Cold and windy, especially along the coast, intermittent rain.
This morning as we were dumping our waste holding tanks and refilling our freshwater tank prior to leaving Spirit Mountain Casino we were debating whether to drive west to Hwy. 101 and follow the Oregon Pacific coastline or drive east and return to
Interstate 5. I wanted to explore the coast if the weather was good, return to I-5 if the weather was bad. In the short duration of dumping and refilling ... perhaps ten minutes or so ... it was both ! I decided that since we were this close to the coast, it would be a shame not to explore. So ... we headed west. And regretted it soon thereafter !
We drove southwest on Hwy. 18 to the Pacific coast at Lincoln City, then drove south along the coast on Hwy. 101, stopping frequently to view the rugged coastline. BUT ... it was cold, it was very windy, and it was raining. Not all that enjoyable ! We detoured briefly to view Chinook Winds Casino. We refilled our five gallon water jug in Lincoln City. We had a lunch break in one of the many Oregon State Park roadside picnic / rest areas along the coast.
By Newport I had had enough of the coastal weather and we turned inland / east on Hwy. 20 to Corvallis where we refilled with diesel, then continued southeast on Hwy. 34 until it reached Interstate 5. The rest of the day driving south on I-5 was in much better weather, still cloudy and intermittently raining lightly, but warmer temperature and no more wind. Shortly after it became dark at 5 PM we stopped to boondock overnight at a freeway rest area just 10 miles or so north of the SKP park where we want to be tomorrow.
Monday ; Cabin Creek Rest Area to Timber Valley SKP RV Park, Sutherlin, Oregon
Cold, cloudy, gloomy in the morning, sky clearing in the afternoon.
This morning when Joanne walked the dog she saw at least three different types of mushrooms in the woods. So ... before we left the rest area we went mushroom hunting with the Mushroom Hunter guide book she bought me as a birthday gift. None of the three types of mushrooms we found were edible, but ... it was certainly an interesting exercise to identify them, and determine that they were not edible.
We drove only about ten miles south on Interstate 5 before reaching the small city of Sutherlin. At Napa Auto Parts I bought the hardware ( nuts, bolts, washers ) I needed to reinstall the truck batteries' hold down clamps. We found our way to Timber Valley SKP Park and checked in. Dumped our grey tank, refilled our freshwater tank, and found a nice site in their unserviced ( boondock ) area. While Joanne prepared lunch
I reinstalled the truck batteries' hold down clamps ... correctly ! I should have known better than to lift the hood of the truck in an SKP park. Within seconds an old man ... and his dog ... were beside me, wanting to peer over my shoulder ( the old man ) and become my new best friend ( both old man and dog ).
After lunch we went to the clubhouse where Joanne did laundry and I worked online, posting my weekly blog entry, checking e-mail, recharging my laptop's battery, recharging the cell phone's battery, downloading recent photos from the camera to the laptop and processing them.
Late in the afternoon, just before it got dark, we were just getting ready to do a fun obedience training session with Bo when ... WAIT ! What the hell is that ? ? ? A half dozen or so ... wild turkeys ? ? ? Roaming through the RV park ? ? ?
Tuesday ; Remembrance Day in Canada, Veteran's Day in U.S.
LEST WE FORGET !
Sutherlin, Oregon to Welcome Center Rest Area on California side of Oregon / California border
Sunny and cool, becoming mild.
This morning we prepared for departure, dumped our waste holding tanks, refilled our freshwater holding tank, then observed Remembrance Day with a minute of silence on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, followed by Joanne's recitation of the poem In Flanders Fields. We were standing at the base of a grassy, treed hill near the entrance to Timber Valley SKP RV Park, facing the sun ... remembering those who served and sacrificed.
We drove south on Interstate 5 to the small city of Winchester where we stopped to view the glass walled viewing area of the fish ladder of the dam on the North Umpqua River. We didn't see any fish using the ladder to migrate upstream today, but what an interesting concept.
We continued south on I-5 to Grants Pass where we stopped to buy some groceries at a Fred Meyer, then had lunch in the grocery store's parking lot, then refilled with diesel at their fuel bar. HMPH ... must have lost my truck work gloves the last time I refilled with diesel. We went shopping at DollarTree at a nearby mall to complete our Oregon tax free shopping list.
We continued south on I-5. We saw a Harbor Freight in Medford, so I took the next exit and went to Harbor Freight to replace the work gloves I keep in the truck to wear when I'm refilling with diesel. More south on I-5 until we reached the Oregon / California border at 5 PM as it became dark. We stopped to boondock overnight at the California Welcome Center Rest Area. I think we've boondocked overnight here at least twice before.
Wednesday ; California Welcome Center Rest Area to Dunnigan, California
Sunny and cool this morning, becoming mild in the afternoon.
We had gone to sleep early last night, so we woke earlier than usual this morning. So we were on the road earlier than usual. So we drove more miles today than usual. I'm tired of cold weather. We know from previous experience that we usually find warmer weather as soon as we are over the Shasta Mountains, and reach Redding, California. And so it was today.
Because we got up early, and started driving early, I took a brief nap after lunch. We stopped for fuel at Pilot near Dunnigan, just a bit north of Sacramento, at 5 PM as it got dark. We decided to boondock overnight at Pilot.
Thursday ; Dunnigan to Coarsegold, California
Cloudy, mild, occasional light drizzle. Today was a very long, tiring, frustrating day of having everything that could have gone wrong ... did so ! Nothing serious, just frustration and annoyance, one thing after another, all day long ! Is it just me ? Or are Southern Californians getting even more obnoxious and stupid ? ! ?
We left Pilot this morning and continued heading south on Interstate 5. As we entered the suburbs of Sacramento from the north ... endless shopping malls ... we got off the freeway to shop at Wal-Mart and Dollar Tree. On the south side of Sacramento, at Manteca, we crossed from Interstate 5 to Hwy. 99 using Hwy. 120. Continuing south on Hwy. 99 we stopped in Stockton to buy some dog food at PetsMart. WOO-HOO ... Bo's first shopping trip in over six months. Bo LOOOOOVES shopping at PetsMart.
At Madera we left the freeway to head east on Hwy. 143, then north on Hwy. 41 up into the Sierra Nevada Mountains near Yosemite National Park. Our plan was ... if we arrived before the office was closed, we would check into SKP Park Of The Sierras near Coarsegold. If we were late, and the office was closed, we would continue a mile further and boondock overnight at Chukchansi Casino. About an hour before it got dark it was obvious that we would not arrive at SKP Park Of The Sierras before their office was closed. Joanne decided that it would save us some time tomorrow if we drove past the casino and another ten miles to Oakhurst to do some grocery shopping tonight.
As we drove past the Chukchansi Casino ... HUH ? ? ? Temporarily closed ? ! ? We drove into Oakhurst, did some grocery shopping at Vons, then drove back towards the casino and SKP park near Coarsegold. We verified that the casino was indeed closed, then parked outside the SKP park's gate to boondock overnight. They have a boondock parking spot outside their security gate for late arrivals.
Friday ; SKP Park Of The Sierras
Sunny and mild. This morning we checked into SKP Park Of The Sierras for a week and got set up in our assigned site. What a beautiful RV park. If we were Americans,
I would choose this place as our summer home.
This afternoon I did more work on our two new truck batteries. I removed, adjusted, and reinstalled a couple of the battery terminal clamps that I was dissatisfied with. I spray cleaned the battery terminal clamps, and ... short circuited the truck's alarm system. The horn began honking and the lights began flashing. And I couldn't get them to stop. Neighbours from all around began to show up, as vehicle alarms in SKP RV parks are usually considered to be emergency calls for help. Starting the truck did not stop the alarm. I had to finally open the fuse panel and remove the horn's fuse to stop the honking. < sigh >
I drove over to this park's "pole barn", the vehicle service garage and woodworking / tools / maintenance shop. I changed the truck's fuel filter, and sprayed protectant coating on the adjusted and newly cleaned battery terminal clamps. I dropped off an empty propane tank at the park's propane refill station. Big RV park, lots of amenities and services within ! We drove over to the clubhouse, parked and ... WOO-HOO, WOO-HOO, WOO-HOO ... thought Bo .... went to the daily "dog party" in the dog park. Bo LOOOOOVES being here because of the daily "dog parties". We ... and Bo ... renewed old friendships and made new ones. We were saddened to learn that one of our friends here has suffered a stroke recently and is in the hospital. We will go to visit her tomorrow.
After the dog party we went into the clubhouse for the weekly Friday afternoon social hour and appetizer potluck dinner. MMMMM ! ! ! We spent quite awhile visiting then returned to our site and hooked up the camper to the cable TV outlet on our site and watched TV for the remainder of the evening. Other than testing the TV to ensure functionality this is the first time we've watched the camper's TV in the eleven months that we've owned the camper.
Saturday ; Oakhurst, California
Sunny and mild.
This morning we went with our Yuma neighbours Joe and Ailene ... who also own a lot here ... to Oakhurst to visit with Diane, another friend who resides here, and is currently in a rehabilitation hospital in Oakhurst. She recently suffered a stroke ( at age 85 ). Diane's recovery is progressing, but she has a very long way to go. I'm doubtful that she will be able to return to living here independently. Our friendship with Diane began, and has continued over the years, at the daily dog parties here at SKP Park Of The Sierras. She obviously misses her two dogs who are currently being "foster" cared for by a neighbour. We promised to visit Diane again before we leave here, and to bring Bo along to visit with her.
Joe and Ailene treated us to lunch at a pizza buffet restaurant in Oakland. We ate lunch and chatted for a couple of hours before returning to SKP Park Of The Sierras. Thank you for lunch, Joe and Ailene, and for taking us to visit with Diane.
In the middle of the night I got up to use the bathroom. When I turned on the camper's water pump switch ... it broke ! So ... there I was at 4 AM, trying to disassemble the monitor and switch panel in the range hood, and "hot wire" the water pump switch, using a kitchen knife as a tool. I succeeded, but not before Joanne woke up, wondering what the hell was I doing ? ! ? Before we returned with Joe and Ailene from Oakhurst
I went to O-Reilly's Auto Parts and Radio Shack looking for a replacement 12 volt rocker switch. I did not find the exact right switch, but did buy a larger switch at Radio Shack to use temporarily. Because the switch I bought is physically larger than the original, it will not snap into the hole in the range hood, so it is hanging by its wires in front of the range hood switch hole. Like a Mexican repair job ! HA HA HA !
After returning from Oakhurst I puttered around briefly with some maintenance work on the camper then we went to the daily dog party. What a lot of fun for all concerned, dogs and people alike. We spent about an hour and a half in the dog park chatting with friends, playing with dogs and "loving up" dogs. And breaking up one dog fight, which Bo wisely chose not to get involved in. Good dog, Bo. In the evening I worked on the computer while Joanne lay in bed watching TV, cuddled with Sully and Bo ... under Sully's "heater blankie".
DSK
No comments:
Post a Comment