Sunny and cool on the east side of the Cascade Mountains, raining and cold on the west side.
This morning we left the parking lot of the Wal-Mart in Omak and drove across the street to Exxon where we refilled with diesel, then dumped our grey waste holding tank and refilled our freshwater tank, the use of the sani-dump facility being free with a fuel fill up. We drove about five miles south on Hwy. 97 to Okanogan then turned west on Hwy. 20.
I had decided a few days ago that I wanted to drive from Hwy. 97 west on Hwy. 20 over the Cascade Mountains, through North Cascades National Park to Interstate 5 at Burlington, about an hour north of Seattle. So ... that's what we did today. It's a route we have not travelled before. It's a high mountain pass with a lot of snow, so the road is closed from late November until late April. Early November was our only chance to drive this route.
We stopped a number of times today to enjoy the lovely scenery. including going on a short hike to the Washington Pass Summit overlook at an elevation of 5477 feet ASL. BRRRRR ... cold at 34 degrees F. / 1 degree C. with snow on the ground. After our short, cold hike we had lunch in the camper in the trailhead parking lot.
From Omak to the Washington Pass Summit it was uphill and sunny. From Washington Pass to Interstate 5 it was downhill, cloudy and raining all the way. We know from previous experience ... and from where we chose to live in the summer ... that the east side of the Cascades at this time of year is still sunny and dry, while the west side is ... wet !
We arrived at Interstate 5 at 5 PM, just as it turned dark. We turned south on I-5 and drove about another half hour to Tulalip Casino near Marysville. The objective was to boondock there overnight, have a nice dinner in their buffet restaurant, and enjoy tonight's free Beatles tribute band show in their cabaret. Well ... two out of three ain't bad ! HA HA HA !
Tulalip Casino is huge and glitzy, rivalling many of the Las Vegas casinos. Their buffet restaurant was very good, although not cheap. After dinner we went into the cabaret lounge to see the Beatles tribute band. Before we even found seats we decided not to stay. I spent the next couple of hours seated comfortably in an overstuffed chair in the hallway of their banquet room area, using the casino's free Wi-Fi to get some online work done, but mostly to be plugged into electricity to recharge my computer and cell phone.
Monday ; Marysville to I-5 Mile Marker 11 Rest Area, Washington
Chilly and raining all day.
We left the Tulalip Casino this morning and before we even got back to the nearby Interstate 5 we found a Bank of America. WOO-HOO ! We were both eager to get rid of the large amount of U.S.$ cash that Joanne has been carrying around in her purse since we left home. We deposited the cash and got back onto I-5 continuing south. About fourteen miles south of the casino we stopped at a freeway rest area to dump our waste holding tanks and refill our freshwater tank. The size limitations of the truck camper's holding tanks make it desirable to dump our grey tank and refill our freshwater tank on a daily basis. And many of the rest areas in Washington have excellent
sani-dump stations ; spacious entry and exit, sewer inlets and water spigots in good condition, sometimes multiple lanes so no waiting.
After dumping and refilling we continued south on I-5 to and through Seattle and Tacoma. < sigh > Very stressful driving. The freeway passes right through downtown Seattle. And as is usually the case with freeways in urban areas, the city drivers lack courtesy and freeway driving skills. And now ... I'm seeing more and more drivers texting on their cell phones while driving at freeway speeds ! Without a doubt, the most dangerous thing we do in our lives is drive on American freeways in urban areas.
We stopped for lunch at another rest area. We refilled with diesel at a Pilot Travel Center near Tumwater. Really ? Tumwater ? They should just rename it "Middle Of Nowhere". We decided to stop for the night just a few minutes before it got dark at 5 PM, at Gee Creek Rest Area eleven miles north of the Washington / Oregon border and the city of Portland. Joanne did not want to arrive in Portland, in the dark, at the end of rush hour traffic.
Tuesday ; I-5 Mile Marker 11 Rest Area, Washington to McMinnville, Oregon
Cold and raining in the morning, slowly clearing by late afternoon.
Today was a long, tiring, frustrating day, most of it spent shopping in Portland, Oregon.
The morning started with Sully puking all over the bed and Joanne and himself. < sigh > Before leaving the Interstate rest area we dumped the grey tank and refilled the freshwater tank ... working in the cold rain. You know how much I hate that ! We continued south on I-5 until reaching Interstate 205, somewhat the "perimeter highway" / "ring road" around Portland. We travelled east and south on I-205 crossing over the Columbia River from Vancouver, Washington to Portland, Oregon. We turned east on Interstate 84 heading for Trader Joe's, Harbor Freight, and Camping World in the northeast section of Portland.
When I was online searching for Trader Joe's in Portland a few weeks ago, the online map did not reveal that the Trader Joe's location was in an older neighbourhood of Portland, with narrow streets, and a small, congested store parking lot. Manoeuvering around and parking with a 9 foot wide, 24 foot long truck and camper was extremely difficult. We spent $87 at Trader Joe's, buying nothing essential. HA HA HA ... we LOOOOOVE indulging ourselves at Trader Joe's, buying exotic / gourmet / unusual foods, including snack food items and pet foods and treats. Like Trader Joe's cat food. Ingredient list ; tuna ! Hope Sully lives long enough to eat all the cans I bought today !
From Trader Joe's we found our way to Harbor Freight, to buy a small generator, to replace the one that died last spring. Unfortunately, the generator was not on sale today at the price that I wanted to pay, but ... I got a flyer that indicated it would be the price that I want, on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. So ... we're not going to have a generator for this trip south, but ... life goes on !
We stopped at a Safeway to have lunch in the camper in the parking lot, then refill with diesel at their fuel bar. From there we found our way to Camping World, a location where we have been before, so it was easy to find ... unlike Trader Joe's and Harbor Freight. I needed four items at Camping World. I got one ! HMPH !
By the time we were finished at Camping World it was after 4 PM. Less than an hour until dark, but no further errands to do in Portland, so ... we hit the road. Rush hour traffic ! ! ! We headed west into Portland on Interstate 84, then southwest through Portland on Hwy. 99W. It was dark by 5 PM, as expected. We made it out of Portland and to McMinnville where we stopped at 5:30 PM to spend the night in a Wal-Mart parking lot.
Wednesday ; McMinnville, Oregon
HMPH ! Spent half the day waiting for a ****ing tow truck ! Haven't had to do that for years ! Not since we bought this Dodge truck 8½ years ago ! Awfully good thing
I renewed my Good Sam Roadside Assistance membership yesterday at Camping World in Portland !
After a slightly slow start to the morning we went into the Wal-Mart and did a bit of tax free shopping. After shopping we did an obedience session with Bo at the far end of the Wal-Mart parking lot where we had boondocked overnight, and which was mostly empty. Shopping and obedience finished, it was time to go. I turned the key in the truck, and ... nothing ! < sigh >
I walked over to the Meineke Car Care Centre next door and persuaded the manager to allow one of his service technicians to come over with his pickup truck and attempt a jump start. Didn't work ! I walked over to a tractor trailer unit parked in the Wal-Mart parking lot, driver eating lunch, and persuaded the driver to come over with his big rig and attempt a jump start. Dodge trucks with Cummins diesel engines with two batteries are hard to jump start, and need a real powerful booster vehicle. I thought a tractor trailer unit would suffice. It didn't ! < sigh >
I phoned Good Sam Roadside Assistance. They arranged for a tow truck. It didn't arrive until two hours later. While we were waiting I had walked over to Meineke Car Care and discussed the situation with them, and decided that there wasn't a snowball's chance in hell that the truck problem would be identified and rectified today, SO ... < sigh > ...
I decided that the smartest thing to do would be to remove the camper from the truck before the tow truck's arrival.
Joanne and I detached the camper and raised it up high enough to allow the truck to be pulled out from underneath it. AND ... we squabbled and sniped at each other a lot. Stress ! ! ! The tow truck finally arrived, and after discussing the situation with the tow truck driver, we decided to attempt another jump start. I was not yet convinced that the problem was with the starter or alternator or solenoid or something other than the batteries. We connected the tow truck's powerful booster cables and ... VROOOOOM ! The truck started ... no problem !
You would think that would almost be the end of the story. NOOOOO ! ! ! I drove the truck out from underneath the camper and drove the 200 feet or so over to Meineke Car Care. By the time they were able to begin testing the batteries a few minutes later ...
I had not shut off the engine ... the batteries and engine were warm AND ... < sigh > ... the batteries tested as "okay". As did the starter and the alternator and solenoid. Their diagnostics indicated "no problem".
Well, fellas ... obviously there is a problem ... you just haven't found it yet. I told them there was no sense in me taking the truck away, putting the camper back on, and ...
not being able to start the truck again tomorrow morning. They agreed to keep the truck overnight and test everything again first thing tomorrow morning when it's cold.
Given how quickly the tow truck boost was able to start the truck, I'm convinced that the problem is the two batteries in the truck. They are 44 months old, guaranteed for 85 months, so should not yet be "dead". BUT ... < shrug > ! ! ! They are Interstate brand batteries. Meinieke is an Interstate battery dealer. But they won't / can't process a warranty claim on my two batteries if their testing indicates they are okay.
Stay tuned !
I spent another hour at Meineke Car Care, until they closed, sitting in their customer waiting area, working on my computer plugged into their electricity, recharging my computer battery. I certainly miss having a small generator with us. Joanne and I went walking around the neighbourhood which was wall to wall shopping malls. I browsed at O'Reilly Auto Parts, planning to return there tomorrow for some items I want to buy tax free in Oregon, and ... maybe two new batteries for the truck ! We went into Safeway and bought a few grocery items. We went into Wal-Mart ( again ) to buy a pack of AAA batteries. Late in the evening we wandered over to KFC to have supper.
Thursday ; McMinnville to Grand Ronde, Oregon
Well ... as travel problems go, this truck dead batteries crisis could have been a lot worse, all things considered.
Chilly and raining for most of the day.
After a fitful night I was up by 7:30 AM and by 8:15 AM I was walking across the street from the Wal-Mart parking lot to the Meineke Car Care Center. They had already tested the truck's two batteries. Yup ... deader than doorknobs when cold in the morning. They had already phoned the local Interstate battery factory representative and he was on his way down. He arrived by 8:30 AM, and when he reviewed Meineke's test results, he authorized a warranty claim on the truck's two batteries. They were purchased 44 months ago, and were guaranteed for 85 months, so I had to pay 44/85 of the cost of two new batteries. Fair enough !
While the new batteries were being installed I was in the customer waiting area working online using Meinieke's free Wi-Fi. After checking e-mail I went to the Spirit Mountain Casino website to check on Penn & Teller tickets. For the entire month of October I had been checking the website daily to see if any tickets became available for this Saturday's long ago sold out show. And ... lo and behold ... a week ago I got a ticket. Just one ! Since I had some time to kill, and Wi-Fi access, I checked again this morning.
HOLY SHIT ! TWO SEATS TOGETHER JUST BECAME AVAILABLE ! ! !
I phoned the casino's box office as quickly as I could. Not that quick, given my ineptitude with my new cell phone ! I couldn't just buy the two tickets online because
I wanted to exchange the one ticket I had already bought. It was a lengthy ( and subsequently rather expensive ... we use a pay by the minute cell phone ) phone call, and a complicated process of exchanging one ticket for another, and buying another, but ... WOO-HOO, WOO-HOO, WOO-HOO ...not only am I going to see Penn & Teller on Saturday night, but ... Joanne will be sitting right beside me ! ! !
When the two truck batteries were replaced and I was leaving Meineke Car Care Center, the rain mercifully and briefly stopped. Just long enough for me to drive quickly from Meineke to Wal-Mart ... a few hundred feet ... and position the truck underneath the camper with the bed of the truck still dry. I had been very concerned about replacing the camper into the truck with the bed of the truck wet from the rain.
We got the camper reinstalled ... it was already raining again by the time we were finished ... and we finally left the McMinnville Wal-Mart parking lot. As we drove through McMinnville we made a few stops to continue our Oregon tax free shopping. First stop was O'Reilly Auto Parts where I bought a few items. Joanne noticed a propane supply business as we drove through town so we pulled in to refill. One of our tanks ran out the first night after we left home. The truck camper's old, horizontal mount, horizontal fill propane tanks need to be refilled by an actual propane supply business. The high school kids typically employed by service stations and convenience stores and other places where propane tanks can typically be refilled do not understand the peculiarities of the camper's propane tanks. So by now, the second tank was already half empty.
I refilled both tanks. AND ... we refilled our freshwater tank from the water spigot on the rear of the propane supply building. Last stop in McMinnville was Walgreens to buy some AA and AAA batteries which are always on sale at Walgreens the first week of November.
We left McMinnville heading southwest on Hwy. 99W, and continued ( in pouring rain ) southwest on Hwy. 18 to Grand Ronde, only about 30 miles / 50 km. or so from McMinnville. We arrived at Spirit Mountain Casino in time to have a late lunch in their RV parking area.
Spirit Mountain Casino has a wonderful "RV park" with many large pull through, unserviced ( boondocking ) sites, and an easy access, well maintained sani-dump station and adjacent freshwater refill station. One could live here ( for free ) quite comfortably ! While I showered Joanne went into the casino to join the player's club, enabling us to stay in the RV park ( and use the sani-dump station ) for three nights for free. After she returned we dumped the waste holding tanks ( overdue ! ) and refilled the freshwater tank again. I had taken a needed and deserved, long, hot shower !
I did a minor repair on the truck camper, and spent time on the computer updating truck maintenance records and credit card accounting. We took Bo for a brief walk while it wasn't raining. While Joanne prepared dinner I went into the casino to work on the computer, plugged into electricity to recharge the battery. < sigh > Surely do miss having that small generator !
Friday ; day trip to Tillamook, Oregon
Sunny and mild. Finally ... a pleasant weather day !
Well ... HMPH ! So much for "professional installation" ! What atrocious workmanship at Meineke Car Care Center in McMinnville, Oregon ! ! ! This morning when I was doing routine preventive maintenance and fluid checks on the truck I discovered ... three of the four battery terminal clamps were tightened appropriately, and one of the four was left completely loose. As if the service technician got distracted and forgot to do the last clamp. AND ... one of the battery's hold down clamps was installed ever so slightly misaligned, while the other battery's hold down clamp was installed ...
< sputter > ... upside down ... AND ... with no nut underneath the bolt ! ! ! ! !
I absolutely hate paying auto repair shop labour rates for work done that carelessly and indifferently ! ! ! ! !
This morning we were thrilled to see sunlight as we were planning a day of exploring. We dumped the waste holding tanks, refilled the freshwater tank, and headed out to explore back roads and Tillamook. We drove northwest on Hwy. 22 towards Oregon's Pacific coast, about 30 miles / 50 km. or so from Spirit Mountain Casino. Hwy. 22 was a scenic winding road through forest. When we came upon a fish hatchery at Cedar Creek we stopped to look around and / or have a tour. There was only one employee today at the salmon and trout hatchery operated by the State of Oregon, and she was too busy to give us a tour, but invited us to wander around by ourselves. While we were doing that, she came over and gave us a large bucket of fish food to feed to the Rainbow Trout in one of the concrete ponds. HA HA HA ... it was fun feeding the trout. And by watching them feed, I was able to learn something about their feeding habits that may help me with my fly fishing next summer.
We continued on Hwy. 22 until reaching Hwy. 101, the road that follows the Pacific coastline. We turned north and drove about another 30 miles / 50 km. or so to Tillamook. Spent a week near Tillamook in 2005 getting the transmission replaced on our previous truck. First stop today was Tillamook Cheese Factory. Our late lunch consisted of sampling cheeses and sharing a five scoop sampler bowl of ice creams. We bought some cheese curds, salad dressing, and a couple of small tubs of yoghurt.
Next stop was Blue Heron French Cheese Company, makers of Brie cheese. We sampled cheeses, dips, jams, salad dressings, barbecue sauces, and ... wines. We bought some smoked Brie cheese and another salad dressing.
I stopped at O'Reilly's Auto Parts to buy some automatic transmission fluid. We bought some groceries at Fred Meyer's. By then it was getting dark. GEEEEEZ ... where did the day go ? ! ? We left Tillamook and drove south on Hwy 101 past the turnoff to Hwy. 22 and continued south to Hwy. 18, a route that we hoped would be easier to drive in the dark than the narrow, twisty Hwy. 22. It was ! We returned to Spirit Mountain Casino for a second night of boondocking. While Joanne prepared supper I went into the casino to use my computer plugged into electricity to keep the battery charged.
What a nice day we had !
Saturday ; Spirit Mountain Casino
Sunny and mild again. How nice !
We slept late this morning. After morning chores we drove over to the sani-dump station to dump and refill. We squabbled viciously. Smartly, we kept it relatively brief. We went to the casino for a very late lunch / very early dinner in the buffet restaurant. Very nice ! We wandered through the Saturday "Marketplace", a weekly Native arts and crafts fair at the casino. I bought a lip balm stick made of beeswax and lavender. I also bought a small package of dried sage with a small seashell in which to burn the sage, a "travelling sage smudge" kit. We walked over to the resort hotel attached to the casino and I used a computer and printer in their Business Center to print my new Penn & Teller tickets for tonight's show. That had been suggested to me by the ticket agent on the telephone the other day, saving me a bit of time tonight and the $2 per ticket box office pick up fee. Thank you, Nicole. I returned to the Business Center late in the afternoon to work on my computer, plugged into electricity, and using Wi-Fi. I uploaded my weekly journal up until yesterday to my blog, needing to add only today ... tomorrow.
I have somewhat mixed emotions about the Penn & Teller show. I expected ... "bigger" ... more "glitzy". More ... WOW ! Perhaps their Vegas show, in their own theater at the Rio, would be "bigger" ... more "glitzy" ? On the other hand, I have great admiration for the "purity" of their magic, the "simplicity" of their magic. No smoke, no mirrors, no laser lights, no loud music, no scantily clad assistants. Just Raymond Teller's superb sleight of hand skills. And Penn Jillette's showmanship. And most impressive in this day and age of magic ... no mirror box routines. I dislike how much contemporary magicians employ mirror box routines.
And as an amateur magician, it gives me great consolation to realize that even at their astounding level of magic show ... a "muffed" routine or two is going to happen. Just "step over it" and keep going !
DSK
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