Month: August 2018

Thursday, August 30, 2018

Crown Villa RV Resort to McCall RV Resort via US Route 26, Oregon 7, Interstate-84

Distance Traveled 387 miles

We left Bend last Saturday, August 25, headed up US Route 97 to Redmond and hooked a right onto US26, the Sunset Highway. US26 is a two lane road that travels over hill and dale which includes some pine covered passes and big open range. It takes us through Ochoco National Forest, and past John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. Occasionally we come upon a town, all small to tiny settlements. We stop a couple of times to stretch our legs and walk the doggies.

Dayville City Hall and Library

We eventually come to the cute, clean little of Dayville (pop. 129). We stop and walk through their nice community park with the mutzos who appreciate the nice lush grass. The town lies on the bank of the South Fork of the John Day River and is very near its confluence with the John Day River.

There are two, yes, two RV parks in town. If both are occupied the population would most likely double! Hunting and fishing are big attractions. Jil needs a latte fix and goes into the general store to buy it. Inside a young lady waits on her. She states that she has lived in Dayville all her life and that she attends Eastern Oregon University, Ontario Oregon. She comes home on weekends to earn her keep. Good girl!

We continue eastward and go through Mt. Vernon (pop. 504). US 26 and US 395 intersect here. Continuing on we come to the city of John Day- and US 26 and US 395 intersect here also with the 395 coming in from the south of town. The 395 joins the 26 and continues in a westerly direction to Mt. Vernon where it continues northward.

John Day is located two miles from the gold rush town of Canyon City, the seat of Grant County. Back in the 1880’s the town was small compared to Canyon City. Due to Canyon City’s many fires a lot of townsfolk and merchants relocated to John Day. The county seat may be in Canyon City but the county fairgrounds are located in John Day.

By 1887 John Day was home to nearly 1,000 Chinese immigrants, who had been attracted to the area by a gold rush 20 years earlier. A trading post built in the 1860’s along the Dalles Military Road was purchased in 1887 by two chinese immigrants, Lung On and Ing Hay. They converted the post into a clinic, general store, and social center which continued to operate into the 1940’s. The property was converted into the Kam Wah Chung & Co. Museum, now operated in conjunction with the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department.

We continue eastward traveling through Prairie City (1000 souls) then head north on Oregon 7, the Sumpter Stage Highway.  We are now driving the curvy, narrow mountain road towards our overnight destination Union Creek Campground located on the shore of  Phillips Lake. Before we arrive at the campground we take the turnoff to the tiny burg of Sumpter (204 souls). The last time we came to Sumpter the whole town was for sale! One of the senior locals told us that everyone in town were getting too old to keep the town running properly so rather than let it go to Hades the proud but aging folks of Sumpter per her up for sale. I don’t know the outcome of that endeavor but the town is still alive.

Back in the 1890’s Sumpter experience a gold mining boom. By the late 1890’s the city expanded near a set of deep shaft gold mines with a combined total of 12 miles of tunnels. The population grew to 2000 souls. About that time the Sumpter Valley narrow gauge railroad arrived and would eventually run from Baker City through Sumpter and on the Prairie City. Until the line shut down in the 1930’s ranchers, mining interests and timber companies used it to move freight. The city started to decline as the mines played out but the kiss of death was the devastating fire of 1917. Dynamite was used to help put out the fire, which destroyed 12 blocks of the towns buildings. A few of the surviving structures remain and are occupied by retail shops.

Sumpter Valley Dredge #3

And then there were the dredges- the last of three that were used to mine gold along the Powder River between 1913 and 1954 is located where it last operated in what is now the Sumpter Valley Dredge State Historic Area (Sumpter Valley Dredge State Historic Area). The remaining dredge, Dredge #3 was essentially from parts from the first dredge.

Path the Dredges took visible on Google Maps

They traveled more than 8 miles extracting 10-12 million dollars of gold. It actually cost more to run the dredges that the gold they extracted could pay for. The last dredge (#3) shut down in 1954 more than $100,000 in debt.

Inside the Dredge, the Tailings and an Ore Car

In Dredge #3’s lifetime it made $4.5 million at $35 a troy ounce. In today’s world that would equate to approximately $180,000,000! The State Historic area has preserved the dredge and the huge amount of tailings around it. The Sumpter Valley Railroad also still exists, but only as a tourist attraction offering rides to paying passengers on selected days. If you want to ride the narrow gauge railroad check the Sumpter Valley Railroad calendar for train schedules.

A few miles down the road from Sumpter is the Union Creek Campground located on the shores of Phillips Lake. The campground is very woodsy with pines and firs with an understory dominated by grass- dry grass this time of year. Many sites offer electric hookups and water. A dump station is also provided. At the end of the road and within sight of our camp site is a very large boat launch and boat trailer parking area. The paved boat launch leads straight down into…….DRY LAND! What the heck? The lake is very low so all the boat launches on this end of the lake are closed. One campground host explained that the lake’s water purveyor decided in all his infinite wisdom to release too much water from the lake. So there it is, a nice boat launch ramp that has no access to water.

On Sunday, August 26 we packed up and headed into Baker City (9770 souls). We get within a couple of blocks of the access road that will lead us to I-84 east and encounter an rail underpass. Our rig is just under 13 feet tall so I am a little leary of low looking bridges and underpasses. I have a car behind us so I creep forward looking for signage that tells the clearance under that structure but don’t see it until I have to commit to another route. To make a long story longer Jil’s “smarty pants” phone is consulted, guides us to a “road closed” sign, then reroutes us all the way around town to catch the least convenient I-84 eastbound ramp.

Anyhow, we finally find the onramp and off we go towards Ontario, Oregon. The interstate is very nice to drive taking us from one river valley to the next. It also takes us through some steep walled canyons. We exit the Interstate and head towards Weizer (pop. 5300), pronounced Weezer, Idaho a border farming community located just across the Snake River. From there US Route 95 takes us over rolling hills, through Cambridge (316 souls), Council (800 souls) and up through the Weizer River Canyon finally ejecting us into the New Meadows (477 souls) area. It’s ten miles from New Meadows to McCall and requires another climb through a narrow winding canyon.

Driving through McCall (pop. 3200) can be a pain as the two lane main road will only accommodate so much traffic. It’s heavy today but not unbearable. We turn off on Mission and arrive at the McCall RV Resort, set up and call it a day.

 

 

 

Wednesday, August 24, 2018

(Title is a quote from Ibn Battuta)        

Ibn Battuta was a geologist and scholar who widely traveled the medieval world for 30 years during the 14th century. Near the end of his life, he dictated an account of his journeys, usually simply referred to as The Travels. This account of his journeys provides a picture of medieval civilization that is still widely consulted today.

My experience mirrors that of Battuta. Jil and I have visited so many wonderful places in our  24 years that I can honestly say that it has turned me into a storyteller. Some of my friends may say that I’ve always had the propensity to blab, but now I do more of it with my blabber fingers. So as not to disappoint here is some more of my finger yammering.

Our five stay in Bend (pop. 77,000) has been as expected- a really nice visit in a really nice city. This part of Oregon is considered high desert at an elevation of 3600 feet. The only drawback- smoke! The smoke from British Columbia fires moved out and immediately replaced by that of the Terwilliger fire burning to the west and the Jenny’s Peak and the Stubblefield fires to the north. Geez!

 

The Crown Villa RV Resort began as a owner purchased site park meaning that one bought a site within the park. That might work down in the Sun Belt for those who spend six months a year escaping the cold northern winters but it didn’t work here. Hence, the park features wide and deep site pads paved with pavers, and at least 30 feet of green grass and conifer trees in between each site. The site also includes a permanent storage shed. The amenities include a gym, a meeting hall, a hot tub, tennis/pickleball court, a dog park- OK everything a person could want in a beautiful park like setting. We also like it here as it’s dog friendly with lots of green grass to walk the mutzos. The daily rate is not cheap- one gets what they pay for. P.S.- it’s not located on the noisy main drag either.

 

While in Bend we had a few must do’s: I must get a haircut- done, we must go grocery shopping- done, we must visit the spectacular Tumalo Falls- check, and we must go shopping at the Old Mill Mall.

 

OK shopping at the Old Mill Mall is not my idea but it is located on the banks of the Deschutes River. Here’s a nice walk that extends from downtown past the Old Mill Mall and around through the Farewell Bend Park. It’s really a fine walk with beautiful scenery. Even the mall is scenic. Three more things are on our “hope we have time” list: 1) clean the front and rear of the very dirty coach, 2) get the car washed, 3) give the mutzos a much needed bath. We score on all three!

The place we didn’t visit this time is Drake Park. I really don’t know why we didn’t visit the park as we really enjoy walking it. This beautiful park is part of downtown Bend.

 

If one can call a downtown beautiful, downtown Bend would fit the description. The scenery is like eye candy with the mill pond bordering one side while very beautiful homes abut the pond on the other. Life can’t get any better than a visit to downtown Bend and the short walk to Drake Park.

True story: Jil is wearing her Put In Bay (located on South Bass Island, Lake Erie Ohio) sweatshirt that she purchased last fall while visiting the Great Lakes. The locals pronounce the place Putin, so that’s what reads on her sweatshirt. An older fella spots her shirt and gets all huffy as to how Jil can support that pinko commie rat bastard Vladimir Putin? He actually gets a little aggressive in his inquiry until Jil explains that she does NOT support Vladimir, that the sweatshirt is a souvenir from a tourist’s visit. A friend in the belligerent fellow’s party backed Jil up as he knew of Put In Bay, so the fella calmed down and sorta apologized, sorta………..

Tomorrow we are heading north than east towards Baker, Oregon. We will spend the night at Union Creek Campground located about 15 miles from Baker Oregon. We will then take the schlog up to McCall, Idaho and spend another five or so days visiting with Jil’s brother Rob, his wife Kathy and Jil’s sister Kim. That should be a good time- yes?

P.S.- Smoke has diminished to the point where we can actually see blue sky, clouds and even a couple of volcanic peaks! It’s still smokey, but not nearly as bad as the fog like smoke we’ve endured here in Bend………..

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tuesday, August 21, 2018

Smoke update: It’s still bad. Today is supposed to be the worst. Wind direction is blowing smoke down from British Columbia. Some genius in Spokane is rallying 100,000 people to  purchase 5 box fans each. According to plan, they will all be turned on the morning of the 24th. The fella who engineered the plan figures all that fan power will blow the smoke back into Canada. A meteorologist who was apprised of the plan stated that he didn’t think it would work….but……if it did it would draw smoke up from Kali-fornia…….

So we’re off to see the Wizard, the wonderful Wizard of……… the Metoleus River, a.k.a. Wizard Falls Fish Hatchery. We head north on Highway 97 to Highway 20 and head northeast. The first fifteen miles is through dry horse country. A smattering of bovine, goats and alpacas also call this country home.

We pass the Cascade Peaks vista point not only not seeing the peaks nor any portion of the mountains for the smoke. Round trip is over 90 miles- and we must pass through the sphincter of Highway 20, Sisters, once again. Fortunately we leave early and drive slowly through Sisters before most of the stores have opened- no crowds!

 

We also wanted to visit Camp Sherman since we have to drive right through the little burg. So we continue to climb up the mountain which is now covered in ponderosa pine and douglas fir trees. We pass the Black Butte Resort and turn right towards Camp Sherman.

 

 

Camp Sherman is interesting. It’s very small with a year round population of a few hundred. The community includes an elementary school, a post office and a general store and a couple of small restaurants. The draw for many is not only the beauty and serenity of this place but the fishing. In fact, the general store has a huge section dedicated to fly fishing as only that type of fishing is allowed on the Upper Metolius River. This quaint settlement can swell to several thousand during the high season. Several rustic resorts along the banks of the river make for a memorable stay. There are also a couple of RV parks near the river.

 

About five miles downstream is the Wizard Falls Fish Hatchery. Wizard Spring is just a short ways up river and empties into the Metoleus. It is said that the water temperature is a constant 48 degrees year round, ideal for raising fish.

 

The hatchery is small compared to that of Bonneville. Due to its somewhat remote location I’m sure the visitor count doesn’t compare to the one million people that visit Bonneville. Today there are six visitors including us.  Wizard Falls is wonderful in that it’s rustic, remote and very quiet. Trout and Chinook salmon are currently raised here. A few fish have escaped the hatchery and now dwell in the settling pond…….. and a few of them are lunkers!

We head back following the Metolius. We have one more stop- the Headwaters of the Metolius. Surprisingly, the river begins at Metolius Springs- water comes out the north side of Black Butte. One looks at these little springs, the side of the mountain it originates from and figure there’s not enough water coming out of that spring to create that decent sized river. They say that the source of the springs is in the Black Butte Ranch area located south of Black Butte.

 

Turning to look downstream, the river is already several feet deep and 20 feet wide. Wow, that’s impressive! During the dry season 50,000 gallons a minute push through that mountain and emerge at this spring. During the wet season 600,000 gallons a minute can be measured here. THAT, is impressive my friend.

We retrace our steps and are now home. One thing that’s been on our minds is the reported abuse of children by priests in several Pennsyvania Catholic Dioceses. Here is a headline that I snipped from the new media:

Wall Street Journal: “Roman Catholic Church officials in Pennsylvania systematically covered up the molestation of more than 1,000 children by more than 300 priests over the past 70 years, according to a report released Tuesday on one of the most exhaustive investigations into the church’s sex-abuse scandal.”

That said, we attended St. Paul Catholic Church Mass in Silverton last Sunday. We both feel that this was in the top 10 Masses that we have ever attended. The choir sang beautifully, and the priests were very reverend and humble. If we lived in this area we would definitely attend Mass here.

Two priests, both of St. Paul’s are presiding. Two presiding is unusual, which usually means somethings up. The Mass in every Catholic Church is almost identical and is steeped in tradition. Part way through the Mass, after the Readings from the Bible and the Gospel of the Lord a homily is given, either by a priest or a deacon of the Church.

In this case, the younger of the two priests gives the homily. It is obviously coming deep from within his heart and not a written statement from the Archdioceses. He explains how the new news of abuse within the Church is so troubling even though it occurred so many miles away. He asks that his parishioners pray for the victims. He explains that although the Church is broken it is still the Lord’s House and will be repaired. He is truly shaken. The older priest has recently requested and has been granted the opportunity to serve in Venezuela. He speaks before Mass is dismissed. As he speaks, his voice breaks. He pauses and tears well in his eyes, with great difficulty continues on with his feeling of sadness, he prays that all the wrongs will be dealt with righteously.

Priests know that they hold the deep power of trust and respect of their parishioners. If they didn’t they are not effectively doing what God has called them to do- shepherd his flock. The young priests of St. Paul’s have shown that they have a profound respect for their flock and Jesus. That is good. God Bless this little parish.

People of authority, of public trust, must acknowledge that power does not entitle one to abuse another, no matter what type of abuse. If they do abuse their authority they must be held accountable.

 

 

Monday, August 20,2018

 Location- Crown Villa RV Resort, Bend, Oregon

Another smoky morning in Silverton. More smoky than yesterday. The rising sun is reddish orange. What’s new? We’ve been in nearly constant smoke beginning last month in Reno and every day on this trip thus far.

We packed up, picked up and were on the road by 0830 hours. For you non- RVer’s packing up is self-explanatory. Ya don’t want stuff flying all over the place while traveling in your home on wheels. Picking up means disconnecting and storing all umbilical cords and hoses. You know, the power cord that supplies electricity to the RV, the water hose, the TV cable and the sewer hose. All these things have a specific place in their respective storage bays. Once picked up and packed up the four slide out rooms of the coach come in, then the leveling jacks come up. Believe me when I say the hardest part of this sequence is turning on the key and pushing the “store” button on the leveling jack panel. Oh, please don’t believe it as that is the easiest thing to do!

We head towards town, turn right and head south on the Cascade Highway. This gently undulating highway runs through farmland. We pass grass fields that have been intentionally burned to kill weed seeds in preparation for a new crop, orchards of young fruit trees and farms growing hops. Twelve miles down that road and we turn east onto the Santiam Highway, Route 22 which will take us to within a short distance of Bend.

The Santiam Highway follows the Santiam River for many miles. We travel past two dams, the Cliff Dam and the Detroit Dam. Cliff lake is relatively small while Detroit lake is large- but obviously suffering from drought conditions as its banks are showing. Detroit is very popular with fishermen and outdoors folks. On its banks is the nice Detroit Lakes State Park. The town of Detroit isn’t large but does a bustling business, at least during the high season. Past Detroit lake the mountain sides and forest close in. The canyons get narrower as the we travel higher up into the Cascade mountains. There are not many communities on this portion of Highway 22.

A ways past Detroit Lake we come to one of our favorite rest stops. It has a large grassy Pet area at the end of the horseshoe drive, an ideal spot for the dogs. It’s relatively small parking area features big rig/trailer pull through parking lanes no longer than 35 or 40 feet- just long enough for a small pickup towing a fishing boat but not long enough for our RV and towed. Only one other car is there so we pull across a bunch of diagonal parking stalls at the end of the row. We are out of the way, there are at least 10 spots behind us and 15 on the other side of the loop.

 

Santiam Rest Area

We are good to go……. HELLO!….. I open the driver’s side window. It’s the worker bee lady that was power washing the benches. She tells me that we are OK to park here for now………. but if it was busy I’d have to move over across the loop to the big rig parking area. I thank her and add that we will only be here about 20 minutes. She adds “Well, remember what I said for the next time you stop here!” Sheesh! I almost said that the last time we were here was four years ago so if I come back in the next four or five please be here to remind me. I look over towards the “big rig” parking area that parallels the curb line and its big enough for one big rig- and it’s occupied. Double Sheesh!

 

The Non-native Himalaya Blackberry Grows EVERYWHERE!

The Santiam Highway, Highway 22, merges with the McKenzie Highway, Highway 20 and continues east as Highway 20 down to the very artsy fartsy, very, very popular town of Sisters.

 

Sisters holds the very busy highway hostage as the only good way through town is directly down the two lane Main Street. I really don’t like driving through town behind the wheel of a normal sized vehicle, much less a big rig. Cars are parked on both sides of the highway, people tend to jaywalk between them and others who use the cross walks will just walk out in front of moving traffic. Gads!

Anyway, the 133 mile trip to Bend wasn’t fast. The roads are posted at 55 mph but have many curves ranging from 35, 40 and 45 mph. We weren’t in any hurry and really enjoyed the scenery near the road- the mountain peaks normally seen were hiding behind that danged smoke! It’s supposed to clear out in a couple of days. I sure hope so since we’ll be here for five!

Sunday, August 19, 2018

After a refreshing overnight stay at the Deerwood RV Park in Eugene, we again head north up I-5. We are officially in the Willamette Valley, crossing over the Willamette in Eugene (home of the U. of Oregon Ducks). The smoke from the multiple wildfires hasn’t left us but it’s not nearly as bad as that of Grants Pass. The four lane interstate leads us past Coburg where Marathon class A motorhomes are manufactured. We also pass Brownsville, a quaint town just off the main highway that has a very unusual pioneer cemetery, one that has both pioneers and Native Americans buried in the same location.

The “old” road predating Interstate 5 is oriented north/south US 99 basically following the west side of the Willamette river while I-5 follows to the east. US 99 takes one through all of the main population centers and farm towns via surface street. Traveling US 99 is lovely way to visit the towns of the Willamette Valley. It’s also the wrong way to go if one is in a hurry.

So I-5 takes us in proximity of many towns. We bypass Junction City, Corvalis (home of the Oregon State Beavers), drive through the outskirts of Albany, and exit the interstate in Salem. We head northeast on the Silverton Highway Oregon 213. After driving 15 miles through rolling farmland we arrive at the Silver Spur RV Park just outside of the town of Silverton. We check in at the office and set up in the brand new section of the park. The park’s nice clubhouse/laundry facility as well as great location less than a mile from downtown makes it a draw.

It’s also very close to the Oregon Garden. One must drive right through town in order to visit the beautiful nine fall Silver Falls State Park. So the location couldn’t be better. However, the park is a little crowded and a little dusty as the normally green lawns are dry. It seems this part of Oregon is experiencing a drought.

We visit the Oregon Garden for the umpteenth time. We very seldom visit this time of year so it’s a real treat to see most of the plants in bloom. By the way, zinnias are really showy this time of year!

While here we visit one of our favorites, the Mt. Angel Abbey. We really like to attend Lauds- the priests, monks and seminarians sing Gregorian Chants with 1/2 of them in pews on the left side of the Altar and the other half on the right. One side starts the chant and the other responds. It’s really wonderful to listen to. Unfortunately this time there are no Lauds, no chants as the church is closed for repair.

We even had time to visit a most beautiful Silver Falls State Park. Crowds? It’s the middle of summer, on a weekend so we expect the worst. The day use parking lot was pretty full. In the fall when we normally visit maybe a handful of cars are parked. I’d estimate parking capacity at 400 vehicles and it was more than half full. But not many people where we wanted or could go with our mutzos. Dogs aren’t allowed on the Falls Trail. Since foot traffic was fairly light I’d guess that half the visitors are down in the canyon. Silver Fall itself is over 200′ high. The trail goes behind the fall as it does another farther downstream. As one would expect the falls are still active but the volume of water is much lower than the spring runoff.

Bridge at foot of Silver Falls- and close up…..

Well, well. What have we here? Silverton is having itself an art festival this weekend. Jil is in desperate need of the purchase of a couple of gifts for folks we will be visiting on this trip. We arrive at the local park to run the dogs and lo and behold we are greeted with 100 white canopies! Looks like we found the art festival! We arrived while the vendors were still setting up for the day- in fact some were still eating breakfast. But money talks so a few of them opened up shop early just for Jil. We now have our gifts……………….

Drip………drip………drip………. our hard to open single handle kitchen faucet decided to start leaking a few days ago. I decide to buy repair parts while we are in proximity of Salem since we’ll be there for three days………..I take the valve apart and discover the rubber seats have a chunk missing out of them. I use vaseline and coat the seals and put the valve back together……………. drip…..drip…..drip…..drip! The leak is worse! Jil is unhappy as the drip…drip…drip is driving her bananas. I don’t know who manufactured the faucet so I call Tiffin. Hello? Who made my faucet? Moen? OK, thanks for the info. I call a nation wide plumbing supply company and ask if they sell Moen faucet repair kits…….Maybe…… what you mean “maybe”…… well, it depends…… “depends” on what? Well you have to bring the parts in so we can match them.

Okie Dokie, so the plan is to stop on the way to Silverton since the shop is on the way. We MISS The turnoff! The exit to the street we wanted was not labeled as expected. Not Mission but Detroit Lakes. When we realized we missed the turnoff we went straight to Silverton. The next day I decide to head 16 miles back to Ferguson Plumbing Supply. I stay on country roads as far as possible. The place is located on the outskirts of Salem proper……. but I wind up in the friggin’ country! Must go back but now I’m sorta disoriented. I travel north to a street that I know is on the north side of the street I’m looking for and double back. I finally find THE street but traffic is backed up 1/2 mile between stop lights. CRAP. I went home.

So to make a long story a tad longer, I try to find pictures of the parts I need on the internet. I AM SUCCESSFUL! Moen faucet?……naw……..DELTA! Ferguson closed on Saturday….. Home Depot OPEN………. Home depot only has some some of the parts I need but I think they will stop the leak. I try to figure out how to get to Home Depot on Google Maps……… I decide to take Jil’s Smarty Pants phone with me with the maps app loaded up. THIS time the app works great. I find Home Depot fibbed and all of the parts I need are in stock. I’m outa there in no time. Back home I have the faucet apart and new parts installed in less than a 1/2 hour. No leaks YEA!

Tomorrow we are heading over the Cascade Range to another one of our Oregon fav’s, Bend. See you there!

August 16, 2019

 

We planned for a shorter drive today of about 150 miles. Our hope was to contact an old friend that had relocated to the Eugene Oregon area. I called his phone number but the lady who answered didn’t know him nor his wife. I cross checked the number with other information and I did have the number listed. Too bad, we would have really liked to visit with him and his wife. Hadn’t seen him for 5 years.

We are getting pretty s……t full of the wildfire smoke. It had been lying in the Truckee meadows for a month and now that we have started our journey the smoke has followed us. It’s thick, yellow brown yuck which is thick enough to hide the hills around Valley of the Rogue State Park. We depart and head north on I-5.

We travel past Rogue River, Grants Pass, Wolf Creek and a bunch of other small communities that the interstate has bypassed. We go over a couple of passes. Although the climb is rather steep and lengthy neither pass is over 2000 feet in elevation. The pine forest becomes more lush as we climb in elevation. The road takes us through steep sided rocky canyons.

Our first stop is the appropriately named community of Canyonville. The town is historically significant as the 3rd oldest town in Oregon. It’s location between mountain passes was an ideal layover location for pioneers traveling the difficult Applegate Trail. More recently it was nothing more than a wide spot in the road with an oddly located and out of place multistory seniors housing community prominently placed next to Interstate 5.

And then a casino was built somewhat recently- the Seven Feathers Casino Resort. In 1992 the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Indians opened the Cow Creek Bingo Hall which in now the Seven Feathers Casino Resort. Then the lovely Seven Feathers RV Resort was built on the other side of the interstate, and then the Seven Feathers Travel Stop. Today the travel stop features a large auto fueling station, a 6 bay big rig fueling station with associated huge big rig parking area, a market and food for the famished. This little town of 1900 folks have a good thing going for it!

So we have a rig with a 100 gallon fuel tank. I’ve fueled the rig a few times but never topped it off. The fuel gauge shows between 1/2 and 3/4 of the 100 gallon tank. We decide that the Travel Stop is a good place to fuel up- plenty of room for our rig in the big rig fueling area. The pumps will only take company credit cards so I go inside. The attendant asks how much I wanted to debit on my card. I figured with the price of fuel and less than a half tank I’d get change from a $200 bill. Wrongo cowboy! I put 59.999 gallons of fuel out of in the beast and didn’t top it off. My $200 bill fits entirely into that fuel tank! Gads, I wonder how inaccurate the fuel gauge must be? Well, the fuel gauge needle goes about a 1/4 of a tank past the “F” mark. I really don’t want to find out where on the gauge that needle will be pointing when we run out of fuel………. There is a way to figure a 1/4 tank of fuel. The generator uses the same fuel source as the main engine but cannot access that fuel with the tank less than a quarter filled. So somewhere between a 1/2 and a 1/4 I will attempt to run the generator. When it refuses to run I will know that I have 1/4 tank of fuel or less. Or….. I could take the rig into a shop and have the fuel gauge calibrated for a bazillion dollars! NOT!

After fueling we continue on. We’d like to stop and let the dogs walk a little in a place a little nicer than a noisy asphalt sea surrounding a stucco island. We jump off the interstate and head into Myrtle Creek, pop. 3400. The town was established at the site of a mill in 1851. The mill site is now Mill Park, a grassy multiuse facility boasting a children’s play area, a swimming pool, a baseball field and an RV park. It’s a nice place to walk the mutzos. We leave town and head north passing Round Prairie and Green, driving through Roseburg, passing Wilbur, driving through Sutherlin, Rice Hill, Anlauf, Curtin, Comstock, Veatch, Latham, Cottage Grove, Creswell. Whew!

We turn right onto Oregon 58 in Goshen, travel a quarter of a mile to Deerwood Luxury RV Park, Eugene Oregon. We’ve been to this lovely park in the past and it’s beauty does not disappoint. We snuggle into a pull through spot, Jil fires up the washer and dryer, I fire up the Instant Pot and make a pot roast. Our dirty clothes are now clean and we no longer hunger.

Tomorrow we are going to Silverton Oregon which about 15 miles northeast of Salem, Oregon. See you there!

Wednesday, August 15, 2019

 

Last year we started our trip to the Great Lakes with skies a dirty yellow-brown in color. Heavy smoke at home from California wild fires filled the Truckee Meadows. As we headed north on US 395 the smoke did not subside. Driving east to Ontario, OR offered no relief. The air quality didn’t improve in McCall, ID when visiting with Jil’s brother and wife. Nope, not even in Whitefish MT did the air clear. We drove I-90 all the way through Montana and North Dakota where we finally found a little relief from the multiple wild fires burning in the Western States in Bismarck. Even there the rising and setting sun was awash with the tinge of smoke.

Well, guess what folks- it’s deja vu all over again! Smoke at home for over a month from multiple California wildfires. When the wind blows the smoke of one fire away it blows the smoke of another into Truckee Meadows. Everyone is pretty much done with the smoke here. As bad as the air quality is here we are much more fortunate than those who have lost homes and loved ones from those horrific fires. We pray for them, the firefighters as well as all first responders who put their lives on the line to save others lives and property.

Okee Dokes- We are headed via a circumnavigation route to again volunteer at the Bonneville Fish Hatchery in Cascade Locks, Oregon. Our friends the Parks are again occupying our place while we are away. We are planning to visit old haunts near the I-5 Corridor in Oregon, then visit relatives in Idaho before we head towards the hatchery where we start our stint on September 1. We left the Reno area on the 12th intending to overnight at the Lassen RV Park, McArthur CA. A phone call notified us of a new wild fire that has cut McArthur off from the south and caused a power blackout and loss of water supply to the entire community. Soooo, we overnight in Hat Creek at the Rancheria RV Park, nice park that is located on the edge of a ponderosa forest. Smoke is not too bad here.

 

The next morning we head northwest on Highway 89 past the town of Burney, then past Burney Falls State Park. We really wanted to stop at the falls but previous experience tells us that turning around 50 feet of hardware near the falls might prove unattainable during the camping high season- so we push on. We stop in the quaint town of McCloud. This town was founded on the lumber trade. The company had its own railroad that delivered lumber products and passengers via it’s own tracks to national rail companies. Although the lumber business had dried up the McCloud railroad still had provided tours as well as dinner trains for several years.

 

As we walk where the depot used to be we notice- NO DEPOT, not even the hint of a rail. The rail bed is still visible only because of how flat the bed needed to be. The McCloud Railroad locomotives and cars had been sold. I know one engine went to Garibaldi, OR and another back east to Ohio I believe. The third is now part of the Virginia and Truckee Railroad of historic Comstock Lode town Virginia City, NV.

 

Our next stop was preplanned weeks ago. We have less than a 100 mile drive to Abrams Lake Mobile Home and RV Park located just outside of the town of Mt. Shasta. Even though nothing special it offers about 15 full hookups on closely grouped gravel pads. It’s by no means a “resort”. Heck, most of the RV “resorts” where we’ve stayed aren’t either. We’ve stayed here several times because there are nice wooded areas to walk our mutzos, it’s off the main thoroughfare, quiet and offers some great views of the eleven thousand foot Mt. Shasta that looms nearby. Smoke is moderate through evening masking the great mountain in smokey haze. The morning of August 14 smoke is worse- the mountain that can be seen from 100 miles away is gone!  By the way, the small, privately owned lake is now dry. Shall we now call this place Abrams Mobile Home and RV Park or Abrams Dry Lake Mobile Home and RV Park?

This morning we headed to the next premeditated stopover. We haven’t camped at Valley of the Rogue State Park, Gold Hill OR for a few years. We really like this park as the campground is designed to provide adequate space between sites, and offers walking paths on the banks of the Rogue River. We really like the wide open spaces between camp groupings. So off we go into the wild brownish/yellow wonder!

The farther north we go the heavier the smoke gets. It’s particularly bad in and around Yreka. OK, since we are heading over Siskiyou Pass, the mountains should confine the California smoke to that state??? We crest Siskiyou Summit and head down towards the very smokey town of Ashland OR. Geez, the smoke isn’t any better here!

We were going to take the road less traveled to Valley of the Rogues S.P. but why, we can’t see anything clearly for the smoke. We head straight towards V of the R. on I-5. As we pull into the park the entrance station is closed- at 0945 in the morning! Wow, wonder what time they go to work? We arrive much earlier than the “official” 4pm check in time. Who in the world made a 4pm check in time policy? Geez!- so our site is still occupied. We pull into the gravel events parking lot and wait. An hour and a half later, about noon, our site is ready to occupy so we back in and set up. The Rogue Valley can be hot this time of year and this year is no different. The difference is hot, stagnant, smoke filled air. Yuck!

 

Folks, we have made online reservations weeks ago for this state park. The signage at the closed entrance station says to pick out a site and register at the kiosk located near the volunteer host campsite. It also says if one has a reservation to display proof in one’s windshield. We do that. Mr. RANGER knock, knock, knocks on the door setting the dual dog alarm off! BE QUIET matzos! Hello! Hi, I’m George, your head Ranger. You need to register at the entrance station ASAP. Why, we are pre registered with online registration. NO, that’s not good enough, you have to register at the entrance station. OK, but it was closed when we arrived. CHECK IN IS AT 4:00pm! and you were early! Sigh, OK I WILL DRIVE BACK THE ONE MILE AT THE POSTED SPEED LIMIT OF 15 MILES AN HOUR TO REGISTER A SECOND TIME EVEN THOUGH YOU HAVE OUR INFORMATION ON THE FRIGGIN’ CLIPBOARD THAT’S IN YOUR HAND! Back I go and get a tag to hang on each of my vehicles- neither of which will be checked at the closed entrance station…………

 

Deja Vu #2- Located two sites down from ours are two volunteer campsites. The volunteers hang out their name plaques in front of their sites. “Bob and Bridget Udall” hangs in front of a familiar Class A coach. Well I’ll be! We volunteered with Bob and Bridget six or seven years ago at Bullard’s Beach State Park on the southern coast of Oregon. What a small world…………….

 

More of Grants Pass’s Climate

took a little drive down past the town of Rogue River to the larger town of Grants Pass in order to do a little shopping at Fred Meyer. Fred is sorta like Wal Mart but a little more upscale. Fred sells practically anything- and has what we need.

Next we take the mutzos to Riverside Park, a municipal facility on the bank of the Rogue River. Our first Aussie loved to run here so much that with an absence of 2-3 years he would get excited as we drove into the parking lot. Next we took a walk downtown an hour before the stores opened, which is nice since the dogs can adjust to city traffic without causing a ruckus. We’ve included some photos of much of the sidewalk art for your pleasure.

Very Nice Mural on the Napa Auto Parts Building

 

 

I know, it’s been a while- a long while actually. Winter here in Reno and the Sierra Nevada Mountains was pretty mild Snow Totals by Month: January- 0″, February- 3.8″. The snow totals on the ski slopes weren’t much better and the climatologists worried. March- 19- the “Big Dump”. The upper slopes of the Sierra were thick with the white stuff. More than 10′ feet of snow at resort level made for happy skiers. Our home received 18″ of snow over 24 hours- wet, heavy snow! Our main water source, Lake Tahoe, was filled to the brim. Rivers overflowed during the spring runoff. All the reservoirs miraculously were filled. Another catastrophe averted……..

We were told by the locals when we moved to Reno that the worst feature of our community was the wind. Yep, it can whistle here with steady winds 20-30 mph or more and gusts can register as high as 70 mph. Howsomeever, SMOKE is the worst by far. We are east of the wonderful state of Kali-fornia and the prevailing winds blow smoke into our fair state. National Weather Service advisory- “SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT UNTIL 6AM PDT MON …PERIODS OF UNHEALTHY AIR QUALITY CONTINUE… SMOKE FROM FIRES IN CALIFORNIA WILL CONTINUE TO POUR INTO THE REGION. AREAS DOWNWIND FROM LARGE FIRES INCLUDING THE CARR FIRE NEAR REDDING, THE MENDOCINO COMPLEX NEAR CLEAR LAKE, THE DONNELL FIRE WEST OF SONORA PASS AND THE FERGUSON AND LIONS FIRES WEST OF MAMMOTH LAKES, WILL EXPERIENCE PERIODS OF POOR AIR QUALITY. * AREAS AT GREATEST RISK FOR UNHEALTHY AIR QUALITY ARE MONO, ALPINE, LASSEN, PLUMAS, SIERRA AND NEVADA COUNTIES”.

When the hills in Kali-fornia burn we know it. Our normal view is of the local Carson Range and Peavine Mountain which range in altitude from 8200′ to over 10,000′. Neither is more than 5 miles from our home. They are magnificent to view every day. This morning they have been hijacked! The smoke obliterates them from sight, with nary a silhouette peaking through the yellow brown smoke. Crap……. Bad for us but there’s a lot of folks who are suffering loss of homes and life from those fires. God bless ‘um.

This spring Jil was hell bent on raising vegetables. She started a couple dozen tomato and cucumber plants from seed. She first tended to the little seedlings inside as the nights were too cold. She moved them out when the weather was just right. She watered the bejesus out of them when the weather was too hot! Alas, she wound up with one cucumber plant (1 fruit so far), and two producing tomato plants. The rest of the plants were consumed by culinary experts- rabbits, squirrels, mice and birdies……. nuts!

Speaking of fauna we’ve had the normal spring proliferation of, yes, squirrels, and the cutest baby quail- and dove, the babies of which look just like their parent in miniature. We’ve had sightings of coyotes and deer within our neighborhood. Nothing unusual there. Folks have photographed bobcats sitting on their back yard fences- that’s somewhat unusual. Occasionally we have sightings of mountain lion but this spring we’ve had numerous sightings in and around our homes. Now that’s getting a little close for those big cats!

Our gardens are in full bloom and look beautiful. It’s easy to take care of our current yard as it’s a tenth of the size of our last one. So now that the garden is beautiful and the house is in ship shape what shall we do with ourselves? Let’s go traveling! Yes!

So this is the plan. We lock the house up mid-August. Our house guests/ house sitters unlock the place about 10 seconds after we leave. Jim and Nancy have stayed at our place a couple of times before while we travel. They used to live a couple of doors down and have many friends in our community. So we have peace of mind that our house is being looked after and they get to visit with friends while we are gone.

Were to go? We are traveling first to a few of our favorite haunts in Oregon then to Idaho to visit Jil’s bro. Then travel back to Oregon in order to volunteer and the Bonneville Fish Hatchery once again with our friends Jim, Connie and Rowdy too!

Until the next post of this blog- Happy Trails!