed to the Cascade Grill over at the Jubitz Truck Stop.

Once there, they talked, ate and talked some more before heading back here to the park. Once here, they visited some more until it was past time for Jeff and Heather to head home.

We've had a great visit with Jeff and Heather, but last night was really tough. It's so hard to say good-bye, knowing that it will probably be years before you see your son again. : (  With their outer children, Jim and Linda know that they'll see them at least once a year, and usually twice, and it's not so hard to say good-bye.  But, with Jeff and Heather living way out here in Oregon, it's just not possible for them to make the trip more than once every 3 or 4 years.

And where your kids are concerned, that's a long, long time!!! : (

After they left, (about 8:30), Jim and Linda watched some TV and read a little before going to bed. Another great day with Jeff and Heather. : )

Today we'll start wandering back East. Jim's got a a couple parks picked out that we could stay at tonight, but I don't know which one he'll pick. I guess it really doesn't matter, they're both on the Columbia River.

Did you know that by volume, the Columbia is the fourth-largest river in the U.S., and it has the greatest flow of any North American river draining into the Pacific?


Monday, May 28, 2012

Take A Moment, Getting Ready and Dinner At Jeff And Heather's

Portland, OR.

54 deg. overcast, no wind.

Forecast = Overcast with a chance of rain, then a chance of rain in the afternoon. High of 63F. Winds from the SSW at 5 to 10 mph shifting to the WNW in the afternoon. Chance of rain 20%.


Please take a moment this Memorial Day to remember all the men and women who died while serving in the armed forces of our country, so that we may remain free.


Not a lot happened again during the day here at the park yesterday. Jim watched most of the Indy 500 race and some of the NASCAR race. He also checked my fluid levels and tires. When checking CLT's tires, he found a couple a little low, so he got out his compressor and filled them up to the proper pressure,

Then, a little before 5:00 he and Linda took CLT and headed over to Jeff and Heather's for dinner.

This is the grill that Jim helped Jeff assemble the other night. As you can see, the coals are just about ready to grill some salmon and some asparagus.

Below is a photo of Heather and her father and mother, Terry and Gail Burns. They're helping Heather determine if the salmon is ready yet.

Linda took a potato casserole and a fruit salad to contribute to the meal, and that along with the salmon, asparagus, bakery bread, salad, and fresh strawberries for desert made for an excellent meal. : ) 

Like I said the other day, Jim and Linda hadn't seen Terry and Gail for a long time, so after dinner everyone visited until almost 9:00. 

So, another great day with family and friends. And a very good meal to top it off!!! : )

Today Jeff is planning on coming out here to the park this afternoon, and then when Heather gets done working, she'll come out here too. (Probably about 4:00 or 5:00.) Then, they're planning on going out to eat somewhere, possibly the restaurant over at the Jubitz Truck Stop.

Then, later this evening, it will be time to say good-bye as we're leaving here tomorrow morning.

I'm not looking forward to that part of today. : (

Did you know that on Memorial Day the flag is raised briskly to the top of the staff and then solemnly lowered to the half-staff position, where it remains only until noon? It is then raised to full-staff for the remainder of the day.

The half-staff position remembers the more than one million men and women who gave their lives in service of their country. At noon their memory is raised by the living, who resolve not to let their sacrifice be in vain, but to rise up in their stead and continue the fight for liberty and justice for all.  (Wikipedia)

Sunday, May 27, 2012

The Weather and Trying Not To Rant Again

Portland, OR.

52 deg. overcast, S. wind @ 8 mph.

Forecast = Overcast with a chance of rain, then a chance of rain in the afternoon. High of 68F. Winds from the SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 20%.

We didn't get to see Jeff and Heather yesterday as they were busy shopping and doing other things that they needed to do, so Jim and Linda pretty much had the day to themselves.

We had some sunshine yesterday and the temperatures were in the mid 70's, so it was pretty pleasant. Jim watched most of the Nationwide NASCAR race on TV and then went outside for awhile. Linda worked on some of her Family Tree stuff, watched some of the race and read some.

After dinner, Jim took a little nap while Linda watched TV. After Jim got up, the skies started to get really dark so Jim went out and rolled up my window awnings. Well, it's a good thing he did, because we had quite a storm go through the area. We had lots of wind, rain and even some fairly close lightning. (which I understand is quite unusual around here).

On the news, they said that we had about an inch of rain, and it all came down in less than an hour!!!

Now, here I'm going to be careful or I'll go into another rant like I did yesterday.

You see, the weather forecasters have been saying that we were going to have great weather for the whole Memorial Day weekend. Well, we had rain both Friday night and last night, the temperatures have not been as warm as fore casted, and now they've changed their forecast to mostly cloudy skies, possible rain showers, and cool temperatures for the rest of the weekend!!! : (

Not at all like they said that the weather was going to be like, as little as a day and a half ago!!!

Yeah! I could go into a rant about weather forecasters, but I won't!  ; )

Today Jim and Linda will be going over to Jeff and Heather's for a cook-out this afternoon. Heather's parents will be there too and Jim and Linda are looking forward to seeing them again.

Did you know that the south refused to honor the dead on Memorial Day until after World War I when the meaning of Memorial Day changed from honoring civil war dead to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war?  Memorial Day was declared a federal holiday in 1971.

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Nothing To Post About and Ranting

Portland, OR.

53 deg. overcast, no wind.

Forecast = Partly cloudy with a chance of rain. High of 72F. Winds from the WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 20%.


Haven't posted cause there's really nothing to post about. : (  Jeff and Heather were both busy Thursday and nothing much happened here at the park.

Yesterday, Jeff came out here for a little while in the afternoon and then Jim and Linda went to his house for dinner. Jim and Linda said that Jeff made a great vegetable soup and some corn bread.

For their contribution, Linda put together a fruit salad.

After dinner, Jim helped Jeff put together a small charcoal grill, and then everyone visited until about 8:30. After they returned here, Jim and Linda read books, watched TV and played around with the computers.

Like I said, really nothing to post about.

OK!!!! Now I'm going to rant a little!!!

If you're traveling this weekend, I hope you're not in the Northwest.  While in almost every other part of the country the gas prices have been dropping, here in the NW they've been going up!!!! The story is that one refinery was damaged by a fire months ago and there is another one down for maintenance, so there is a fuel shortage in this area.

Now, even with the refineries down, the price had been dropping in the NW, until about 2 weeks before the Memorial Day Holiday. Now, all of a sudden there is a shortage, (just in time for the Holiday), and they have raised the prices as much as 50 cents a gallon!!!

As of this morning, the average price of regular gas in the rest of the nation is $3.65 and dropping, and here in Oregon, it's $4.23 and rising!!!! Some stations in Portland are selling gas for as much as $4.45 per gallon for regular!!!

Jim filled CLT up a few days ago when the price was at $4.17 per gallon at the local station, (last check it was up to $4.32), and since Jim fueled me up the day we arrived here in Portland, my tank is full. Jim says that unless CLT absolutely needs a drink, he's not planning on buying any gas or fuel until we get to Montana!!

OK, enough ranting!!

Did you know that Memorial Day was first called “Decoration Day” because of the practice of decorating soldier’s graves with flowers?

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Dinner With Jeff And Heather and Plans For The Summer

Portland, OR.

50 deg. overcast, no wind.

Forecast = Overcast with a chance of a thunderstorm and rain showers. High of 57F. Winds from the SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.


It didn't rain a lot yesterday, just off and on showers all day. Jeff was able to ride his bike out here to the park in the afternoon without getting wet, but just after he arrived, it rained pretty hard for a short time. Heather didn't come with Jeff as she was working, and wasn't able to come until a little after 6:00.

Jim and Linda had invited both of them out here for dinner, so as soon as Heather arrived, they sat down to eat.

After eating, everyone sat and talked for awhile before it was time for them to head for home. Heather's work keeps her really busy, and I was sure glad she could come out here to see me again, even if it was for only a short time.

As they were leaving, I heard Jeff tell Jim that he may have a little time to get together this afternoon, but he would call and let him know how things were going. Tomorrow night, Jim and Linda are invited to Jeff and Heather's for dinner, and then on Sunday, Heather's parents are coming to their house and Jim and Linda are invited then too.

Oh, I almost forgot!!! Jim was busy yesterday morning, working on our trip plan for our return trip back East. He and Linda have made some major decisions about how we'll be going and where we will be staying on our way to Wisconsin for Linda's family reunion the middle of July.

Here's a rough outline of the trip.

We'll be leaving here next Tuesday and will head for Sprague Washington, where Linda hopes to find some information about some ancestors of hers that lived there at one time.

From there, we'll work our way across the northern part of the US to Minnesota, where the plan is to visit Linda's cousin Bruce and his wife Jody, who live North of Bemidji near a little town called Black Duck.

After spending 3 or 4 days with them, we'll head into Wisconsin, and to a Campground near Iron River where Jim has made reservations so that I have a place to stay for the 4th of July holiday.

Then after the 4th, we'll head into Michigan where Jim has made a reservation for me at a park that they have been to before, near a little town called Ahmeek. As I understand it, this is a small CG right on Lake Superior with great views of the lake right from the sites. Both Jim and Linda really like it there.

By the time we've stayed at that park for a week, it will be time to head back down into Wisconsin for the Family Reunion, which is going to be in New Lisbon, WI. (About 20 or 25 miles North of the Wisconsin Dells, where I took Jim and Linda to last year).

From the reunion, we'll head back down to the Prairie Pines CG in Rantoul, IL, where we'll spend most of the rest of the summer.

Whew!!!! A long trip, but it should be fun and I'm looking forward to seeing yet some other parts of the country that I haven't been to with Jim and Linda.

A Point To Ponder : Courage is not the absense of fear, but the conquest of it.




Wednesday, May 23, 2012

The Rain Returns

Portland, OR.

50 deg. overcast, N. wind @ 7 mph.

Forecast = Overcast with rain showers. High of 59F. Winds from the SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%.


Well, the rain has returned to Portland. : (  We had almost 2 weeks of very nice weather, but now it looks like we'll have periods of rain for awhile. The forecasters are saying that the Memorial Day weekend should be pretty nice though.

It has rained a lot the last 2 days so Jim and Linda didn't do much. They did go and get some groceries yesterday afternoon, in between heavy rain showers. Jeff and Heather have been busy so we haven't seen them. We're hoping that today, at least Jeff will have a little time, but won't know until he calls later.

So,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  Not much to write about. Jim has been working on planning our trip back East, playing with the computer, reading and watching TV.  Linda has been reading, doing puzzles, watching TV and doing some work on the computer.

Did you know that today is "National Taffy Day"?


Monday, May 21, 2012

Bicycles and Dinner With Jeff

Portland, OR.

57 deg. rain, SE wind @ 7 mph.

Forecast = Overcast with rain. High of 63F. Winds from the SE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80% with rainfall amounts near 0.3 in. possible.


It drizzled off and on all day yesterday, but at times, the sun almost peeked through the clouds. That didn't stop Jeff from riding his bicycle over here in the afternoon though, and he arrived about 1:30 or so.

You see, he's used to the rain and rides his bike all year long, no matter what the weather is. In fact, Jeff hasn't owned a car since he moved out here in the mid 90's. Heather has an older car that she uses to go to work if the weather is too nasty, but mostly she rides a bike almost every day too.

Anyway, the afternoon was spent talking to Jeff and solving the problems of the world. ; )  Then about 5:30, they all headed over to the Jubitz Travel Center where they had dinner at the Cascade Grill. Both Jim and Linda said that the food was very good and the service was fine, but a little slow.

After they came back here, they talked some more until it was time for Jeff to head back home.

Not an exciting day, but a very good one, visiting with Jeff. : )

Did you know that on this date in 1819 - Bicycles were first seen in the U. S. in New York City? They were originally known as "swift walkers."

Sunday, May 20, 2012

More About Yesterday's Trivia and The Race

Portland, OR.

58 deg. overcast, SE wind @ 6 mph.

Forecast = Overcast with a chance of rain, then a chance of rain in the afternoon. High of 72F. Winds less than 5 mph. Chance of rain 30%.


After posting yesterday, I decided to try to find more information about the Mill Ends Park. At the same time, one of my followers,  Retired Rod, found the same info I did and sent this link in a comment. (Thanks Rod)   The best info that Rod and I found is on Wikipedia and here's the Link to the Wikipedia page. If you have a little time click on the link and read about it. It's really kind of interesting. ; )

Like I kind of figured, Jeff didn't come out here yesterday. He called in the morning and said that he had a lot to do and wouldn't be coming.

So, most of the day was spent watching Race stuff on TV. As it turned out, the race wasn't as exciting as it might have been because Jimmy Johnson definitely had a car that was faster than the competition, and was quite a distance out front when it mattered.

Of course the broadcasters tried to hype everything up, but there really wasn't much excitement.

After the race was over, Linda found a couple Harry Potter movies on TV and she and Jim watched them until almost midnight.
Today, I don't think there's any real plans. I'm pretty sure Jeff will be here for most of the afternoon so Jim and Linda will be spending time visiting with him.

Did you know that on this date in 1874 - Levi Strauss began marketing blue jeans with copper rivets?

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Heather Goes To San Diego and Time With Jeff

Portland, OR.

47 deg. partly cloudy, NW wind @ 4 mph.

Forecast = Partly cloudy in the morning, then overcast. High of 73F. Winds from the NW at 5 to 10 mph.


Not a whole lot happening. Jeff took Heather to the airport yesterday morning so that she could catch a flight down to San Diego to see her sister, brother-in-law and their children. This trip had been planned before Heather and Jeff knew when we would be here, so when Jim found out that she was thinking about canceling because we were here, Jim and Jeff convinced her that she should go ahead and make the long planned trip and we would see her next week when she returned.

After lunch, Jeff came out here to the park and stayed for dinner before heading back home. Linda, Jim and Jeff had a nice long talk and everyone really enjoyed just being together.   : )

Today, Jeff may come out here to the park if he has time, but he has a lot to do. He's going to call later to tell Jim and Linda if he can make it or not.

Jim's planning on watching the NASCAR All Star Race on TV, and I'm sure Linda will watch some too. Other than that, there's really no other plan for today.

Did you know that Portland is home to the world's smallest dedicated park? Mill Ends Park, a mere 24 inches across.





Friday, May 18, 2012

Repairs Made and A Recommendation

Portland, OR.

46 deg. mostly cloudy, no wind.

Forecast = Overcast. High of 64F. Winds from the West at 5 to 10 mph.


The repairman came at 10:00 as promised and proceeded to work on my electric steps. It took him a little while, but soon my steps were going in and out as he closed and opened my entry door. : )

I have mixed feelings about Keith from Affordable Mobile RV Repair. At times it seemed like he was not confident in his own diagnoses of the problem, but in the end, he came through and proper repairs were made. Also, when Jim and Linda received the final bill, they were pleasantly surprised at the charges. He definitely didn't charge for all the trips back and forth, or for that matter, all the time he spent finding what the problem was with my steps. He was very through with his troubleshooting of the problem and even rechecked his test results to make sure he had made the right decision.

So, if you're in the Portland Oregon area and have a problem with your RV, give Keith a call. He is very honest, has very reasonable rates, is very through and will not over-charge. Also, if he feels he can't handle the problem, he will tell you. And, if he knows of someone that he thinks can do the job, refer you to them.

Keith who is the owner of Affordable Mobile RV Repair is definitely one of the "Good Guys". : )

On the other hand, the service that Jim originally called, and had dealt with before, "Mobile Technical Services", can no longer be recommended. The business has been sold to a new owner and when called, did not show up for the appointment or even call. In fact as of today Jim has still not heard from them.

Oh, remember I told you that Jim had ordered a ladder? Well, Lowe's called yesterday and told Jim that the ladder was on back-order and would not be available until sometime in June. : (   So, the order was canceled and if Jim still wants to get a ladder, will have to try to get one at a later date.

Not a whole lot else happened yesterday. Jeff and Heather were busy so we didn't see them. Today, I think Jeff will be around, so maybe he'll have time to get together with Jim and Linda.

Did you know that in Portland, "Powell's City of Books", occupying an entire city block, is the world's largest independent bookstore?





Thursday, May 17, 2012

Partial Repairs

Portland, OR.

43 deg. partly cloudy, no wind.

Forecast = Partly cloudy in the morning, then mostly cloudy. High of 66F. Winds from the WSW at 5 to 10 mph shifting to the NW in the afternoon.


Well, the repair guy came back to repair my steps and toilet like he said he would, but when he went to work on the steps, there was a problem, so they haven't been repaired yet. : (  The toilet repair went well though, and now water stays in the bowl, and that leak at the base is stopped.

Today, he's is going to come back and hopefully, he can get the steps repaired.

Not much else happening around here. Tuesday, both Jeff and heather were busy so we didn't see them, then yesterday, Jeff came out here to the park for awhile in the afternoon and then Jim and Linda went to his house for a couple hours in the evening.

Oh, while Jeff was here, Jim and Jeff took CLT had went to a Lowe's Home Improvement store where Jim ordered a ladder so that he can get up on my roof if necessary. (I don't have a ladder going up on the back of me like many RVs have.) It's some kind of ladder that extends to about 15' but collapses to only about 36" for storage. It's supposed to be here in about a week.

We may see Jeff for a couple hours this afternoon, but not Heather, as she'll be busy all day.

As for me, I'm just sitting here enjoying the nice weather we've been having. We haven't had any rain since we've been here, and they're not forecasting any until sometime next week. The temperatures have been the 70's or 80's during the days and down to the 40's and 50's at night.

I can handle that!!! ; )

Did you know that Portland was almost named Boston?  City founders Asa Lovejoy, who hailed from Boston, Mass., and Francis Pettygrove, of Portland, Maine, were each determined to name the new city after their respective hometowns. Unable to settle the argument, they decided to flip a coin, now known as the "Portland Penny" and on display at the Oregon Historical Society. Pettygrove won on two out of three tosses. 





Tuesday, May 15, 2012

No Repairs Yet and Jeff And Heather Come To Visit

Portland, OR.

52 deg. partly cloudy, NW wind @ 7 mph.

Forecast = Partly cloudy. High of 81F. Winds less than 5 mph.

The RV repairman called yesterday morning and asked if it would be OK of he came about 1/2 hour early as he was in the area and had finished a job ahead of time. Jim told him that it would be fine, so about 8:30 he pulled up in front of me with his van.

Most of the time he was here was spent checking my electric steps to find out why they're not working. After doing a lot of tests, it has been determined that the motor had shorted out and had damaged the circuit board. Then after checking with his supplier, and checking prices, it was determined that it would cost almost as much to replace those 2 items as it would to replace the entire step assembly. 

So, a new step assembly was ordered and  he should have it today.

The other two items he checked were my toilet, (that doesn't hold water in the bowl any longer, and has a slight leak at the base, and my main awning.

He made a note of the toilet model and will pick up the parts for it. Then, when he checked my awning, it worked perfectly!!! Wouldn't you know it? The awning was run in and out a few times and worked every time. He did check some of the wire connections, but couldn't find anything wrong.  : (

So,  ,  ,  ,  no repairs were made yet, but parts are ordered for the steps and toilet and if he was able to pick them up yesterday afternoon, he should be back here today to install them.  : )

After lunch, Jim took CLT and went over to Jeff's to pick him up. Before coming back here, they went to Winks Hardware Store, (a very large hardware store near Jeff's house), where Jeff bought a set of drill bits and Jim bought a new circuit breaker for my electrical box, to replace the one for my water heater element that has been acting up.

After the hardware store, they came back here.

After Heather got done with her work, she drove out here in her car. Then, after she checked me out, Jim cooked some burgers on the grill while Linda and Heather got thing ready inside.

Heather had made some potato salad, and that along with some chips, fruit, a mushroom/onion/water chestnut dish and the burgers, made for a very nice meal that everyone seemed to enjoy.

Being that Heather had some things that she had to do at home, she and Jeff didn't stay too long after eating, but Jim was able to snap this photo of them before they left.

I'm sure glad that they could come out here to visit. I really enjoyed meeting Heather and hope she'll have time to come back out here again.

Did you know that by volume, the Columbia is the fourth-largest river in the U.S., and it has the greatest flow of any North American river draining into the Pacific? The river's heavy flow and its relatively steep gradient give it tremendous potential for the generation of electricity. The 14 hydroelectric dams on the Columbia's main stem and many more on its tributaries produce more hydroelectric power than those of any other North American river.

Monday, May 14, 2012

A Very Nice Mother's Day For Linda

Portland, OR.

56 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Partly cloudy in the morning, then overcast. High of 88F. Winds from the NNW at 5 to 10 mph shifting to the West in the afternoon.


Ashley, Linda's grand daughter was the first to call yesterday morning. After wishing Linda a happy Mother's Day, they talked for quite awhile, catching up on what's been going on since we saw her when we were in Florida. 

Just before noon, Laura, (Linda's Daughter), called. She and Lindsey were on their way up to Jacksonville to see Anna, (her daughter and Linda's grand daughter), who has moved down there from Beaufort, SC. They were towing their pop-up trailer and were going to camp up there near Anna's for a few days.

Early afternoon, Anna called Linda and then mid-afternoon, Joe called from Virginia Beach. All of them wishing Linda a Happy Mother's Day and talking for awhile.   : )

Oh, and Linda's Sister-in-law also called from Wisconsin to wish Linda a great day!  : )

Other than talking to her kids, grand-kids and sister-in-law, Linda didn't do a whole lot yesterday. She and Jim watched some TV, she read some, did some puzzles and played with the computer a little. For dinner, Jim cooked a nice thick juicy steak out on the grill and Linda cooked some potatoes and sliced some tomatoes inside.

All in all, I think Linda had a very nice day. Even though we're not near any of her kids or grand kids, she got to talk to them on the phone.

Today, the repair man is supposed to be here at 9:00. Then, depending on what's happening with my repairs, Jeff and Heather may come out to see me this afternoon.

I still haven't met Heather and am looking forward to meeting her.

Did you know that on this date in 1897 - "The Stars and Stripes Forever" by John Phillip Sousa was performed for the first time? It was at a ceremony where a statue of George Washington was unveiled.




Sunday, May 13, 2012

Happy Mother's Day, Dinner At Jeff and Heather's and Other Stuff

Portland, OR

53 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Partly cloudy in the morning, then overcast. High of 88F. Winds from the NE at 5 to 10 mph.


Happy Mother's Day!!!!!!!

Friday, Jeff came back out here to the park again for awhile. The weather was very nice so he and Jim spent an hour or so sitting outside, talking. It seems like those two never run out of things to talk about. ; )

About 5:00 he left and headed back home and then about 6:00 Jim and Linda took CLT and headed over to his house for dinner.

Below is a photo of Jeff and Heather's house. It's like 2 houses built together. (I think they call it a duplex, or something like that.)

Below are a couple of photos of Jeff and Heather working in the kitchen to prepare dinner.



Jeff has lots of food allergies and can't eat many things, (including anything that has gluten in it), so he and Heather made a crust-less quiche  and a salad.

Both Jim and Linda said that it was very good and enjoyed the meal.

Of course the best part of the whole evening was being able to get together and spend time with them. ; )

Yesterday Jeff and Heather were busy, (and they will be today also), so Jim and Linda decided to go to the grocery store after lunch.

It had been a long time since they had made a major shopping trip, ( I think it was Crescent City, CA.), so they were about out of everything.

By the time they had all the groceries put away it just about time for the NASCAR race to begin, so they both sat down and watched most of it. (between cat naps).  ; )

Oh, do you remember when I told you that there was going to be a repair man coming to look at my electric steps and my awning on Saturday morning? Well, he never showed up!!! : (

The repair place that Jim called has changed owners since he had them come here to the park to work on Myrddin back in 2008, and evidently it's not important for them to keep their appointments or to even call.

 So,  ,  ,  ,  ,  Just before the race started yesterday, Jim went to the office and asked if they could recommend a mobile repair service. Well, the nice young lady in the office gave Jim a business card of a repair place that she said that they had had good reports about.

Jim called them late yesterday afternoon, and they promised that they would be out here to check out my problems at 9:00 Monday morning.

Some of you my be thinking that Jim should have given the first repair place another chance. Well, Jim used to have a small service buisneess when he and Linda lived in a stix and brix house, and he says that there's no excuse for just not showing up. If the repair place would have called  and said that they were going to be late or couldn't make it, it would have been different. But to not show up or call puts up a red flag about the whole attitude of the business and he doesn't want someone like that working on me.

Did you kow that  the Carnation is the flower that is associated with mother's day? The red carnation meant to honor moms who are alive while white carnation is to honor a mom who has deceased.





Friday, May 11, 2012

Columbia River RV Park and Jeff Visits Again

Portland, OR.

44 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Partly cloudy. High of 75F. Winds from the NE at 10 to 15 mph.

Jeff called again about 12:30 and said that he was on his way out here to the park. So, while he was waiting for Jeff to arrive, Jim grabbed his camera and snapped some phots of the park.

This first on is the sign you see as you come to the park enterance
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As you turn into the park you see the office off to the right and the laundry/bathhouse to the left
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This is a view down the street that my site is on.
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1st view of my site.

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2nd view of site.

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Like I said yesterday, this is a nice park, but as you can see, the sites are pretty narrow.
After he took the photos, Jim sat on CLT's tail gate until Jeff came on his bike.
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Jeff stayed and visited until about 5:00 and then headed back home to prepare dinner for Heather.

The evening was spent doing the usual things like watching TV and reading.

A Point to Ponder : You've got ot be a little crazy to keep your sanity.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Jeff Comes For A Visit and Dinner At County Cork

Portland, OR.

38 deg. partly cloudy, no wind.

Forecast = Mostly cloudy in the morning, then partly cloudy. High of 63F. Winds from the NNW at 5 to 15 mph.

Both Jim and Linda spent some time getting me ready to meet Jeff yesterday morning. Jim had talked to him and knew that he would be here shortly after lunch.

One of the other things accomplished was to call Alternative Resources and have their mail sent here to the park for the next 3 weeks. Then he called a mobile RV repair service and made arrangements for someone to come out a look a a couple of issues that I've been having lately.

Yeah, I know, I didn't mention it, but if you look at some recent photos of me, you'll see that Jim has had some steps rigged up by my entrance door. If you remember, way back when we were in Bakersfield CA. my electric steps quit working. Well Jim found a bad connection, but evidently that wasn't the problem because they've quit working again. : (

Also, my main awning only works when it wants to. The problem is that if it's out, and it won't roll back up, (like it did a couple of times), we wouldn't be able to leave the CG, and worse yet, if it storms, Jim wouldn't be able to store it and it might get damaged.

Anyway, the repair guy is coming on Saturday morning to see if he can fix the problems.

About 1:00 Jeff rode up on his bicycle. After hugs, he came in and checked me out. It seemed like he really liked me and made some nice comments about me. : )

The afternoon was spent visiting and catching up on what has been going on lately. Then, about 5:30 CLT took Jim and Linda to an Irish pub called "County Cork" that is over near Jeff and Heather's house. After a short while, Jeff arrived and then a little later, Heather arrived after getting off work.

After hugs they had a great meal and great conversation with Jeff and Heather. Then, about 8:00 Jim and Linda came back here to the park. The rest of the evening was spent reading, doing puzzles and watching TV.

A really great day!!! I got to meet Jeff and Jim and Linda got to spend time with both Jeff and Heather. : )

What more could you ask for? ; )

Did you know that on this date in 1908 - The first Mother's Day observance took place during a church service in Grafton, West Virginia?

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Garibaldi To Portland

Portland, OR.

48 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Mostly cloudy in the morning, then partly cloudy. High of 59F. Winds from the NNW at 5 to 15 mph.

It was 9:55 when we left the Barview Jetty CG yesterday morning. Once back on Northbound US-101 we followed it up to just North of Cannon Beach where we turned SE on US-26. 26 then brought us over to Portland, where we turned North on I-405. When 405 connected with I-5, we continued North on 5 until we came to the Marine Drive exit, which is just South of the Columbia River.

Just a little ways from that exit, Jim pulled me into the Jubitz Truck Stop to buy me a much needed drink of #2 diesel fuel. Much needed because the last drink that I had was when we were South of Crescent City, CA.!!!!!

Needless to say, I was very thirsty and it took almost 90 gallons of fuel to fill up my tank. :O

From the Truck Stop, it was less than a mile to the Columbia River RV Park where I'll be staying for the next 3 weeks.

It was 12:45 when we pulled up in front of the office, so it took us about 2 hours and 50 minutes to travel 112 miles and get my drink.

This is not an RV Park where I would normally like to stay at, but it's the closest one to Jeff and Heather's so it'll be just fine for the time we'll be here. It's a nice Park, but the sites are pretty close together and it's just a little too "manicured" to suit me.

I'm sure Jim will be taking some photos, and I'll be sure to post them here.

Today, Jeff is going to be coming out here to see me around noon. Heather is working today, so I'll have to wait for another day to meet her.

I don't know if I'm going to get this posted on Blogger or not. I've had problems getting it to work so I'm writing this on another program and will try to transfer it to Blogger from here.

Did you know that the nickname for Portland is "The City of Roses"?

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

The Tillamook Cheese Factory and Jetty Photos

Garibaldi, OR

48 deg.partly cloudy, no wind.

Forecast = Mostly cloudy with a chance of rain. High of 54F. Breezy. Winds from the NNW at 15 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 20%.


It was right at 11:00 when Jim and Linda took off in CLT and headed up to Tillamook to go to the Tillamook Cheese Factory. I saw that factory when we came past there in Friday and knew Jim and Linda wanted to go there. It's only about 10 miles from here, so it didn't take CLT long to get there.

Every time Jim and Linda get to this area, they always stop here because the Cheese, butter and Ice Cream that they make here is very good.

CLT says that if you're going through this area and want to stop, there's a large parking area just to the South of the factory where people park their RVs to go into the factory.

If you have the time and the desire, they also have a self guided tour of the factory where you can walk along on "cat walks" up above the production area.

After returning and getting all the dairy products put away in my refrigerator/freezer, Jim took CLT and went back out to the Jetty to try to get some more photos. It was nice and bright out and the sun was shinning and I think they turned out pretty good.

These first photos were taken from the area where the Jetty connects with the mainland.

This one is looking out towards the ocean.

This second photo is looking across the inlet to the harbor towards the Jetty that protrudes into the ocean on the other side of the inlet.

From the Jetty looking back towards the mainland.

Looking off to the right. This is the sandy beach area I mentioned the other day.

This is from much farther down the beach looking towards the Coast. I don't know if you can see them, but there's quite a few people out there surf fishing.

Today, we'll head into Portland, where we'll stay for 3 weeks. I'm looking forward to meeting Jeff and Heather, but at the same time, I'm a little nervous about it.

I sure hope they like me.

Did you know that on this date in1794 - The United States Post Office was established?


Monday, May 7, 2012

Getting Ready and A Phone Call

Garibaldi, OR.

44 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Partly cloudy. Fog early. High of 57F. Winds from the NNW at 5 to 15 mph.


Not a whole lot happening around here yesterday. Jim and Linda have been doing some cleaning inside of me so I look presentable when I meet Jeff and Heather. During the middle part of the day, Jim watched the NASCAR race on TV, went up to the Registration Booth and payed for another night so we can stay here until Tuesday, took a little nap, and then cooked a couple of burgers out on his grill.

Oh, and Jeff called to find out where we were and when we would be getting to Portland. Come to find out, he and Heather are going to be busy Tuesday, (when we get there), so we probably won't see them until Wednesday.

That's OK though. That way we won't have to hurry to get over there on Tuesday and it'll give Jim and Linda a chance to get me set up and settled in.

Most of the RVs that came to this CG for the weekend have left. A few have stayed, but most have gone back to their homes. My guess is that until Memorial Day, this CG won't be too busy during the week.

Did you know that the Big Mac hamburger was introduced in 1968? The price was 49 cents.

Sunday, May 6, 2012

A Trip Into Town and A Few CG Photos

Garibaldi, OR

39 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Partly cloudy. High of 54F. Breezy. Winds from the North at 10 to 20 mph.

Except Jim and Linda taking CLT and going to a bakery in Garibaldi yesterday, nothing much happened.  So,  ,  ,  ,  ,  I thought I'd post a few photos that Jim took of the campground.

First though, I'd better try to make it clear just where this park actually is.  If you look in one CG Book, it'll say that this park is in Garibaldi. In another one it'll say Barview. In fact, the mailing address for this park is Garibaldi, but, the park is actually at a wide spot in the road called Barview, which is just a mile or so North of Garibaldi.

Thus, the name, Barview Jetty County Campground!!

OK, back to the photos.

As you turn off of US 101 at the Barview Jetty County Campground sign you head towards the water down this little street that doesn't look like it's going anywhere and you think you may have made a wrong turn. But, after crossing a railroad track and about a block or so down that street, there's a sign saying that the CG is straight ahead.

As you come to the end of that street and look off to your right, you'll see the CG entrance booth where you register for the site.

At this time there's no sign of a Campground, so after you register, you continue to drive on road that goes through the trees until you come to the CG.

There's little signs at the end of each row telling you which sites are down that row, so it's not hard to determine which road to turn on to get to your assigned site. This is the street that I am on and you can see me backed into my site off on the left.

The sites are not real wide, but wide enough so that you don't feel crowded. Most of the RV sites are long enough for the largest RV and if you're only staying for one night and don't want to unhook they have some pull-through sites.

One of the main attractions here is, of course, the ocean and the Jetty that you can go out on to fish or just look at the water. There's also a boat launch and a nice sandy beach for swimming that I'm sure is very popular during the summer.

Jim and Linda went out there on their way back from the bakery yesterday. Jim took some photos, but it was cloudy and they didn't turn out the best. So, I'm going to wait in hope that he'll take some more either today or tomorrow, when it's supposed to be sunny and clear.

Did you know that the definition of a Jetty is :  "a pier or structure of stones, piles, or the like, projecting into the sea or other body of water to protect a harbor, deflect the current, etc.?"

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Lincoln City to Garibaldi and The Eraser Again

Garibaldi, OR.

39 deg. clear, NE wind @ 5 mph.

Forecast = Mostly cloudy in the morning, then partly cloudy. High of 55F. Winds from the WNW at 5 to 15 mph.


It was raining off and on yesterday morning, so Jim did the outside things, to get ready to travel, in between showers. We probably would have left a little earlier than we did, but some of the showers lasted for awhile. The way it was, we did manage to pull out of the park in Lincoln City at 10:05.

Then it was Northbound on US 101 again, through a couple of twisty-turny hilly sections, and to the Barview Jetty County Campground near Garibaldi. It rained off and on the whole distance, (52 miles), and it was right at 11:25 when we pulled up to the Registration Booth.

In fact it was raining as Jim registered me and continued for about another 1/2 hour after we arrived.

The first site that they assigned me had only 30 amps, so Jim took CLT up to the booth and asked them if we could have a different site. They gave me a site right across the street that has 50 amps at no additional charge.  : )

By the time I was backed into the new site, (#61), the rain had stopped and Jim was able to get me hooked up to the full hook-up utilities without even getting damp. ; )

Guess what? Jim has been using that big eraser of his again and changing plans. As you already know, our original plan was to go from here up to the Astoria area and stay at the Fort Stevens State Park this Monday and then head into Portland on Tuesday. Well after checking distances and CG rates, he and Linda have now decided to stay here until Tuesday and then go a little ways North on US 101, then catch US 26 and take that directly into Portland.

The rates are as low here as they would be at Ft. Stevens, and we will save about 55 or 60 miles. Plus, we'll only have one day traveling instead of two.

Hmmmm!!! Sounds like it may be a good change of plans. : )

I like this park. I have full hook-ups, I am in a nice long, level, back-in site, there are a few trees for shade, and so far, there haven't been a whole lot of RVs coming in for the weekend. 

Because of rain yesterday, Jim didn't take any photos, but I would imagine that he'll be out and about today snapping away with his PHD camera. If he takes some, I'll be sure to post them here in the next day or so.

A Point to Ponder : Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?




Friday, May 4, 2012

A Rainy Day and The Plan

Lincoln City, OR.

44 deg. overcast, no wind.

Forecast = Overcast with rain showers. High of 52F. Winds from the West at 10 to 15 mph.


It rained almost all day here in Lincoln City yesterday. Not just a drizzle, but fairly hard rain. In fact, in most places along the Coast, it set a new record for the amount of rain for the 3rd of May!!

The plan is to leave here today and head a little farther up the Coast. There's a county park, (Barview Jetty County Park), near Garibaldi that Jim and Linda have stayed at before, that they'd like to stay at again, and the hope is that there will be plenty of sites available early on a Friday. It's also pretty early in the season yet, so that's in our favor.

But, being that it's a county park and not real close to any large cities, there may not be an Internet signal. : (  So , , , , , I'll tell you now what the plan is. It's to stay at the county park over the weekend, go up to the Astoria area on Monday and stay at the Ft. Stevens State Park for one night. Then go to the RV Park in Portland on Tuesday.

I'm sure some of you are wondering why we would wait until Tuesday to go to the park in Portland. Well, if we stay for 3 weeks, as planned, that would mean that we would be leaving there the Tuesday after Memorial Day, thus getting the holiday behind us before leaving and not having to be out on the road or worry about finding a site at parks that are busy for the holiday weekend. ; )

Did you know that on this date in 1954 - The first intercollegiate court tennis match was played in the U.S.?  It was between Yale and Princeton.

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Farther North To Lincoln City and A Correction

Lincoln City, OR.

49 deg. light rain, SE wind @ 14 mph.

Forecast = Overcast with rain, then rain showers in the afternoon. High of 52F. Breezy. Winds from the WNW at 15 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100% with rainfall amounts near 0.4 in. possible.


Being that we only stayed in Florence for one night, there wasn't too much to pack up, so by 9:45, Jim and Linda were ready. Once back on US 101, it wasn't long before we got into some more of those twisty-turny road conditions that we had before. In fact, the photo below was taken when Jim pulled me into a scenic pull-out area to let faster traffic pass after we had been stopped for about 10 minutes for a road construction area.

Once past Yachats, the road improved some and we were able to make a little better time.

It was about 11:40 when Jim tuned me off of US 101 and pulled me into the Devils Lake RV Park on the North side of Lincoln City. We had only traveled 74 miles, but it took us 1 hour and 55 minutes.

The above photo is of the office and the photo below is the view looking from the office into the park.

This park is built on the side of a hill, (not a good idea unless you're going to do a lot of leveling for the sites), so most of the sites slope to the side. It's kind of hard to tell from the photo below, but my left tires are almost off of the ground. : ( 

Other than the sites being narrow and not being very level, this is a pretty nice park. It's very well maintained and the lady in the office was very pleasant.

My site has full hook-ups with 50 amp electric, free cable TV and there is free wi-fi service in the park. All the streets and sites are blacktop and like I said, very well maintained.

Being that we have plenty of time to get to Portland, Jim paid for 2 nights.

Oh, I made a mistake on yesterday's blog. : 0    I stated that we had traveled 2 hours and 15 minutes when actually we had traveled 4 hours and 15 minutes. That error has been corrected.

Did you know that On March 3, 1965, after several failed attempts; Cutler City, Taft, Nelscott, Delake, and Oceanlake incorporated as Lincoln City? When it was determined that using one of the five cities’ names would be too controversial, a contest was held to find a new name. “Lincoln City”, submitted by school children, was chosen from among the entries.


Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Wandering Into Oregon

Florence, OR.

42 deg. overcast, no wind.

Forecast = Overcast with a chance of rain, then rain in the afternoon. High of 63F. Winds from the SSW at 5 to 10 mph.


We left Crescent City about 9:45 and continued North on US 101. The road from Crescent City up to Bandon, Or. leaves something to be desired as it's bumpy, curvy and there's quite a few areas where construction is in progress. Many areas have had landslides where the road has slid down the hills and has been repaired, or is being repaired. All of these areas are rough and in places we were down below 30 mph.

Once past Bandon, the road is in much better condition. Oh, there are a few rough spots but for the most part we moved right along.

All along the Oregon coast there were great views of the ocean. Jim was able to get a few photos, but none of them are too great.



It was 2:00 when we pulled into the Pacific Pines RV Park here in Florence. That meant that we traveled 178 miles in 4 hours and 15 minutes. Really not too bad considering the road.

This is a nice park with full hook-ups, 50 amp electric, free cable TV, free wi-fi, level cement pull-thru and back-in sites, and nicely landscaped with flowering bushes and plants between the sites.

The sites are fairly close together though, and the sites are plenty long for me, but Jim had to un-hook CLT.

The lady in the office was very nice and made sure Jim knew where the laundry, bathrooms and other amenities were located. She also made sure that Jim knew the best way to get me to my site.

After getting me into my site and set up, Jim took a little nap. Then, about 5:30, he and Linda took CLT and went into town and to Mo's Seafood Restaurant for dinner.

Mo's is pretty famous in Oregon. Their main claim to fame is their clam chowder, which has even been served in the White House.
The lady at the RV Park gave Jim 2 tokens for a free cup of clam chowder and coupons for 2 free non-alcoholic beverages, so they both had the clam chowder. Jim also had crab cakes  and Linda had clam strips. That along with their free beverage made for a nice meal.

While they were eating, they were able to enjoy the great view of the Siuslaw River out of the window by their table.


Linda's clam strips were very good, but Jim's crab cakes were spicy and he didn't much like them. As for the clam chowder, Jim said that he liked the clam chowder that he had in Crescent City better than this. Linda however, thought the chowder was excellent.

Today, we'll continue wandering up the coast. I don't know how far we'll get. On the map, it looks like it's going to be pretty twisty-turny.

Did you know that The Oregon Coast stretches approximately 363 miles  from the Columbia River in the north to the Oregon–California state border in the south?



Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Change of Plans and More Trees

Crescent City, CA

48 deg overcast, no wind.

Forecast = Partly cloudy in the morning, then clear. High of 54F. Breezy. Winds from the NW at 10 to 20 mph.

Well, the plans changed again!!!! We're still in Crescent City and it wasn't until about 8:30 yesterday morning that I was informed of the change!!! : (  You'd think because I am their main source of transportation to different parts of the country, I would not be the last to know!!!!!

OK, I'll have to admit though, it was probably just as good that we didn't leave here yesterday. The weather was just plain nasty with light to medium rain and fog that lasted all day!!

Being that the weather was nasty, there's not much to blog about, so I thought you might enjoy some more photos that Jim took of the Redwood trees in the Jedediah Smith State Park.









Being that the weather was so nasty, the only time anyone went outside was when Jim went up to the office to pay for another day's stay and then in the afternoon, he took CLT and went to a grocery store to pick up some bread.

Today, I think we're really going to leave here and resume our wanderings. It's overcast now, but they're calling for partly cloudy skies later on.

Did you know that May is National Barbecue Month?