Good morning!

There's good news, and there's bad news. The bad news is that it's raining. The good news is that it's raining. Oregon has been suffering near drought conditions for nearly a year. The other good news is that we have found none of the rain coming in around the new skylight.

I awoke around 4 AM to the sound of rain pelting on Topper's metal roof. Immediately, of course, I began wondering if my recent repair would “hold water,” so to speak. Not wanting to disturb Jill, I lay there, trying to sleep, wanting to get up and see if there were any signs of leakage, not being able to sleep because of the sound of the rain pounding on the roof a couple of feet above my head. It was only after I did finally get up at 6 AM and put on my hearing aids that I realized how loud the rain really is on the metal roof!

We will wait and see how the weather pans out. If it continues to pour, we will go home. If it dries up a bit, I think we will stay another night. If we stay, it will be because we are able to get out and enjoy more of God's beautiful creation here at Champoeg. That would mean more photos. Stand by.

The best laid plans of mice and men...

When I was director of a sizable dental office, staffed by seven dentists and about twenty support staff, part of my duties included preparing a budget each year. Fortunately, I had a great deal of help from people who knew a great deal more about budgeting a multimillion dollar operation than I did. One of the things I learned during that season of my life was posted above my desk on a sign that read:

“Forecasting is very difficult, especially when it deals with matters of the future.”

I can only commiserate with the meteorologists among us, including the one who predicted sunny weather for today. In fact, we have had moments of sunshine, and perhaps, I was expecting too much. Here's what we got. FOG! Lots and lots of fog, until about 1:30PM, was followed by sunshine for about half an hour, followed by overcast skies.

In fairness, we did have sunshine. The temperature got to the forecast level, around 60 degrees, and we have had a wonderful time walking in the woods with the dogs, and enjoying Champoeg with a paucity of other campers. The dogs loved the hike, as evidenced by the fact that they are currently sacked out on the sofa, snoozing.

So here's what we saw: 

 Even in late October, God provides a few flowers to brighten our path. 

The old blogger needs to learn to do selfies well enough that he can remember to smile! That's the Willamette River in the background. 

Here's one of the little shacks that sit along the river's edge. 

Can you say "acer macrophyllum?" That's "big leaf maple" to most of us.

Don't know if this is a single family dwelling or some kind of lodge. Either way, it is impressive.

A cathedral like forest path.  We love this place. 

 My lovely bride said, "He looks like a fun guy [or was it fungi?]."

 Here's his cousin.

Come back again. I'll see if I can find more to share.

Time to try out the new goodies.

On Friday, I finished installing a new skylight to replace the one that leaked on our last outing to Cape Kiwanda. Now, several weeks have elapsed in between times, but it was all worth the wait.

When we returned from Cape Kiwanda, I did some online shopping for a new skylight. I finally found what appeared to be just the ticket at EZ Tops Worldwide. I placed an order for a new bronze-tone, lexan skylight...and then we waited...and waited...and waited. Notice I didn't say we waited patiently. It took three weeks for the skylight to be fabricated. I was beginning to wonder if the company had taken my money and gone to Tahiti.

Finally, I called and was told that the skylight would be shipped that very day. I figured, “OK, another week, and I will be able to install the thing.” The gentleman I spoke with in Maine, yes, you read right, Maine, said he was shipping the skylight via Priority Mail with good ol' USPS. That was on last Tuesday. The package arrived on Thursday, and as I mentioned, I installed it on Friday.

“Now, can we go camping?” queried my bride.

“Yes, Dear,” I replied. “Where would you like to go.”

We settled on Champoeg State Park, which is less than an hour from home, but one of our favorite camp grounds. There are miles of walking trails, a frisbee golf course, a dog park and a beautiful landscape, situated along the Willamette River, just a few miles south of Portland.

So, yesterday, we packed up our gear. I took a little time to reconfigure the wiring for the backup camera, so that I can see to back up the camper. Earlier this year, I installed a backup cam on Red Ryder. It works great, except when Topper is mounted, all the backup camera could see was the underside of Topper's back end. Not helpful for backing into a parking space.

When we got Topper, one of the first things I did was to install a rearview camera above the door on the backend. I have enjoyed having that camera, so I know what the drivers behind me are up to. So, before this trip, I figured out how to tap the rearview camera into the wiring for the backup camera. Now when I put Red Ryder in reverse, I see a commanding view of the area behind me, instead of Topper's underside.

OK, now you have the latest on all the updates I have done. We left the house today and had a gorgeous drive through Perrydale, Amity, Dayton, Dundee and Newberg and finally arrived at Champoeg. We had no reservation, so we were glad to see the “VACANCY” sign at the park entrance. We drove around both loops to find the perfect place to park. Here is the view from our campsite:

And the tree across the road from our campsite:

 

 Pogo loves camping, especially when it involves lying on the grass in the sunshine. 

Here we are, then. The camp host stopped by and we chatted with her for quite some time. She has a fascinating personal history to share. Tomorrow's weather is forecast to be splendid, so we will no doubt do some hiking with the doggies.