Homeward Bound

The photos were taken at the John Day Fossil Beds.



We left Lakeview yesterday because we couldn't stay any longer - the park was being filled by a group for the weekend. Not that I wanted to stay, but it meant I had to face some hazards I didn't want to face...mainly, possible wind conditions. I checked the weather conditions online to see what the weather was going to be. The wind was supposed to die down for Thursday travel.

As we were getting ready to leave yesterday morning, doing our regular safety check, I didn't have any brake lights or right turn signal. After another camper offered assistance, we determined that as the bulb wasn't burned out, perhaps it was another problem. We left the park and headed into Lakeview to the gas station to get some help. On the way out of the park I forgot my coffee cup and the wheel chock, so had to make a turn-around before we could drive the mile up the gravel road to the highway.

At the 76 station we asked for help about our lights, and we were directed to the Shell station about a mile up the road from the intersection. After a major traffic jam at the station, with me tying up space, and folks getting gas, we finally made it across the intersection to the road we were to take for help.

Behind the Shell station there was a small tire center and repair garage. The fellow there checked out all the circuits and fuses for the truck lights, and the connection to the trailer, and located the problem - one of the plugs in the "pigtail" power cord between the truck and the trailer was too far apart. With a minor adjustment, we had lights, and we were on our way - no charge for the trouble.

As we drove south along Rt. 395 I noticed that the wind seemed to be blowing stronger than the 10-15 mph the weather service advised online. For the next several hours we were buffeted by the wind, and finally, as it was getting stronger, I pulled into Susanville, CA for a spot to park for the night. The space was pricey (it was California, after all), and the park personality was nothing great - nice enough though.

This morning we pulled out of the park around 9:15 and went in search of a gas station as I had only 1/4 tank. After a drive through a Shell station with a telephone pole placed in such a way that I couldn't get into the station with the trailer (I tried, though!) and seeing the next station was full of vehicles, I wondered where I'd find gas. I headed out of town thinking that I'd find something in that direction, but when the signs said 36 miles of possible windy road, I turned back into town and headed to the other end in hopes of finding a gas station that would accommodate the trailer. Why is it that the gas stations are always on the opposite side of the street that you need it to be on?! Anyway, success, at last, and we were on our way.

The last time I was in Reno, NV the roads were still under construction, with narrow lanes blocked off by orange cones and concrete barricades - hardly enough room for two vehicles to pass each other. I was a little apprehensive about what I would find this time; however, the construction had been completed and getting through Reno and onto Interstate 80 was a piece of cake.

We had stopped briefly a little outside of Reno for a 'deserved break'(i.e., McDonald's). Getting into the parking lot was easy, although I had to back up a little to pull into the alley that served as the road to the gas station next door. After waiting for some young males, full of themselves, to gas up - and by the way, they pulled up to the gas pump and left their vehicle there while they went to the other restaurant next door to order pizza and get an order from Subway - THEN they pumped their gas! I also filled my tank and headed out of Dodge!!!

From there we had a very pleasant ride to Hawthorne, NV, taking the scenic route (Rt. 95A) out of Fernley, NV. We saw the autumn changes of color of the desert plants and grasses, the mountains and rock formations, and the reflections of the mountains in the waters of beautiful Lake Walker. We arrived in Hawthorne around 3:30, as Liz says 'grumpy time', although today it was her day to be grumpy - leg in a brace, pain, and sitting on the sunny side of the truck (finally it's HER turn!)

We're staying in a nice affordable park named Whiskey Flats RV park, with a pull through, so no backing in. We got here early enough to enjoy some of the wonderful warm weather and sunshine before the sun went behind the mountain. We sat outside and visited with our neighbor, getting valuable information about RVing, and we watched the little birds and the medium birds take turns drinking and bathing out of a puddle left from the morning's lawn irrigation. Tomorrow we'll get to Pahrump, where we will stay through Monday night.

Next, stand by for a report of the actual fun we've had on this trip!!! We'll try to think of something!

Yee Haw!!!

Well, we made it to southeastern Oregon today after a few glitches...Liz needed to refill several meds, so she called them into the Walgreen's in Medford so we could pick them up on our way. After thinking that the brake controller issue was finished, I called Caveman RV to see if they'd called the manufacturer about the questions we had about it. Tim called them and called me back - he'd adjusted it too tight, so I had to drive back to Grant's Pass to get it readjusted. I can finally say, I think everything is working as it should!

So around 12:30 we finally got on our way, and drove over Route 140 to within 10 miles of Lakeview. At about 5:00 p.m. all of a sudden we saw a sign! It said "turn here". Actually it said Junipers RV Resort. We just thought we'd check it out, and out, and out, because it was down a mile-long curvy gravel road. And then we saw it...home at last. Junipers is a very nice rural, and affordable, full service RV park that is 23 years old. It is part of a lease agreement that comes with the ranch lease, where the folks have 1,000 head of cattle. They summer in this area, and winter near Hawthorne, NV.

Right away we decided to take a nice, warm shower - the showers were roomy, well-lighted, and they had nice, soft white bath rugs and a chair to assist with dressing, and fresh, real flowers at the sinks. The park manager, Mary, said that the owners wanted to create an RV park, but had never RVed before. So they rented an RV and took notes about the different parks they visited, and then designed the park to reflect all the things they liked, and improved on the things they didn't like. The views are wonderful, and when the sun goes down, it's actually DARK!

We were going to drive into California tomorrow, and then down to Reno; however, it looks like the winds will be up between 15-25 mph. So we're going to stay another day and try to leave on Wednesday. Liz is still hurting from her fall, and her leg is very painful. So we'll just hang out tomorrow. We may have to stop again for her to go to the doctor.

I've attached a couple of pictures of the round barn we visited not too far from here, before we left for Seattle. It was built by Peter French who was hired by Mr. Glenn to build a cattle 'empire'. He married Mr. Glenn's daughter. The town of French-Glenn, OR was named after them. Architecturally, the barn is AWESOME!!!

Turning the Page

On Saturday we left Brookings, OR where we spent one night after traveling down the coast. The costline out of Coos Bay offers some great scenery and sights and smells of the ocean. Finally, we could be near the water! We stopped at a beach just south of Port Orford and walked in the sand, felt the sea breeze. It was a nice break.

Continuing to travel south, and after being stopped at the state line for produce possession, we drove through Crescent City, CA and into the Redwood National Forest, on the nice freeway that ends around Orick. Orick is a one gas station town with one pump just as you're leaving town. The 76 Station had been gone a long time, although its sign was still in place. On this day there was an extended line of vehicles waiting as each person pumped their own gas - not a fast pump, either! If you pay by credit card, there is a $1 service charge. I think we got spoiled in Oregon, where the gas is pumped for you, and most of the time you get your windshield cleaned.

We decided to drive through the forest going south, and then turn around to head back north to pick up the route to Grant's Pass, OR just north of Crescent City. On the turn-around we drove through Prairie Creek National Forest to experience the giant trees. The speed limit is 35 mph through the forest. We stopped only once to visit the "Big Tree", a huge old tree. The store/gas attendant in Orick told us there was also a group of trees that had grown 'corkscrewed' around each other that was pretty awesome; however, we didn't see it as it was on a trail, and we weren't in shape to walk that far.

As we were leaving the forest road and getting back onto the freeway, my trailer brakes were not working again. This was the second time since having the truck brakes fixed and the trailer brakes checked out. The day before, I stopped at an ocean view and had a hard time stopping, the truck brakes getting very hot, and with the telltale odor. Today (September 22) it happened again coming into Grant's Pass from where we spent two nights at Selmac Lake, about twenty miles from Grant's Pass.

We drove into a Wal Mart for food and I borrowed a phone book to call an RV dealer about doing some trouble shooting. I found a repair place, that also sells Lance campers, who gave me a 1:30 appointment. Finally the problem was found. The brake controller (the new one, and probably the old one, too) was wired incorrectly. The technician, Tim, at Caveman RV, did a complete check of all the systems, and also a road test. It was during the road test that the problem was discovered - the brake wire was also wired to the turn signals, causing there to be no brakes, especially when I was turning! Now we're hoping that the mis-wiring didn't damage the controller. Tim will contact the company tomorrow and if I need some warranty work, he can do it.

Tonight we are staying at Valley of the Rogue State Park near Rogue River, OR and not far from Grant's Pass on I-5. It's a beautiful park, one that Doc and I stayed at two years ago on our way to Canada.

Backing up, to a couple of days ago, we came back through Crescent City and stopped at McDonalds' for a very early 'dinner' - around three. We'd been on the road three hours. After our meal we headed back to Oregon. The drive toward Grant's pass on Rt. 199 was beautiful, and curvy, and narrow, and I'm developing some good trailer driving skills!!!

Around 5:00 p.m., about 20 miles outside of Grant's Pass, I saw a sign for an RV park and decided it was time to stop for the night. We drove about three miles off the road and ended up at Lake Selmac RV Resort. The parking spaces are pull-through's, under big pines - a lovely setting, with the lake across the street. It's a fisherman's place, but now that we're 'out of season' no one else was there and it was very quiet. We stayed there the past two nights.

We have developed quite a liking for saltwater taffy, and so far we've manage to put away about five pounds between us. It's great for snacks, and Liz thinks I need something sweet when it gets to be about 4:00 in the afternoon, and I get the grumpies! Well, now we've eaten all but the taffy she bought for her grandchildren...hope it makes it to Tucson!!!

Our plan is to drive to Lakeview, OR and then head south into northeastern California and down into Nevada. I want to be headed into Arizona by Oct. 1. Stopping somewhere different every night is hard with regard to hooking up and unhooking, so as we travel south we will probably stop for a couple of nights at a time, and try to have sites that are pullthroughs so we don't have to unhook.

Heading Back Toward "Home"

It's night in Coos Bay, Oregon, and the weather is cloudy and chilly - enough that we are planning to move away from the coast as soon as possible. We've been here four nights counting tonight, and we've enjoyed a nice seafood dinner at a local restaurant, two trips to the Super WalMart for supplies, lots of saltwater taffy, and shopping in the tourist gift shops. Tomorrow we head for the National Redwood Forest in Northern California, and begin our trek back to Tucson, going through Oregon, northeastern California, and Nevada.

We have both sustained crippling injuries that the weather seems to affect negatively. The real highlight of the last several days was driving an electric cart in WalMart because I'm having difficulty walking. They really are nice to ride on!!! I found people wanting to help me reach things so I didn't have to get out of the cart. Whatever I did to my back, I have some numbness and tingling now in my right thigh, and I'm finding it more difficult to walk because of pain down the back of my legs as well. As long as I'm sitting or lying down I am comfortable.

When I was in Seattle my brother-in-law Keith, who is a chiropractor, took X-rays. I learned a lot about my structure that I'd never known before. No one had ever taken an X-ray of my spine. I found out that I have scoliosis, and that my hips are rotated as well. No wonder I move the way I do! I also have some degeneration especially in the area of the scoliosis, which is between the middle of my back and my lower back - technically, T-9 to L2-3. As I don't have insurance, and as I am traveling right now, I will seek medical attention once I get to New Mexico in mid-October. The chiropractor in John Day gave me a referral for a chiropractor there.

I have attached a couple of photos now that I've learned how. One of them is Strawberry Peak in Grant County, Oregon (where John Day is). Another is from the Malheur Headwaters archaeological dig area on the first day, when the smoke from the California fires was drifting over Logan Valley in the Malheur National Forest. The flowers are Indian Paintbrush.

Oh, another thing about managing the trailer. When we arrived in Coos Bay we had a full tank of waste, and the plan was to dump it at our site that has a full hookup, with sewer. Well, it wouldn't come out of the tank. I ended up calling Rotor Rooter who came out to pump the tank out. Even though I left water and chemical in the tank while it was stored, apparently it evaporated, allowing the waste to dry out somewhat. Luckily my situation was easy to fix, and not terribly expensive this time - only $51.50.

So tomorrow we are heading for the redwoods and then some sunshine and warmer temperatures so we can wear our shorts again! The park we've been staying in is very nice - Midway RV Park on Arago Bay Highway. With my Passport America and Good Sam discounts we've spent $22 a night for full hookup and free wifi. It's a very nice park, and I would recommend it to anyone who is RVing in this area.

The Rest of the Story

I think that maybe we listened a little too much to the radio and Paul Harvey for this title! Not having posted for about six weeks, there's a lot to say, but that will have to be in some kind of retrospective...

Here, to catch up again is a summary of our adventures since completing our work in John Day.

Liz had to fly back to Tucson for some business the end of July, and was gone for a week. While she was gone I worked on the landscape plan for the house we were living in. The day before her return I was spraying weed killer on the weeds in the driveway, and did something to my back – I don’t know what. I just know that I could barely walk and after four visits to the John Day chiropractor with temporary relief, I have a major issue to overcome. Not having insurance is keeping me from aggressively pursuing treatment, and I don’t want to shorten this trip, so I’m trying to baby myself as much as possible. As long as I’m sitting or lying down, I’m not in pain – and that is a good thing!

We completed our volunteer “contract” with the Forest Service on August 29, and stayed over the Labor Day weekend, the last night staying in the trailer. I had received permission to leave the trailer in the Forest Service lot another week while we traveled to Seattle to see family – Liz’s uncle and cousins, and Doc’s sister and her husband, and his niece. I had been having some trouble with the truck’s brakes, and didn’t want to take the trailer to Seattle. Since I’d had brake work done by Midas before and had a warranty, I made arrangements to stop at the Midas in Kennewick, WA (the closest one to John Day) to have them looked at. It was another expensive repair, but the brakes work great now!!! Thank goodness for credit cards! We overnighted on Monday night at the Best Western there as my appointment was for Tuesday morning.

We had a great trip to Seattle. Liz’s uncle Wayne, approaching 90 years old, was a wonderful host, preparing his basement apartment for us, with food and necessities. We spent time visiting Liz’ cousins Suzanne and Barbara. Suzanne is an artist, working with watercolor, dance, yoga, and horses. Barbara is an artist working with beads, kids, grandkids, home repair, and dogs. Both very different and fun.

Liz and I had a chance to go down to the Pike Fish Market briefly – we took the bus from near Wayne’s house and we spent some time shopping at Nordstrom’s Rack store. After two days at Wayne’s I traveled south to Seatac to visit with Aley and Keith and Katie, leaving Liz to continue her visit with her family.

Keith and Aley are undergoing more changes now that they’ve been advised they will have to move out of their apartment. Keith’s chiropractic practice is growing slowly so there are more financial challenges there as well. Katie had been staying with them since moving from Chicago after they moved from Massachusetts. She’s gotten a job as a counselor, and finally found an apartment of her own. She moved in on Saturday, a move that created some relief on everyone’s part!

It was great to see all three of them. We had fun shopping in the bookstores, drinking pumpkin spice iced coffee from Starbuck’s, and I bought some new beads to work with (they were on sale) at a local bead store near the bookstore.

After the weekend, I drove back up to Seattle to get Liz so we could continue our trip down the Oregon coast. We drove back to John Day and stayed in the trailer. The next day we headed for the coast, spending the first night in Prineville, OR at the city park. It was an old park and I had some trouble ‘fitting in’ there. First I made a curve too short and found myself literally between a rock and a hard place. Luckily I stopped in time to not scrape the side of the trailer – only the sidewalls of the tires. Then, with the help of a couple of men (actually, too many) I managed to back into a long space for the trailer and the truck, outfoxing a rock and steep corner in order to maneuver the trailer into place. And through it all, I was a crank! Four o’clock in the afternoon is not the time to be pulling into a place for the night!!! I was rude to the men, and to Liz, shouting to her to “get out of the truck!” (to help me remove myself from the rock and hard place) – I’m learning a lot about myself that I wasn’t aware of before. And why is it always HOT on my side of the truck that time of day?!

We made it to the coast the next day, pulling into Newport and finding a spot for one night at the popular South Beach State Park. Still having problems communicating when parking, we did manage to back into the space we were assigned. We decided that we needed to rest somewhere for longer than a day at a time, so I called a couple of RV parks about staying three or four nights.

While I was in Seatac with Aley and Keith, Liz hurt herself when she walked out of a pair of newly purchased ‘wedgie’ shoes from a second-hand store (the shoes were a size too big, but they were ‘cute’), and fell onto her knee. She didn’t seek medical attention at the time. So as we were planning to ‘recuperate’ for the next few days, we spent a few hours in the Newport Hospital ER getting her knee x-rayed and treated before heading further south. It was a major bruise around the kneecap, but no breaks, thank goodness! So we’re just two crips trying to make the best of things.

Our most recent stop, from which we will leave tomorrow, September 15, is Darling’s RV Resort, about six miles south of Florence, OR. It is on a beautiful lake near the Dunes, a large geographic recreation area on the coast, where many like to drive their ATVs. This weekend there is the first old car show in Florence. (like ‘show and shines’ in Reno and other cities). We went there yesterday to look around in the Old Town area of Florence, where all the touristy things are. We also drove south to see if we could connect with the ocean; however, it’s all dunes and lakes for many miles. Perhaps when we get to our next place we’ll be able to walk on the beach.