The Oregon Coast Completed: Gorgeous!
Since our last post, Sunday at the icky campground, we have had nothing but lovely camping experiences! We are now home and, for whatever reason, I just cannot write as well about camping when I'm sitting in my living room. Can't seem to conjure up the experience. (Maybe I should go up to the coach and write from there? I actually did do that once, when the septic service guy was in the backyard. I took the laptop and the dog up to the coach and worked up there. Awesome to have a "remote office.") But, today is Thursday, and that means all morning at the gym, which we need to do. We did do a good bit of hiking, including 2.5 hours of strenuous hiking at our favorite place in Oregon--Cape Blanco--but we were not good about keeping up with yoga or strength training. Gotta work on that since we will be embarking on a 2-month trip soon. But, I digress. Here's the recap (along with apologies for the several blurry iPhone photos. Wonder if that little lens is dirty? Must check....)
Sunday
Got out of the icky campground early. No showers, just fleeing. Drove down the coast, which just kept getting prettier and prettier. Stopped at many places along the way, including Cape Foulweather, so named by Captain Cook, the English explorer who sailed up this way in 1778. 100 mph winds are apparently not uncommon.
We also got to play on the enormous sand dunes in the national recreation area. It's a unique sensation to walk down a steep sand dune. If you lead with your heel, you create the feeling of "steps" and can securely march down. If you don't, well, we did see a lot of scooting marks down the sand (!).
Lots of lighthouses, too.
A great lunch stop in Bandon, where you can actually rent a crab pot, catch your lunch, and have a place like this cook it up for you. We didn't do that (too cold and windy on this particular day), but we did partake in some raw oysters (so fresh!), BBQ-ed oysters (some with cranberry BBQ sauce on them from the local cranberry bogs: outrageously delicious!), and Dungeness crab. Lisa braved a 1/2 crab, but I went for the "famous crab sandwich," which was indeed quite tasty.
We must go back to Bandon on our fall trip up to Seattle. We've enjoyed making notes of the things in Oregon that we love, knowing that it's really just a short trip back up here.
And just tons of awesome nature. (I didn't get any photos of many herds of elk we saw, but suffice to say that they were pretty. Now, if I get that telephoto lens someday....)
Sunday-Tuesday morning
We ended up staying 2 nights at Cape Blanco State Park. When you look at a map of Oregon, this park is located at the part that sticks out farthest in the west. We heard it described by a few folks as Oregon's "Best Kept Secret." Shhhh. Let's keep it that way. $12 a night off season. Our site was forested and very large. No close neighbors. But a short walk down a pine-needle cushioned path led to the Oregon Coast Trail and a very scenic overlook about 500 feet above the beach. We could hear the ocean roar.
The full day that we spent there was one of our favorites of all time. We have to remember to build more of these days into our longer trips. We had a great breakfast of blueberry pancakes (which we had made at home and frozen) and then hiked from 9:30 till noon down that very steep 500 foot cliff and along the driftwood-strewn beach over to the Elk River and back. Lots of river rock along the beach. We picked up a few small bits of jade and some fossilized shells trapped in rocks. The weather was constantly changing: windy, cold and raining (jackets on, hoods up!) to sunny and almost hot (jackets off, hoods down!). Made for interesting skies.
Back at the ranch: showers, lunch, a little coach cleaning, and some work at the computer. Then, we felt decadent and, almost guilty somehow. The sun was finally out, but we drew the shades, converted the dinette into a couch, and all 3 of us (Nick was worn out from the hike, too) watched a movie. Glorious! We've really found that daily traveling--creating each day and its activities and its overnight accommodations--does take a fair amount of energy. So, it's nice to veg out in one place sometimes. Here is PM vegetation around our first campground fire:
Tuesday
We had planned to stay along the coast another night, do laundry, and continue our meander back home with a stay at the Azalea Glen RV Park in Trinidad and a scenic journey east over the Trinity Alps and Route 299 back to Redding and I-5. But, we got two curve balls: The weather forecast turned ugly for the next few days (no sense going over mountains when you can't see anything) and poor Lisa was really sick. Really sick. So I just got in the driver's seat and drove south on 101, the Redwood Highway. Gorgeous scenery: up into mountainside forests then down to rocky beaches with tons of sea stacks. Lather, rinse, repeat for many miles.
We made it down to Willits, CA, and the most overpriced KOA-campground ($46!). But, this made more sense than staying in any of the very ratty CGs we had seen in this area. And with no internet, we couldn't check online to read reviews. We had to rely on our visual (and gut) assessments. We pulled into one place (Lisa was looking paler and paler and I had a rather roaring headache from not stretching enough during my 8 hours of driving), desperate to secure a spot and stop driving. Thank goodness it said NO VACANCY.
Here's what we read later, the next day, on RVParkReviews.com from another person:
"I made reservations at this park after reading that the rates at the local KOA were too high. We did not pay in advance (thank goodness!) and when we arrived, the office was closed. There was a note on the door as to which campground was ours. We drove-in and felt like we had found a leftover commune from the 60's. Most everyone there lived there full time, including the people staying in their tents. As we started to back into our spot, my husband and I noticed the shirtless man coming out of the trailer next to ours with a long beard smoking a joint, and we both said, "Let's get out of here!" I would have spent any amount at the KOA right then! We didn't actually stay, nor would I recommend this campground to anyone."
Yup, that about describes the place. I felt better about paying $46.
Wednesday
Lisa was feeling better, finally (food poisoning, we suspect), but I wouldn't let her drive right away. Had to be sure. So, off we went, taking one more scenic route, rather than beelining it home. We drove highway 20 through Lake County--had never been that way. What a surprise! Clear Lake is just an enormous lake, very pretty, the "Switzerland of America" they claim, but in reality, while the lake is gorgeous, the man-made parts are straight out of the 50s. Pretty run down, but the natural beauty was something. Then we hit I-5, 505, and 680 before rejoining 101 for our well-traveled route home. I'm glad we didn't stay on 101 and go through SF on a workday. We'd probably just be getting home now ;-)
When we refueled in Gilroy, we saw our 8th View/Navion of the trip, filling up in front of us. Our little coaches are on the road!
Sunday
Got out of the icky campground early. No showers, just fleeing. Drove down the coast, which just kept getting prettier and prettier. Stopped at many places along the way, including Cape Foulweather, so named by Captain Cook, the English explorer who sailed up this way in 1778. 100 mph winds are apparently not uncommon.
We also got to play on the enormous sand dunes in the national recreation area. It's a unique sensation to walk down a steep sand dune. If you lead with your heel, you create the feeling of "steps" and can securely march down. If you don't, well, we did see a lot of scooting marks down the sand (!).
Lots of lighthouses, too.
A great lunch stop in Bandon, where you can actually rent a crab pot, catch your lunch, and have a place like this cook it up for you. We didn't do that (too cold and windy on this particular day), but we did partake in some raw oysters (so fresh!), BBQ-ed oysters (some with cranberry BBQ sauce on them from the local cranberry bogs: outrageously delicious!), and Dungeness crab. Lisa braved a 1/2 crab, but I went for the "famous crab sandwich," which was indeed quite tasty.
We must go back to Bandon on our fall trip up to Seattle. We've enjoyed making notes of the things in Oregon that we love, knowing that it's really just a short trip back up here.
And just tons of awesome nature. (I didn't get any photos of many herds of elk we saw, but suffice to say that they were pretty. Now, if I get that telephoto lens someday....)
Sunday-Tuesday morning
We ended up staying 2 nights at Cape Blanco State Park. When you look at a map of Oregon, this park is located at the part that sticks out farthest in the west. We heard it described by a few folks as Oregon's "Best Kept Secret." Shhhh. Let's keep it that way. $12 a night off season. Our site was forested and very large. No close neighbors. But a short walk down a pine-needle cushioned path led to the Oregon Coast Trail and a very scenic overlook about 500 feet above the beach. We could hear the ocean roar.
The full day that we spent there was one of our favorites of all time. We have to remember to build more of these days into our longer trips. We had a great breakfast of blueberry pancakes (which we had made at home and frozen) and then hiked from 9:30 till noon down that very steep 500 foot cliff and along the driftwood-strewn beach over to the Elk River and back. Lots of river rock along the beach. We picked up a few small bits of jade and some fossilized shells trapped in rocks. The weather was constantly changing: windy, cold and raining (jackets on, hoods up!) to sunny and almost hot (jackets off, hoods down!). Made for interesting skies.
Back at the ranch: showers, lunch, a little coach cleaning, and some work at the computer. Then, we felt decadent and, almost guilty somehow. The sun was finally out, but we drew the shades, converted the dinette into a couch, and all 3 of us (Nick was worn out from the hike, too) watched a movie. Glorious! We've really found that daily traveling--creating each day and its activities and its overnight accommodations--does take a fair amount of energy. So, it's nice to veg out in one place sometimes. Here is PM vegetation around our first campground fire:
Tuesday
We had planned to stay along the coast another night, do laundry, and continue our meander back home with a stay at the Azalea Glen RV Park in Trinidad and a scenic journey east over the Trinity Alps and Route 299 back to Redding and I-5. But, we got two curve balls: The weather forecast turned ugly for the next few days (no sense going over mountains when you can't see anything) and poor Lisa was really sick. Really sick. So I just got in the driver's seat and drove south on 101, the Redwood Highway. Gorgeous scenery: up into mountainside forests then down to rocky beaches with tons of sea stacks. Lather, rinse, repeat for many miles.
We made it down to Willits, CA, and the most overpriced KOA-campground ($46!). But, this made more sense than staying in any of the very ratty CGs we had seen in this area. And with no internet, we couldn't check online to read reviews. We had to rely on our visual (and gut) assessments. We pulled into one place (Lisa was looking paler and paler and I had a rather roaring headache from not stretching enough during my 8 hours of driving), desperate to secure a spot and stop driving. Thank goodness it said NO VACANCY.
Here's what we read later, the next day, on RVParkReviews.com from another person:
"I made reservations at this park after reading that the rates at the local KOA were too high. We did not pay in advance (thank goodness!) and when we arrived, the office was closed. There was a note on the door as to which campground was ours. We drove-in and felt like we had found a leftover commune from the 60's. Most everyone there lived there full time, including the people staying in their tents. As we started to back into our spot, my husband and I noticed the shirtless man coming out of the trailer next to ours with a long beard smoking a joint, and we both said, "Let's get out of here!" I would have spent any amount at the KOA right then! We didn't actually stay, nor would I recommend this campground to anyone."
Yup, that about describes the place. I felt better about paying $46.
Wednesday
Lisa was feeling better, finally (food poisoning, we suspect), but I wouldn't let her drive right away. Had to be sure. So, off we went, taking one more scenic route, rather than beelining it home. We drove highway 20 through Lake County--had never been that way. What a surprise! Clear Lake is just an enormous lake, very pretty, the "Switzerland of America" they claim, but in reality, while the lake is gorgeous, the man-made parts are straight out of the 50s. Pretty run down, but the natural beauty was something. Then we hit I-5, 505, and 680 before rejoining 101 for our well-traveled route home. I'm glad we didn't stay on 101 and go through SF on a workday. We'd probably just be getting home now ;-)
When we refueled in Gilroy, we saw our 8th View/Navion of the trip, filling up in front of us. Our little coaches are on the road!
Deja Vu All Over Again
For long-time followers...remember our escapades in Minot (why not?), ND? The series of foul-ups that led us to a hotel there that--after we told them a hundred times that we had a dog--had a policy of no dogs over 12 pounds? Well, we found another of those jewels today. Our first stinky campground in a long time. I haven't written a scathing CG review in so long, but a PMS-fueled rant shall feel good. This park has so many NO this and NO that rules, but they don't tell you till after you've signed the credit card slip and then you see the NO REFUNDS signs. The first rule on the list is, and I quote, "No Rottweilers, Pit Bulls, Dobermans or large dogs." Huh??? So, we decided that Nick needs to be his 12-pound self again. We got into our spot and then walked him (in the PET WALK AREA--NO POTTYING ANYWHERE ELSE!!!) past the office. They now know we're here. Geesh. The rule police are nasty. We'll be leaving as early as possible tomorrow.
OK, whew. Feel better now. Tracking back to last night--dinner was heavenly. And we're looking forward to a rerun tonight, as we have leftover chowder and salmon. THE most heavenly clam chowder--the predominant flavors are lemon and dill. Not typical. Cuts right through the creaminess of the dairy to highlight the seafoodiness (that is not a word, but it feels right) of the clams. Serious yum. Never had anything like it.
Today brought another brisk walk on the beach. Nick just loves to run and chase balls and sticks on the sand. He didn't have the benefit of all those years of Carmel Beach off-leash heavens that our other dearly departed dogs had. He couldn't be trusted off-leash there, since it was always crowded with little children. But in Oregon? Empty beaches and a tennis ball = 100% trustability.
An aside: We have to revoke our previous opinion (after last summer's 7000+ mile journey) that Oregon had the best roads. Let's just say that US 97 thru eastern OR is great. But all the roads we've been on this trip in OR are horrendous--potholes, sunken grades, bumps, dips, ridges, washboarding, etc. Yikes.
Also, the signs here are the tersest of any state we've been in. One word, always nouns, e.g.: Elk. Construction. Rocks. Slides. No verbs, adverbs, or adjectives indicating what to do, how soon to do it in, severity, etc. Now, I know a rock when I see one. But a sign that says "Rocks"--is that helpful? Are they falling? Soon? Should I watch out? I make all these inferences, but road signs should probably not require that step.
Back to the recap of our mostly rainy day:
We had a very minimal breakfast in anticipation of our first stop: Tillamook, OR and its eponymous cheese factory. What a hoot. Because it was Saturday, we couldn't see the packaging line in operation, but we did see a few folks vacuum sealing 42-pound blocks of cheddar cheese for aging. (They have the capacity to age 5 million pounds of cheese at a time.)
After the tour, we split a grilled cheese sandwich and a cheeseburger--big yums. And nice because the portions were actually reasonably small. Did a little shopping in the various shops (Lisa got a 1/2 price fleece as it's chilly here and she's low on warm clothes), but we resisted buying cheese, ice cream, etc. It helped that the line was enormous. But we did indulge in having a 3 mini-scoop sampler of ice cream. Tillamook is a coop of local dairy farmers, so the milk and butter and cheese products are just outstanding. We get their butter and cheese in CA groceries, but the ice cream is only Pacific Northwest. Julie had Mudslide (the most decadent chocolate ice cream ever), Oregon Huckleberry (wonderful, but not as great as when we had it in CO last year), and Marionberry Pie. Lisa had Cookie Dough, White Licorice (she loved that), and Oregon Strawberry (which was the prize winner, deservedly so). A lovely lunch.
We also stopped at the Blue Heron French Cheese Factory a mile down the road (seriously, dairy cows are everywhere here), and Lisa got a hunk of her favorite blue cheese, which is the one high calorie food that Julie doesn't care for.
Various and sundry other stops down the coast--lighthouses, botanical "waysides." Our internet connection is very low here, so we'll have to upload photos when we get a stronger signal.
OK, whew. Feel better now. Tracking back to last night--dinner was heavenly. And we're looking forward to a rerun tonight, as we have leftover chowder and salmon. THE most heavenly clam chowder--the predominant flavors are lemon and dill. Not typical. Cuts right through the creaminess of the dairy to highlight the seafoodiness (that is not a word, but it feels right) of the clams. Serious yum. Never had anything like it.
Today brought another brisk walk on the beach. Nick just loves to run and chase balls and sticks on the sand. He didn't have the benefit of all those years of Carmel Beach off-leash heavens that our other dearly departed dogs had. He couldn't be trusted off-leash there, since it was always crowded with little children. But in Oregon? Empty beaches and a tennis ball = 100% trustability.
An aside: We have to revoke our previous opinion (after last summer's 7000+ mile journey) that Oregon had the best roads. Let's just say that US 97 thru eastern OR is great. But all the roads we've been on this trip in OR are horrendous--potholes, sunken grades, bumps, dips, ridges, washboarding, etc. Yikes.
Also, the signs here are the tersest of any state we've been in. One word, always nouns, e.g.: Elk. Construction. Rocks. Slides. No verbs, adverbs, or adjectives indicating what to do, how soon to do it in, severity, etc. Now, I know a rock when I see one. But a sign that says "Rocks"--is that helpful? Are they falling? Soon? Should I watch out? I make all these inferences, but road signs should probably not require that step.
Back to the recap of our mostly rainy day:
We had a very minimal breakfast in anticipation of our first stop: Tillamook, OR and its eponymous cheese factory. What a hoot. Because it was Saturday, we couldn't see the packaging line in operation, but we did see a few folks vacuum sealing 42-pound blocks of cheddar cheese for aging. (They have the capacity to age 5 million pounds of cheese at a time.)
After the tour, we split a grilled cheese sandwich and a cheeseburger--big yums. And nice because the portions were actually reasonably small. Did a little shopping in the various shops (Lisa got a 1/2 price fleece as it's chilly here and she's low on warm clothes), but we resisted buying cheese, ice cream, etc. It helped that the line was enormous. But we did indulge in having a 3 mini-scoop sampler of ice cream. Tillamook is a coop of local dairy farmers, so the milk and butter and cheese products are just outstanding. We get their butter and cheese in CA groceries, but the ice cream is only Pacific Northwest. Julie had Mudslide (the most decadent chocolate ice cream ever), Oregon Huckleberry (wonderful, but not as great as when we had it in CO last year), and Marionberry Pie. Lisa had Cookie Dough, White Licorice (she loved that), and Oregon Strawberry (which was the prize winner, deservedly so). A lovely lunch.
We also stopped at the Blue Heron French Cheese Factory a mile down the road (seriously, dairy cows are everywhere here), and Lisa got a hunk of her favorite blue cheese, which is the one high calorie food that Julie doesn't care for.
Various and sundry other stops down the coast--lighthouses, botanical "waysides." Our internet connection is very low here, so we'll have to upload photos when we get a stronger signal.
Sally Sells Salmon by the Seashore
We reached the OR coast today after a gorgeous drive west through orchards and farms. Easily found a Roadfood.com recommended lunch spot in Cannon Beach. This was our first restaurant meal out of the last 15 meals on this trip, so we really enjoyed it.
The freshest of fresh fish, in a setting adorned with enormous photos of the restaurant-owned boat and its fishermen catching the very food they serve. It's that kind of place.
The term "fish and chips" does not describe this delicacy well: included were halibut, razorneck clams, Willapa Bay oysters, a succulent scallop, and Chinook salmon. Out of this world. Fresh, clean taste of the sea, with a lovely, light crunch on the outside. No sauces needed. Well, maybe a bit of malt vinegar on the occasional bite....
Got to our state park campsite early today--yay!--and able to enjoy an hour walk on the chilly/windy but gorgeous beach at low tide. Nick reverted to puppyhood, bucking and running and jumping up and down with joy. Still haven't worn him out yet!
View from 101
The beach that our state park is right up next to:
And now we look forward to dinner: local Oregon Pinot Gris, clam chowder, sourdough bread, and smoked salmon we bought as takeout from the lunch place.
The freshest of fresh fish, in a setting adorned with enormous photos of the restaurant-owned boat and its fishermen catching the very food they serve. It's that kind of place.
The term "fish and chips" does not describe this delicacy well: included were halibut, razorneck clams, Willapa Bay oysters, a succulent scallop, and Chinook salmon. Out of this world. Fresh, clean taste of the sea, with a lovely, light crunch on the outside. No sauces needed. Well, maybe a bit of malt vinegar on the occasional bite....
Got to our state park campsite early today--yay!--and able to enjoy an hour walk on the chilly/windy but gorgeous beach at low tide. Nick reverted to puppyhood, bucking and running and jumping up and down with joy. Still haven't worn him out yet!
View from 101
The beach that our state park is right up next to:
And now we look forward to dinner: local Oregon Pinot Gris, clam chowder, sourdough bread, and smoked salmon we bought as takeout from the lunch place.
Willamette Valley
Gorgeous. Sun, clouds, rain, sun, clouds, rain. Wineries, orchards, organic farms, blooming EVERYTHING. A slow tool north after a very nice visit with our old friends Barb and Jerry. (Here they are. Tulips, grape hyacinth, daffodils, flowering trees--everywhere here.) Some of you will remember Barb as fondly as I do. She was my first "office mom." Looked after me for years, and I'm eternally grateful for that.
Stopped at a beautiful winery, with a great name, today. Forgot to take pictures (which is actually a good sign because it means I'm experiencing the present rather than planning for the blog ;-), but here's a link to Left Coast Cellars.
Hanging out on the river in Tualatin tonight, preparing to visit a "famous" Sprinter store (our RV is built on a Sprinter chassis, which is Dodge; think good thoughts for our warranty as Chrysler starts beating the bankruptcy drum) and then head to the coast for 4 or so days.
Stopped at a beautiful winery, with a great name, today. Forgot to take pictures (which is actually a good sign because it means I'm experiencing the present rather than planning for the blog ;-), but here's a link to Left Coast Cellars.
Hanging out on the river in Tualatin tonight, preparing to visit a "famous" Sprinter store (our RV is built on a Sprinter chassis, which is Dodge; think good thoughts for our warranty as Chrysler starts beating the bankruptcy drum) and then head to the coast for 4 or so days.
How did YOU Celebrate Earth Day?
We got solar panels on our RV! (As our friend Juan said, "That sounds like an NPR feature story...!")
Spent today and yesterday in and around Springfield/Eugene, OR, with our base being a lovely county park recommended by a complete stranger (but friend, since he's on our View/Navion Yahoo! Group). We have been enjoying off-season camping again, here in the Pacific Northwest, where spring is just springing. Blooming trees, colorful tulips, wildflowers everywhere. We were even in a blossom snowstorm yesterday ;-)
Our campsite is backed up to a lake over which the sun rises. To wit:
On our way up here yesterday: I give you Mount Shasta. The behemoth that towers over miles and miles of I-5. Reminded us of how our first RV trip started last summer: with the volcanoes of the Cascades. Such beauty.
But, back to the point of the post. Here's what our RV looks like when stored at home. I cleared quite the brush on the side of our property next to the road--an area we had long ignored--so that she could park off the road, close enough to have the attractive orange power cord running across the width of our garage (of course the outlet was on the far side) and up the bloody hill to the rig. Pretty, eh? (Photo taken from in front of garage door, at bottom of too-steep hill to drive Navion down.)
Well, that orange cord is HISTORY now. We just had quite the day in the customer waiting area--Lisa, Julie, AND Nick (yikes)--spending about 8 hours waiting for the installation to be complete. But boy, did they ever do a nice job. Gorgeous installation--everything is labeled, perfectly installed to match, and works great.
No more having to measure the electrolyte in the old batteries (and add distilled water). No more monitoring the batteries by taking off the panel and attaching a multimeter to measure the voltage (and seeing that we had very little juice!). No more worrying about calculating all the #*$& math involved in conventional batteries: amp hours, volts, watts, draw, float, #*$&% terminology that we have spent hours wrapping our brains around. We just look at this attractive little panel and make sure that if we hit 12.5, we turn off lights and get recharged soon. That's it.
And no more feeling as if we have to take the RV out at home to drive around and waste diesel to charge the engine battery. Now, the solar panels do that, too.
Warning: Geek alert. Technical photos follow.
The controller box, installed behind an easy-to-access panel below the closet (by the freshwater tank). Everything is nicely and thoroughly labeled:
The new AGM Lifeline batteries, which should last at least 7 years (probably longer than we'll have this RV, but who knows?)
The wiring going through the closet. Isn't it nice how the wiring cover matches our clothes pole? Amazing.
On the roof, installing the solar collector panels (and having a bit of fun):
Off tomorrow to see an old friend and former colleague in Eugene before heading north through the scenic Willamette Valley to overnight one more time inland. We'll be spending the next 3 or 4 days winding our way down the Oregon coast--Roadfood finds, fresh seafood, CHEESE, lighthouses, beaches and dunes. We may or may not have internet, but it's supposed to be a bit cloudy--good for photos--so we'll post when we can.
Spent today and yesterday in and around Springfield/Eugene, OR, with our base being a lovely county park recommended by a complete stranger (but friend, since he's on our View/Navion Yahoo! Group). We have been enjoying off-season camping again, here in the Pacific Northwest, where spring is just springing. Blooming trees, colorful tulips, wildflowers everywhere. We were even in a blossom snowstorm yesterday ;-)
Our campsite is backed up to a lake over which the sun rises. To wit:
On our way up here yesterday: I give you Mount Shasta. The behemoth that towers over miles and miles of I-5. Reminded us of how our first RV trip started last summer: with the volcanoes of the Cascades. Such beauty.
But, back to the point of the post. Here's what our RV looks like when stored at home. I cleared quite the brush on the side of our property next to the road--an area we had long ignored--so that she could park off the road, close enough to have the attractive orange power cord running across the width of our garage (of course the outlet was on the far side) and up the bloody hill to the rig. Pretty, eh? (Photo taken from in front of garage door, at bottom of too-steep hill to drive Navion down.)
Well, that orange cord is HISTORY now. We just had quite the day in the customer waiting area--Lisa, Julie, AND Nick (yikes)--spending about 8 hours waiting for the installation to be complete. But boy, did they ever do a nice job. Gorgeous installation--everything is labeled, perfectly installed to match, and works great.
No more having to measure the electrolyte in the old batteries (and add distilled water). No more monitoring the batteries by taking off the panel and attaching a multimeter to measure the voltage (and seeing that we had very little juice!). No more worrying about calculating all the #*$& math involved in conventional batteries: amp hours, volts, watts, draw, float, #*$&% terminology that we have spent hours wrapping our brains around. We just look at this attractive little panel and make sure that if we hit 12.5, we turn off lights and get recharged soon. That's it.
And no more feeling as if we have to take the RV out at home to drive around and waste diesel to charge the engine battery. Now, the solar panels do that, too.
Warning: Geek alert. Technical photos follow.
The controller box, installed behind an easy-to-access panel below the closet (by the freshwater tank). Everything is nicely and thoroughly labeled:
The new AGM Lifeline batteries, which should last at least 7 years (probably longer than we'll have this RV, but who knows?)
The wiring going through the closet. Isn't it nice how the wiring cover matches our clothes pole? Amazing.
On the roof, installing the solar collector panels (and having a bit of fun):
Off tomorrow to see an old friend and former colleague in Eugene before heading north through the scenic Willamette Valley to overnight one more time inland. We'll be spending the next 3 or 4 days winding our way down the Oregon coast--Roadfood finds, fresh seafood, CHEESE, lighthouses, beaches and dunes. We may or may not have internet, but it's supposed to be a bit cloudy--good for photos--so we'll post when we can.
Trinity Alps and Southern Oregon: Hot!
Who would've thunk that it'd be over 90 degrees in the mountains of southern Oregon in April? But...we have ammo this time. No crappy 10-year-old Rialta in THIS heat wave. We are sitting in air-conditioned comfort having grilled steak and salad north of Grants Pass, OR (yes, there's no apostrophe, even though there SHOULD be) with 90+ degree temps outside. Gotta love it.
Beautiful day today. From Redding to Yreka (great palindrome: Yreka Bakery) off of I-5 to Jacksonville, OR (the entire town was designated a National Historic Place) and on up through Grants Pass to a lovely campground next to Jump Off Joe! Creek. (Poor Joe. He was supposed to hunt the group's dinner back in the mid 1800s. He got surprised by Indians, attacked, and decided to jump off the cliff over the falls--after his buddies called, "Jump off, Joe!"-- to escape the Indians. Well, Joe died of his injuries in the fall. Another lesson: beware of peer pressure.)
Because this spot is so pretty--and because we have a conference call at 10AM AND there's a great dog run--we're going to hang out till check out time at noon. We only have a little over 100 miles to go tomorrow, so we can meander.
Oh, and for those who are curious, we had a mechanical miracle today. Stopped at the Redding Dodge dealer (who was not certified to work on our chassis). They sent us to a Medford, OR place, but the darn HI OIL light never went on today. Dipstick measurement verified--no high oil. We think it was a bum sensor that has somehow, miraculously, reset itself. We have had nothing but stellar engine performance over some big climbs today. Very smooth after the early oil change.
Forgot to take photos in Jacksonville, but we will come back through here in the fall when we head up to Seattle for Julie's 10th year MBA reunion at Udub.
Beautiful day today. From Redding to Yreka (great palindrome: Yreka Bakery) off of I-5 to Jacksonville, OR (the entire town was designated a National Historic Place) and on up through Grants Pass to a lovely campground next to Jump Off Joe! Creek. (Poor Joe. He was supposed to hunt the group's dinner back in the mid 1800s. He got surprised by Indians, attacked, and decided to jump off the cliff over the falls--after his buddies called, "Jump off, Joe!"-- to escape the Indians. Well, Joe died of his injuries in the fall. Another lesson: beware of peer pressure.)
Because this spot is so pretty--and because we have a conference call at 10AM AND there's a great dog run--we're going to hang out till check out time at noon. We only have a little over 100 miles to go tomorrow, so we can meander.
Oh, and for those who are curious, we had a mechanical miracle today. Stopped at the Redding Dodge dealer (who was not certified to work on our chassis). They sent us to a Medford, OR place, but the darn HI OIL light never went on today. Dipstick measurement verified--no high oil. We think it was a bum sensor that has somehow, miraculously, reset itself. We have had nothing but stellar engine performance over some big climbs today. Very smooth after the early oil change.
Forgot to take photos in Jacksonville, but we will come back through here in the fall when we head up to Seattle for Julie's 10th year MBA reunion at Udub.
OTRA: Life Is Good. Again. And Always.
OTRA: On the road again.
A few wrinkles today. Got up late (each of us spent almost 3 hours awake last night listening to either BBC or podcasts), got a late start, had the oil warning light go off a million times today (too high! And we'd had the oil changed by a Dodge 5-star dealer on Wednesday AND gone back to them same day to fix the OIL TOO HIGH light!).
But, all is well. Life is good. Made it to Redding in 90+ degree heat. We called the campground we wanted at 3PM; they said to call closer to 5PM if we'd be late. We called at 5PM and they said they were sold out. I pulled out all the tricks I knew and we ended up with the best spot in the park--right on the river, facing the sunset, in a small spot completely secluded from the others. Perfection! Had our first meal outside at the picnic table in many months/trips. A lovely vegetarian Indian meal (believe it or not).
Our spot at sunset:
Nick in an almost heavenly pose with his favorite (and verboten) tennis balls in the cool grass (unlike Death Valley):
So, tomorrow will be finding a Dodge dealer to check out our engine and turn off the diagnostic code so that we can continue on our way north.
A few wrinkles today. Got up late (each of us spent almost 3 hours awake last night listening to either BBC or podcasts), got a late start, had the oil warning light go off a million times today (too high! And we'd had the oil changed by a Dodge 5-star dealer on Wednesday AND gone back to them same day to fix the OIL TOO HIGH light!).
But, all is well. Life is good. Made it to Redding in 90+ degree heat. We called the campground we wanted at 3PM; they said to call closer to 5PM if we'd be late. We called at 5PM and they said they were sold out. I pulled out all the tricks I knew and we ended up with the best spot in the park--right on the river, facing the sunset, in a small spot completely secluded from the others. Perfection! Had our first meal outside at the picnic table in many months/trips. A lovely vegetarian Indian meal (believe it or not).
Our spot at sunset:
Nick in an almost heavenly pose with his favorite (and verboten) tennis balls in the cool grass (unlike Death Valley):
So, tomorrow will be finding a Dodge dealer to check out our engine and turn off the diagnostic code so that we can continue on our way north.
Another Roadfood.com Review ;-)
Yay, I got published again.
Go to Roadfood.com and put in "Tecopa, CA" under city, and there's the review.
It's funny, but there really are very few places that merit the time and effort it takes to write a review. I only regret not having written one for Lucille's in Boulder, CO. Don't think I can re-create it. We'll just have to go there again this summer as we pass through.
Planning 6-7 week soujourn starting in May, after we get back from OR with our solar, to National Skinnie-Winnie Rally in TX (and various old friends in Austin and San Antonio), to going to a VAN-in rally (!) with my big brother and sister-in-law outside of KC--can't wait. (He checked--we're allowed, since we have a Sprinter van front end!) To visiting my folks in St. Augustine, FL, to driving the Natchez Trace and visiting Crawley kin in Memphis (and maybe IN, but IN doesn't seem to have great camping spots), and hitting some National Parks (Hot Springs, AK; Great Smoky Mts NP, Mammoth Cave, NP) along the way. On the way home, gotta do the Colorado NPs that we missed last year when we didn't understand A/C in the rented Rialta ;-) plus see our good friends in Boulder.
Have rescheduled Big Bend/Carslbad/Guadalupe NPs to Oct/Nov--cooler, off-season travel--and decided to be home July-mid August to miss height of other people's travel season. We are loving off-season travel and are getting a bit territorial about our camping spots. Have to loosen up about that for June travel, don't we?
But now, we're getting ready for the minor trip (650 miles? Nothing!) up to Oregon. The spreadsheet for the rest of the year is underway and it's even starting to fill up for next year, which we THOUGHT would be Alaska, but might be New England and back across Canada.
Go to Roadfood.com and put in "Tecopa, CA" under city, and there's the review.
It's funny, but there really are very few places that merit the time and effort it takes to write a review. I only regret not having written one for Lucille's in Boulder, CO. Don't think I can re-create it. We'll just have to go there again this summer as we pass through.
Planning 6-7 week soujourn starting in May, after we get back from OR with our solar, to National Skinnie-Winnie Rally in TX (and various old friends in Austin and San Antonio), to going to a VAN-in rally (!) with my big brother and sister-in-law outside of KC--can't wait. (He checked--we're allowed, since we have a Sprinter van front end!) To visiting my folks in St. Augustine, FL, to driving the Natchez Trace and visiting Crawley kin in Memphis (and maybe IN, but IN doesn't seem to have great camping spots), and hitting some National Parks (Hot Springs, AK; Great Smoky Mts NP, Mammoth Cave, NP) along the way. On the way home, gotta do the Colorado NPs that we missed last year when we didn't understand A/C in the rented Rialta ;-) plus see our good friends in Boulder.
Have rescheduled Big Bend/Carslbad/Guadalupe NPs to Oct/Nov--cooler, off-season travel--and decided to be home July-mid August to miss height of other people's travel season. We are loving off-season travel and are getting a bit territorial about our camping spots. Have to loosen up about that for June travel, don't we?
But now, we're getting ready for the minor trip (650 miles? Nothing!) up to Oregon. The spreadsheet for the rest of the year is underway and it's even starting to fill up for next year, which we THOUGHT would be Alaska, but might be New England and back across Canada.
The Next Trip: Oregon!
We will be off in 2 weeks for Oregon--a new trip! We decided to get solar panels installed at a highly recommended place up there. Not sure how long we'll be up there, but this is requiring a change in thinking for the year's trips. Back to the drawing board....
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