Yesterday's news today...

If you read my previous post, you will know that this one is out of order.   The battery on the camera is charged now, so I can post again.  Don't be expecting two posts a day forever. This is a first. 

We left home from Dallas, OR yesterday and headed down I5 toward California. Our destination is San Diego.  We visit our middle daughter and her family every year at this time to celebrate the birthdays of our two grandsons. Their birthdays are four days apart, but there are four years between them. So, this year we will be celebrating a ninth and a fifth birthday. 

The weather yesterday was beautiful, as long as we stayed in the truck...with the air conditioner on. Although we left at 8:00 AM, we learned that Dallas later enjoyed temperatures in the mid-90s.  It was no cooler down the I5 corridor.

At Grants Pass, we turned off the interstate and followed US 199 through the northernmost part of the famed California redwoods, arriving in Crescent City about 3:00PM. 

 Here we are driving along US 199 from Grants Pass, OR to Crescent City, CA. 

Jill got another shot from the co-pilot's seat as we cruised through the forest

The weather in Crescent City, on the California coast, was overcast, foggy and breezy, with temperatures in the mid 60s.  Our home for the night was in the city RV park on Sunset Circle.  The park is a bit run down, but our space was right on the bay, with a panoramic view from the lighthouse on the north to the boat basin on the South. We took a long walk on the beach just before sundown. The salt air was refreshing.  We thoroughly enjoyed our stay.

 The Old Blogger takes a stroll on the beach at Crescent City

In addition to the family time that we always enjoy in San Diego, I have been looking forward to this trip for other reasons. If you have read the blurb on this blog about Topper, you will know that we originally got into RVing, because we had a daughter in San Diego and one in Denver.  We thought it would be nice, once we were retired, to take leisurely trips to visit them and see some of these great United States along the way.  Well, for one reason or another, that has not happened until now. 

So, number one reason for anticipating the trip (other than family time) is to prove that we really did buy an RV so we could take leisurely trips to visit the kids/grandkids! The number two reason I was excited about this trip is that Red Ryder has had a problem with the steering linkage being rather loosey-goosey.  On our last outing, I was a bit white-knuckled on occasion as we negotiated the McKenzie River highway. 

After that trip, I took Red to the shop, where we discovered that the ball joints on the right side needed replacing.  The steering linkage was also tightened up and the front end aligned. WOW! What a difference. It is actually fun to drive Red Ryder now, even when hauling Topper. 

So far this trip has been a dream. Nice places to stay; we left the dogs at home with Auntie Tara; and the rig is performing very well. Look for another post tomorrow, provided the wi-fi works as well at the next park, which will be LeSage Riviera RV Park (pretty fancy name, huh?) in Grover Beach. Until then...

The power and majesty of our Lord!

Today's post is mainly pictures. We are on our way to San Diego to celebrate our grandsons' birthdays.  Born on the 15th and the 19th of August, they will be 9 and 5 respectively.  But I digress...(they are great kids, though)... We left Dallas yesterday and drove to Crescent City, CA.  I would have posted pictures from yesterday's drive, but we forgot to charge the camera battery. That process is underway, as I write.  Look for yesterday's post as the next one. Who says I am a bit backward??

Today we traveled from Crescent City to Calistoga. We are parked at the Calistoga RV Park. It got great reviews on RVParkReviews.com (a great place to get consumer reviews of RV parks, BTW), but so far, the best thing about the park was the drive to get here. But I digress again.

My beautiful bride, Jill, does amazing things with a camera in a moving vehicle.  The following photos bear witness:

Here's a shot from the navigator's seat in Red Ryder. That's fog and not rain collecting on the windshield as we left Crescent City.

 The North California coast between Crescent City and Eureka. 

It was foggy last night, and the fog persisted into this morning, 

but it was lifting when this was snapped.

And further down the coast.

 Here's a shot going through the redwoods.  

Obviously, the fog had lifted by now.

 As we got closer to Laytonville, the smoke from a large forest fire began to thicken. 

 Here's another shot of the smoke coming from the fires.

 And another as we began to get past the fire zone.

 

 Near Laytonville, there is a base camp for firefighters battling this blaze. 

Here are a couple of the helicopters they have been using.

 ...and the main camp...

 ...and I presume this is where the "grunts" call home, when 

they are not immediately involved risking their lives.

 All supplies have to be hauled in. This truck was labeled "Potable Water." 

Our hats are off, and our hearts go out to the brave men who take on such risky jobs. We were glad to see several fire trucks from surrounding areas leaving Laytonville as we passed through, although we don't know that that means the fire is more under control. Maybe the trucks were just needed at their home towns.  I choose to believe the former explanation.

 On a cheerier note. Once we were past Laytonville (and in fact, past Ukiah) the skies cleared up and we saw acre after acre and mile after mile of vineyards.  The wine industry in Sonoma County is not going to die any time soon.

 We turned off of US 101 about 45 miles south of Ukiah onto CA 128. This road took us to our destination in Calistoga.  The entire drive on 128 was gorgeous, as we passed among vineyards, wineries and some very charming private residences.  Jill's iPhone was beginning to overheat by then, so we don't have photos.  

And finally, a photo of the Old Blogger on the beach in 

Crescent City yesterday afternoon. But more about that later.

The title of this post came from the awe I felt as we drove through the majestic redwoods and saw the incredible mountains, the seashore, and finally the power of a lightning-caused fire that will leave a scar on the mountains for years to come.

Going walkabout...

Today was another crummy day in paradise.  The weather was warm and very humid, so we stayed close to home and explored The Holiday Farm.  Here are a few photos to give you an idea of the scenery here.   Beaver Creek runs through the park. It is very slow moving, but beautiful to behold, as you can see                                                              











The chairs on the far side of the stream surround a fire pit, which sits on a little peninsula.  It is a lovely place to sit and enjoy the scenery.

 Here's the Old Blogger walking 

Lulu along one of the forest trails.

Some of God's handiwork along the trail.

And finally, Lulu enjoys a little fun in the stream.

It's a miracle!

In the main, our two little fur babies sleep until about 6:30AM.  They also like to plaster themselves against my body while sleeping. This makes sleeping challenging and leisurely mornings in bed untenable. Last night, however, Lulu slept in her little bed that is immediately adjacent our bed, and Pogo settled in at the foot of the bed between Jill's feet and mine.  In addition, they slept until nearly 7:45.

Now if you are over, say, 50 years of age, you are aware that one consequence of aging is bladder shrinkage, leading to multiple visits to the "facilities" in the wee hours.  Last night was different. Neither I nor my bride was disturbed with such nonsense. (I know, I know: TMI)

Finally, as a consequence of having found our bed to be "hip unfriendly" on our last trip, we made a change. Our WalMart foam mattress, which served us well in Sadie, became a kind of torture device, causing us to awaken with pain in our hips and backs.  In part, at least, that was because in Sadie, we added a 3" memory foam topper.  In Topper, however, that 3 inches was just enough to cause head bonking, when we sat up in the cab over sleep area, so we deleted it. That resulted in our sleep issues.

Prior to this trip, we removed said mattress, peeled of the cheesy WalMart memory foam layer (about 1 1/2" thick and kind of crispy) and replaced it with our 3" topper. What a difference! No more hip pain. No more back pain. And we slept like a couple of infants.







Now you are privy to the reason for the title of this blog post: 1) No doggy interventions, 2) No midnight meandering, 3) a much improved mattress.  What a difference a good night's sleep makes.



Today, we awoke (1 hour 15 minutes later than usual!) to sunny skies and temperatures in the low 70s.  We took the girls out for a well earned bathroom break, and then we returned to Topper for our morning coffee.

Now this coffee was a treat, not only because we love our coffee in the morning, but also because I found a new kind of water filter for our camper. We had been having a very metallic or minerally taste in our water.  The new filter has eliminated that taste and given us pure, fresh water to drink. It is noticeable in the coffee, which was wonderful. 



After breakfast, we set out to explore the environs.  If you have ever gone for a stroll along the freeway, you may get some idea of what we encountered.   We walked about 1/4 mile down the McKenzie Highway to McKenzie River Drive.  With traffic hurtling by at 55-60 mph, it was a bit harrowing. Once we were on the River Drive, however, the traffic was less dense and not in as much of a hurry, and our walk became quite pleasant.



We walked about another 1/4 mile and found a road that crossed the McKenzie river on a bridge to Dearborn Island. Of course, we could not resist crossing the bridge.  And here's why: 

I'm pretty sure Lulu, regrets our decision.  She was happily marching along up the road, when suddenly we were approached by, not one, not two but three dogs averaging something like 100# apiece. Lulu, who last weighed in at 13#, and who was once traumatized by a big dog at a doggy daycare center, went ballistic. Fortunately, she was on a leash, and I was able to pick her up and "protect" her from the friendly but inquisitive canine behemoths.


We headed back to Topper and had no further incidents.  The afternoon was spent lounging outside with a couple of good books. When the temperature topped out at 92 degrees, we retreated to the comfort of Topper's air-conditioned interior.  The adventure continues, and I look forward to being able to regale you, dear reader, with more tales of derring-do, courtesy of Topper and Red Ryder.

A heavenly hideaway!

Jill enjoys some relaxation with her 

computer on our little patio area. 

Yesterday, we found a new secret hideaway.  We are camped (yes, I can legally say camped, because we are in our camper!) at Holiday Farm RV Resort.  This place is magical.  Nestled in the trees less than two miles west of the world famous Tokatee Golf Course, the park is covered with trees. There are hiking trails, several ponds and trees. Did I mention there are a lot of trees? 

We have wi-fi, cable TV,  privacy and scenery to burn.  Usually, private RV parks pack the spaces close together to maximize revenue.  This place is like a state park or county park in that the spaces are spread out and insulated by forest. The spaces are level and spacious with a paver patio and picnic table in each one. You can rent a fire pit, if you choose.


 
Here's the view from our patio just before sundown
last evening. 

We are enjoying morning coffee and relaxation prior to doing some hiking/exploring with the dogs. I will post more as the day wears on.  

Wild in Waldport

Here is the bridge on US 101 spanning the Alsea Bay on the north side of Waldport.

A view from the birdge of the peninsula that encloses the bay.

The old blogger driving Red Ryder as we crossed the bridge yesterday afternoon.

Another view of the bay  shore.

 
This little lake is a state park on the Alsea Highway between US101 and Chinook RV Park. This appears to be a favorite local fishing spot.










 [NOTE: this post was written on Monday, June 9th, but due to poor internet connectivity, I was not able to post it until today.]

As you know from my last post, we are in Waldport, OR enjoying a few days in Topper.  The weather has been typical for the Oregon coast in June.  Sunny, with temperatures in the sixties and rather windy.  The wind, however, has not held us back from having a good time. We took the girls for a walk this morning and let them do there morning business. 

But I'm getting ahead of myself.  We arrived at the Chinook RV Park yesterday, expecting to see Jillian and Mark, the owners who had been so accommodating and cordial when we were here in October.  Surprise! They have sold the park. The good news is that the new owners are equally as nice. Well, I should qualify that. So far we have only met Ben, who is delightful.  He and Becky left their home in Alaska (which they were assured was sold) and set out in their recently purchased motor home to see a bit of the country. Their plan was, eventually, to settle down in Washington or Oregon.

They traveled down the coast as far as California. Along the way, they learned that their home buyer had lost his job, and consequently his financing. The house was back on the market, and they were accumulating a pile of credit card bills that they were expecting to pay off with the  proceeds of the sale.  They decided to return to Oregon and look for a place to settle.  After six weeks in the Chinook RV Park, Ben and Becky learned that their house had sold, this time to a cash buyer. At precisely that time, Jillian and Mark approached them and said, "We have been quietly trying to sell this park for the past three years so we can retire and move closer to our grandchildren in California. Would you have any interest in buying it?"

The die was cast, and the park changed hands...and they didn't even consult us! We are delighted that the flavor of the park has not changed significantly, but the new owners have made some minor but welcome improvements.

So, this morning we left the park in capable hands and drove to Waldport proper, about 3 miles. Our first stop was at Radio Shack in search of a USB to Ethernet adapter. It seems my new MacBook Air has no ethernet port, so I can't communicate with our Wi-Fi repeater.  We use the repeater as a firewall and so that we can simply log on to our own local network, which is in turn connected to the park Wi-Fi network.  The problem is that before that connection can be made, the repeater needs to be programmed to the park Wi-Fi.  That requires an ethernet connection.  Bottom line: Radio Shack doesn't have the adapter.

No worries, we went next door to Ace Hardware, where we scored a butane fire lighter to replace the one I left at home.  We also found a nice little knife sharpener for our kitchen knives.
Next stop was our favorite in Waldport. It is a store called The Flea Market.  Although it is not really a flea market, most of the "stuff" in the store is on consignment and appears to be the things that the owners have found in their attics, barns, basements and under a rock. It is a fun place to poke around. We left empty-handed today; a first for Tom and Jill.

We went to the local drug store, which has a lot of gift shop items, too. Jill wanted to see their selection of Baggalini purses.  She didn't buy one, but she says she knows which one she would like to have now.

Next we hopped back into Red Ryder and drove south on US 101.  We stopped at a small state park that comprises a parking lot, restroom and beach access. We took the girls for a romp in the sand and were almost blown away by the northwest wind.

Back in the truck, we traveled a short distance to Beachside state park. It is aptly named and beautiful. The campsites are nicely treed and pretty private, thanks to the vegetation.  We drove through the campground and decided we will make a reservation for later this summer for space #63, which has the best beach view.

Continuing south to Yachats, Jill suggested we stop for a seafood lunch. We found Ona Restaurant and Lounge. A lovely little place with a view of the estuary. Jill had a crab and shrimp salad, and I ordered rock fish and chips.  The food was wonderful, and we accompanied it with an IPA. The meal hit the spot. We headed back to Chinook RV Park very satisfied. Along the way, we stopped at a little mom and pop store and picked up some Tin Roof Sundae ice cream.  Life is good.

Why do it the easy way...

...when there is a more convoluted alternative. Jill and I are out for our first outing in about three months. We settled in to our new home for the next several days in the Chinook RV Park in Waldport, OR. This is the first outing since doing several upgrades to the TC (about which I posted previously). To say we were excited to make this trip would be the rankest kind of understatement.

I set up the rig: water? check; electricity? check; Cable TV? check; wi-fi? check. I opened a cold hefeweizen and proceeded to relax. Then I remembered there was one more thing I needed to do. I flipped the switch for the water heater: red light? check...red light??...why isn't the red light going off? Why don't I hear the whoosh of the flame igniting?

I flipped off the switch...that is to say I shut it off; this had nothing to do with those digital messages that other drivers wave at me from time to time. Outside now, I opened the panel for the WH. I removed the heat shield, and of course I dropped one of the screws. After several minutes of searching, I found it in my open tool box, which was directly below my work space (just to make it more difficult to stand in front of the WH panel). I carefully stowed the two screws.

I had Jill turn on the switch. After a few seconds the igniter sparked, but no joy. I told Jill to shut it off. I removed the igniter and dropped that screw in the rust colored gravel. After about a 30 minute search, I actually found that one, too. I stowed it carefully before removing the burner pipe. I'll bet the burner nozzle is clogged, I told myself. I looked through the nozzle and saw daylight; I could blow through the nozzle. Seems clear to me.

I found a lot of loose rust in the combustion chamber. Aha! Now I am onto something. I carefully cleaned the combustion chamber. Next I reassembled everything except the heat shield. "Honey, flip the switch again." After a few seconds...spark but no flame. "OK," I said to myself, "what do you need to make fire? Air? check; ignition? check; fuel? Hmmm...maybe I should check that."

I went inside to try lighting the stove. "Maybe," I thought,"there is air in the line." Now where did I leave that fire stick? Oh, yeah, I borrowed it to do something in my shop. Must have forgotten to replace it in Topper. Hiked up to the office and scored a box of stick matches.

Back aboard, I struck a match and held it by the main stove burner. Funny, usually I have to be careful that the flow of air/gas doesn't blow out the match. This must be a super match. The flame stands up in spite of that air blowing out of the line. There...is...air blowing out of the line...isn't there. Gee...(insert light bulb here)...perhaps, the gas tank is empty.

I went out and switched tanks. That blew the match out. Got the stove started, and miracle of miracles, when I had Jill turn on the WH, it had magically cured itself.

I reinstalled the heat shield and came inside for a cold one!! I ask you, why do it the easy way...?