SNOW AND FLAKES

I snapped this picture at our parking spot, in the Thousand Trails Preserve at Bend/Sunriver. Those white things are snowflakes, which came down for a brief period yesterday morning. Nothing stuck to the ground, but it definitely has turned colder here in the high desert of central Oregon. The latest, most unbelievable news coming out of D.C. is almost incomprehensible. When I heard this story, I just shook my head in disbelief. Based on the news reports, it seems that our State Department has filed a report, citing the State of Arizona as being problematic in the area of human rights. The narrative in this report is of course based on Arizona's recent enactment of SB1070, which mirrors the federal immigration law. It's common knowledge that if the Feds were enforcing current immigration law, and securing our borders, there would have been no need for Arizona to take matters into their own hands. Nevertheless, even though the new Arizona law specifically prohibits racial profiling, and is essentially the same as Federal law, our State Department thinks that Arizona is now a violator of human rights. Here's the best part - this report was filed with the Human Rights Council at the United Nations! Two countries that are on this council are Cuba and Libya. So, if I have this right, our State Department is referencing the State of Arizona, as being a potential violator of human rights, to a United Nations council on human rights, and two members of that council are Cuba and Libya. Are you kidding me! The absurdity coming out of Washington continues unabated, and on some levels, borders on insanity. There was no dialogue with Arizona, no notification, no nothing. Governor Jan Brewer was astonished, and actually learned of this action by the State Department, on the Internet. Thank goodness, she has enough backbone to stand up to the Federal Government, and wrote a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Part of her letter stated "Simply put, it is downright offensive that the State Department included the State of Arizona and SB1070 in a report to the United Nations Council on Human Rights, whose members include such renowned human rights champions as Cuba and Libya. The idea of our own American Government submitting the duly enacted laws of a State of the U.S. to review by the United Nations is internationalism run amok, and unconstitutional." She further demanded that the reference to Arizona in this report to the U.N. be removed. Her letter, and the State Department Report can be viewed on www.az.gov. With flaky stuff like this coming out of D.C., it's becoming clearer and clearer why an increasing majority of Americans are feeling a huge disconnect with policies and legislation in our nations capitol.

PRINEVILLE, OR

This picture was taken of Prineville, OR from a vista point, overlooking the Prineville Valley. This small town of about 10,000 is located 18 miles east of Redmond, and is about 35 miles from Bend. Our visit yesterday turned out to be a wild goose chase. I saw some acreage on the Internet that I wanted to check out, but it turned out to be a bad address. Without further investigation, we enjoyed the Sunday drive, and the birds eye view of this small OR town. Just outside of Redmond on Hwy 26, we turned into a development with 20 acre parcels, and a few megabucks homes. On one of the parcels, with a for sale by owner sign, stood a large metal building, with drive through 14' doors, and a studio apartment. One of the doors was ajar, so naturally, we had to check out the inside. At the time, we didn't know the size of the acreage, and this building was almost exactly what I have been dreaming about, regarding a summer place to park the motor home. Intuitively, I pretty much knew that this was way out of the price range we wanted to be in, but nevertheless, I made a phone call to a local Realtor. She didn't know what price the owner was asking, but informed me that the parcels were 20 acres, and the starting price was $199,000. My brief hopes were crushed, because even at a distressed price, this property with the building, had to be over $300,000. I told the Realtor that we locked the open door, and I was still curious enough to find out the price, so she agreed to try and find out. Still not sure, buying some land here in Central OR is the right thing to do, but it has been fun looking, and dreaming.

A NEW DIRECTION?

Judging by the turnout yesterday, Glen Beck's Restore America Rally, at the Lincoln Memorial, it appears to many, that there is a huge disconnect between mainstream America, and the political leadership in Washington D.C. When I say leadership, I'm not just talking about the party in power, I'm talking about the majority of our elected representatives, who just don't get it. The message at this rally was less political, and more about the restoration of traditional values. The framers of the Constitution recognized that government was not the answer to all of societies problems, but rather, the path to a more perfect society was by way of individual responsibility, family values, spiritual guidance, honesty, and honoring the basic principles that founded our great country, Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Clearly, several hundred thousand Americans, gathered between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, were sending that message to our elected officials in the nations capitol. In addition to those thousands, I think it's safe to say that there are countless millions, including myself, who don't think that a "nanny state" is the answer. The path of irresponsible, out of control, government spending, started by the Republican Party, and continued by the Democratic Party, is a recipe for disaster. The idea that the cost of trillion dollar programs, such as health care reform, can be passed on to future generations, is one of, if not the most irresponsible example coming out of Washington D.C. There has to be an end to this reckless government blank check, and I hope that the rally yesterday sent a gigantic message to Congress and the President. In my mind, there is no question that the mid-term elections in a little over 2 months, will either be the turning point, or it will be business as usual. I agree with the political news media, there hasn't been a more important election in our lifetime, than the one coming this November. No matter what your political ideology, my hope is that everyone will educate themselves, and make a decision as to what they want their country to look like in the future, and then vote!

IT WAS TAILS

We didn't exactly flip a coin, but we did decide to head east toward the Thousand Trails in Central Oregon. I canceled our reservation at Whalers Rest in Newport, and made a new one at Bend/Sunriver, and we were on the road by 10am. We drove east on Hwy 26, which was a new road for us, at least to Portland, then it became part of the route we had traveled before. We pulled into the familiar Bend/Sunriver park at about 3pm, and after unhooking the jeep, I located a 50amp site near the entrance station. With all of the trees, it can be a bit problematic finding a spot where our Winegard automatic satellite TV antenna can have a semi clear shot at the southern sky. This is our third visit to this park in the last couple of months, and we'll be here for the next 10 days. Part of our plan this time, is to explore the area around Redmond, which is about 15 miles north of Bend. Redmond (pop. 25,000) is smaller than Bend (pop. 80,000), and sits about 1,000 feet lower in elevation at approx. 3,000 feet. There's something abut this high desert area that is extremely appealing, and returning here for another stay was not a hard decision.

LEAVING SEASIDE

We've been parked here in the Oregon coastal community of Seaside for the past 10 days, and this morning, we'll be headed.....hmmm, not exactly sure. We have a reservation at the Whalers Rest Thousand Trails on the central Oregon coast, just south of Newport, however, as I write this, I'm thinking of going back to the Bend/Sunriver Thousand Trails in central Oregon. That's the beauty of this summer lifestyle. We're able to change directions, or plans, on a moments notice, based on whatever strikes our fancy. Patty mentioned to me yesterday, that a lady in the laundry room told her that they had just come from Whalers Rest, and it rained most of the time they were there. Her words were "we had to muck it out" when we left, due to all of the rain and mud. I'm not one to change plans, based on one persons observations, but, weather is always a factor when we are considering travel plans. We've been parked at the ocean for over 3 of the last 6 weeks, and even though I like the cooler weather, the clouds and fog tend to get a little old after awhile. We had a good rain last night, and more is forecast for the coming week.
The one thing I know for sure, we're hitting the road this morning, I'm just not sure where we're going at this particular moment. When Patty awakens, we'll have a discussion, and make a decision. It might go something like this - Heads we go south, Tails we go east.

EQUAL TREATMENT

In just the last few weeks, our non-lap cat has done a 180 degree turn, and has discovered the benefits of snoozing in one of our laps. A few mornings ago, I snapped this picture of our feline curled up in Patty's lap, while she tries to read and drink coffee. My time in the recliner is usually in the afternoons when I either read a newspaper, magazine, or in rarer instances, a book. It's usually about the time that I have the newspaper spread out, that Gracie decides it's the perfect time to jump in my lap. This of course requires that all reading material be removed, so that the lap is unobstructed for the proverbial cat nap. If this process isn't accomplished quick enough, our finicky fur ball is not at all hesitant to look for an alternative place to catch a few winks.

We are rapidly approaching our 1st year of parenthood for this most unusual cat. Since our rescue of her from the Flagstaff Humane Society folks, she has adapted quite well to our traveling lifestyle. Her kitten like antics are always entertaining, except when the behavior turns a bit destructive. Her claws have a way of finding places that leave certain degrees of evidence that she was there. We discussed having her declawed, but decided that the trauma to her wasn't worth the benefit to us. We can live with a few claw marks, after all, it does give our surroundings a little bit of character. Tomorrow, our two critters will settle into their respective traveling spots, as we will be driving south on Hwy 101 to the Newport, OR area, for a stay at the Whalers Rest Thousand Trails.

A LAZY DAY

This picture of our totally spoiled Beagle, is representative of my day yesterday. Didn't do much, didn't accomplish anything, didn't go anywhere, just had one of those days where I did a lot of reading, and as the saying goes - "veged out". In the afternoon, Patty drove into downtown Seaside, did some window shopping, and stopped by the local Safeway, before returning to the motor home. We've been here in Seaside for about a week, and will be leaving this Friday. As Thousand Trails Parks go, this is one of the nicer ones, with lots of elbow room. Our next stop will be just outside of Newport, OR, located on the states central coast. From there, we go inland to the Eugene area, for a couple of appointments, one at Monaco, and the other at Cummins Coach Care. After getting a couple of things fixed, and some routine maintenance done, we'll return to the OR Coast, heading farther south to the Coos Bay area, and a visit with my cousin Karen, and her husband Dan. That stop should be around the weekend of Sept. 18th, and from there, we'll start working our way back to Arizona.

A GUARDIAN & SALTMAKERS

On one of our recent trips into Astoria, we noticed a Coast Guard Cutter tied up at the dock, adjacent to the Maritime Museum. While we were waiting for the trolley, we walked out to this guardian of our ocean borders, and snapped a couple of pictures. During WWII, my father served in the Coast Guard, but in those years of war, being in the Coast Guard was much like being in the Navy. He served in the south pacific, surviving the dangers of that duty, only to return home and lose his life in an auto accident. So, whenever I see anything relating to the Coast Guard, I feel like there's some sort of intangible connection.
This past weekend, a small group of volunteers, in conjunction with the Seaside Museum & Historical Society, the Pacific Northwest Living Historians, and the Lewis & Clark National Historic Park, re-enacted the Lewis & Clark expeditions salt making, on the beach near Seaside, OR. These actors, dressed in period clothing, represented a group from the Lewis & Clark Party who found a suitable, ocean side location, in which to boil seawater, and the subsequent making of salt.
The process wasn't too complicated, it primarily consisted of keeping fires going 24 hours a day, and as the seawater boiled away, the concentration of salt increased. The fellow pictured below, was playing the character of SGT Patrick Gass. When the death of SGT Floyd occurred, early on during the westward journey, Gass was promoted from Private to SGT, and was one of the leaders of the expedition, below Lewis & Clark.
This actor, speaking as SGT Gass, explained to us, and several others, the exact process that they used in making the salt. My question was why they traveled so far south (approx. 15-20 miles one way) from their winter quarters at Fort Clatsop, to this location. His answer was that the Columbia River dumps so much fresh water into the ocean, that they had to travel south, away from the mouth of the river, to find ocean water with a high enough concentration of salt.
Many of the salt makers made this one day journey, over the course of about 2 months (Jan/Feb
1806), and when they were finished, they had enough salt to last for the entire journey back east. This is just one on the many side stories of the Lewis & Clark Expedition, and for folks like Patty and I who are interested in history, it's a fascinating story. These actors and their encampment, brought the story to life.

THE ASTORIA COLUMN

The Astoria Column stands on the highest hill above Astoria, OR, and is 125 feet tall. Last year when Patty and I visited Astoria, we drove up the hill and admired the column, but didn't climb to the top, because it was closed for maintenance. Well, this time, we climbed all 164 steps, then had no choice but to unclimb those same 164 steps. The view of Astoria, the Columbia River and the bridge, was nothing short of spectacular.
This remarkable, one of a kind structure was built in 1926 by the Great Northern Railway that arrived in Astoria in 1893. The column's 14, twenty five foot long scenes represent the triumphs, conflicts, and turning points of the Pacific Northwest. The artwork is known as Sgraffito, an Italian art form, that combines carving and painting into the concrete structure.
When Patty and I reached the top, we stepped out onto a small platform that gives you a 125 foot high, 360 degree view of the area. I must admit that my mostly latent fear of heights, was kicking into overdrive, as the metal railing just wasn't quite enough of a barrier to stop my acrophobia from dominating the otherwise beautiful panorama. I snapped a couple of pictures and told Patty, "that's enough", I could have sworn that this solid piece of concrete was swaying in the wind like a spindly tree in a hurricane. Once inside the door, and on the steps back down, my anxiety rapidly disappeared, and despite some stressed leg muscles, it was good to back on solid ground.
After watching the kites in Long Beach, and checking out the Astoria Column, we headed back to the motor home, and our two anxiously waiting, 4 legged kids. Patty prepared a delicious shrimp stir fry for dinner, and it was an end to an enjoyable day. (except for the swaying in the wind)

LONG BEACH KITE FESTIVAL

We returned to Long Beach, WA yesterday, for the annual Washington State International Kite Festival, on the world's longest beach. A few weeks ago, while staying in this area, we heard a lot about this kite celebration, so our curiosity being what it is, we drove north about 45 minutes, back across the Columbia River to Long Beach.
The road to the beach was closed, and occupied by lots of vendors, so we had to search for a parking spot in town, and walk out toward the ocean. I started the walk with my jacket on, as the day was mostly cloudy, with an occasional burst of sunshine. When we got out to the beach, we watched an activity where a teddy bear was hoisted up to a stabilized kite, and remotely cut loose on a parachute. As the bear dropped toward the sand, the kids scrambled to be in position, where they could catch the critter before it hit the beach. After watching for awhile, we headed back toward town, just as a large group was organizing some sort of parade with flags and banners.
On our drive back to Seaside, we drove to the top of the hill above Astoria, and stopped at the Astoria Column. I'll detail more about this world famous structure in tomorrows blog. Our final stop on the way back to the motor home was at the Fred Meyer Superstore in Warrenton, for some groceries, that of course included a few pints of Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream.

LUNCH AT MO'S

We met Bob & Jeanette at the Outlet Mall in Seaside, then drove back down to Cannon Beach. For an hour or so, we walked the main street, looking in the shops at a lot of stuff for sale, that somebody must like. Whenever I take an interest in an item at one of these artsy - crafty stores, it usually doesn't take long for me to lose interest, once I find the sale price. I guess "window shopping" is OK, if there's even the slightest, most remote possibility of finding something that you can't live without, however, the businesses in Cannon Beach just aren't in my wheelhouse. Yesterday, Patty and I browsed the stores in the Outlet Mall, and there just happens to be one store in the mall that gets most guys attention. The Black & Decker Store has lots of stuff that could potentially find a home in my workshop. There aren't a lot of other stores that I enjoy doing much "window shopping". We drove a mile or so south to Mo's Restaurant, which sits on the beach, and enjoyed lunch as we watched the kites and other activity out on the sand. Back at Seaside, we said adios to Bob & Jeanette, who will be in the area until the end of September. It looks like we'll all be returning to our homes in Lake Havasu around the 1st part of October.

HAYSTACK ROCK

After a day of doing laundry, and cleaning the bugs off the front of the motor home, yesterday we drove the 10 miles or so, south to Cannon Beach. Hwy 101 does not pass through the community, and in the past, we had never explored this small town. The main street is full of restaurants, art galleries, and numerous specialty shops. Kind of reminded me of Carmel, CA. The most prominent, visible landmark is Haystack Rock, sitting on the beach at the wave line. This huge monolith dominates the beach, and is the largest of several rocks along this stretch of coast line. Sitting about a mile out to sea, is one of the most famous of all the lighthouses on the west coast. The lighthouse on Tillamook Rock was built in 1881, and was active until 1957. It was nicknamed "Terrible Tilly" due to it's isolation, and it's vulnerability to severe winter Pacific storms. The zoom on my camera didn't quite zoom out a mile, so the picture wasn't worth posting. If you click on the following link - http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=135 there are some pictures, and the story of this unique lighthouse.

REMEMBERING

Last night, Patty called Bob & Diana Rush, our good friends who live in Enterpise, OR. She spoke with Bob, who gave her the bad news that both of their dogs, Bailey - pictured above, and Lady -
pictured below, had to be put down. Due to Lady's old age, we knew that the decision for her was in the near future. We just learned that little Bailey became ill in the past few weeks, and the decision to have her put to sleep was quite unexpected. It was about the time we opened Jamestown Harley-Davidson in CA, in the mid 90's, that Bailey became part of Bob & Diana's family, and Lady came into their life after they moved to Enterprise. When we were in Enterprise, about 2 months ago, I took these pictures.

We also just learned that our neighbors in Lake Havasu, Tony & Michelle, had to have their little dog Charlie put to sleep, due to an illness. Our hearts go out to our friends, who like ourselves, are dedicated to our pets who bring us so much joy. Our old Beagle - Sami is approaching 13 years of age, and I'm not ashamed to say that when we lose her, it's going to be a very difficult time for me. The loss of our 18 year old cat - Tera, a couple of years ago was especially tough for Patty. The one thing that all of us should take comfort in, is the fact that our animals have had the very best of everything, and their lives were better, because of us.

BACK TO THE OCEAN

Our drive from Fairview, just east of Portland, to Seaside, was relatively short, and we were back at the ocean by mid day. We called our friends, Dave & Louise, who are full time RV'ers, but based in Richfield, WA, to see if they were home, as we would be driving right past Richfield on I5. Unfortunately, they were farther north, so we agreed to meet up at a latter date. The picture was taken from Hwy 30, in Clatskanie, OR, on our way to Seaside, and is the business (FULTANO'S) that our friends Bob & Jeanette started. At one time, before retiring, they had 6 of these Pizza Restaurants in Oregon, and the one shown above was the first. We will be here at the Seaside Thousand Trails for about 10 days. The weather has returned more to my liking, than the 90 degree weather we had while parked near Portland. It's foggy this morning, with the temperature in the upper 50's. The only bad part about the cooler weather, is the shorts go in the drawer, and it's back to long pants. After 3 days of hurried activities with our new friends in the FMCA Golden Spike Chapter, it will be nice to slow down a bit, give the air conditioning a rest, and enjoy the new surroundings.

PADDLEWHEELER ON THE COLUMBIA

For this part of the Pacific Northwest, the weather has been hot the last few days, with temperatures in the low to mid 90's. We got a little break from the heat yesterday, when our group rode on the Cascade Locks Stern wheeler for a couple of hours. The breeze on the Columbia River was a little cooler, and the ride above the Bonneville Dam was quite scenic. This section of the river is called the Columbia Gorge, where a huge landslide, many gazillion years ago, actually blocked the river. When the river backed up enough to overflow the temporary dam, it carved out this section of the Columbia, which is quite narrow, relative to the rest of the river at this lower section, near the ocean.

Patty and I stayed on the top deck during the early part of the cruise down to the Bonneville Dam, but it got a little too hot, so later, we moved down to the second deck. Last summer, on our long trip around the country, we stopped at the Bonneville Dam Visitors Center on the north side of the river. Yesterday on the water, we saw the dam from the upstream side, and got a view of the Bonneville Ship Locks.

From the back of the boat, the huge paddle wheel was connected to the diesel engine by two large driveshafts. The old steam paddle wheelers were turned by piston driven, push/pull arms.

After our ride on the river, we drove back to the RV park by crossing over the Bridge of the Gods, pictured above, followed Hwy 14 west in Washington, then crossed back over the Columbia in Portland. The group met at McMenamins in Troutdale for dinner, and by the time we got back to the motor home, it was just about time to call it a day.

MOUNT HOOD RAILROAD

The first picture shows some of the Golden Spikers, as they board the Mount Hood Brunch Train, in preparation for departure from the station in Hood River. The train ride took us from the Columbia River to Parkdale, in the Hood River Valley, a distance of a little over 20 miles. This short line railroad was originally built to haul wood and agricultural products down to the Columbia River, where the goods were either transferred to the main line railroad, or to ships. The ride itself was quite scenic, traveling along, and over rivers, including one switchback, allowing the track to climb the side of a pretty steep mountain.

The next photos were taken in Parkdale, as the train prepares to depart back to Hood River. Our meal was served on white linen tablecloths, including all of the accessories like china, crystal glasses, and champagne if that was your pleasure. The food was excellent, and by the time we returned to the origination point, and had also enjoyed a delicious apple crisp desert, dinner was the farthest thing from most of our minds.

We sat with Ed & Anita Price, and enjoyed getting to know them, and a little more about this group that uses trains as an excuse to go RVing. The Golden Spike Chapter gets together and rides a train about 3 or 4 times a year, mostly in the western states. It seemed like we were a nice fit with this group, and we're already looking forward to the next time we can get together for a train ride.
Our day ended with BBQ'd pork tenderloin, supplied by the chapter, and all of the side dishes were brought by the members. It was a fitting end to a day of delicious food, and a great train ride.

A REVERSE COURSE

We left the Bend/Sunriver Thousand Trails at about 9am, driving south to LaPine, where Patty did some grocery shopping while I had the motor home bathed at a truck wash. From there, we headed north into Bend for some fuel @ 2.96 a gallon, then it was a reverse route of 2 weeks ago, back toward Portland, north on Hwy 97, and northwest on Hwy 26. Just to the right of Sami's head, is Mount Hood, and in the second photo, we're obviously much closer to the mountain.

We arrived at the Fairview RV Park around 3pm, and got parked with our fellow FMCA Golden Spike Chapter members. At 5pm, we met most everyone during the social hour, then feasted on a BBQ'd Tri-Tip dinner, provided by the chapter. During the next couple of hours, we got to know several of the folks a little bit better, and plans were made for car pooling to the Mount Hood Scenic Railroad this morning. It's going to be a fun, non-stop couple of days, with several additional activities planned, in addition to the train ride.

LEAVING BEND/SUNRIVER

Today is a travel day of about 200 miles, from Sunriver, OR, to Fairview, OR, just east of Portland. Our route will take us north on Hwy 97, then northwest on Hwy 26 to the eastern Portland suburb of Fairview, and the Fairview RV Park. That will be home for 3 days, while we participate in a mini RV rally. We are members of a Family Motor Coach Ass'n Chapter named the Golden Spike Chapter. This will be our first get together with the Golden Spikers, so it will all be new, the people, and the activities. By the name of the chapter, you might have guessed that the focus of this group is all things associated with railroads. Gee, that might just fit into one of our profiles of interest. Not sure how many rigs will be attending this event, but probably less than 20, and the destination is the Mount Hood Scenic Railroad, which we will be riding tomorrow. So, lots to do this morning, like getting everything put away, unhooking, stopping at the dump station, then into LaPine for some groceries and an RV wash. (I washed the jeep yesterday). Then, we'll stop in Bend for some diesel, and set sail for the Columbia River, and an opportunity to meet a bunch of new friends.

FMCA RALLY

The Family Motor Coach Association (www.FMCA.com), is an organization that we have been members of for at least 10-15 years. For about $30 a year, they publish a motor home related, monthly magazine, and provide numerous other benefits. This rally in Redmond is one of two very large rallies that FMCA does each year, along with smaller regional rallies. The two large rallies are called FMCA Conventions, and include two large buildings full of vendors, part of which are pictured below. Each motor home manufacturer has their own display of new coaches, so for the comparison shopper, this is a great place to see the different models in one spot. There are countless educational seminars during the day, that range from how to maintain a Cummins diesel engine, to, how to start a blog. In addition to all else going on, there is entertainment each night, and also during the day.
Instead of parking at the fairgrounds, we decided to stay parked at the Bend/Sunriver Thousand Trails, and go to the convention on a day pass at $7 per person. Our focus yesterday was to check out the vendors, and see what we couldn't live without. Surprisingly, we only purchased two items, for a total of less than $40! That's got to be a record low for us. At the last FMCA convention we attended, last year in Albany, OR, we purchased a new leather sofa, a new satellite TV automatic dish, a tire pressure monitoring system, and a few other smaller items. Our bank account was very happy to see us leave that rally. As we walked back to the jeep, past the several thousand motor homes parked at the fairgrounds, I couldn't help but wonder what the total dollar amount would be, regarding the amount spent for vendor products, and new motor homes, when the rally comes to a close tomorrow. This is the place, and in businesses around the country, where the economy gets stimulated. Not from taxpayer funded bailouts, that do little more than increase our unsustainable national debt to historic levels, that will have huge negative consequences for future generations.

MOUNT BACHELOR

If you are anywhere in the Bend, OR area, the most dominant natural scene on the western horizon, is Mount Bachelor. Like many of the mountains in the Cascade Range, Bachelor is a volcano, and it is also one of the largest ski resorts in the United States. We drove a circular route yesterday, up to the not very active ski resort, on the northwest side of the mountain. During the summer, there is one chair lift running, and there were a few people buying tickets for the ride up the mountain, but we only entertained the idea for a brief moment. It was a little bit chilly at the 7,000 foot elevation, and we knew it would be even cooler higher up on the mountain.

On our drive back to Sunriver, the topic of owning some land in the area, once again came up. After more discussion, we reached the same conclusion of not moving forward, at least not right now, and put the subject to rest. In all of our travels, I personally have not found an area with as much appeal as this high desert/forest landscape of Central Oregon. Perhaps, somewhere down the road, there might be more motivation to take the next step, but for the near future, parking the motor home in the area will be just fine. Today, we're headed north about 35 miles to the fairgrounds in Redmond, and the Family Motor Coach Ass'n (FMCA) convention. Even though I don't have anything on my wish list for enhancing, or upgrading our house on wheels, I'm sure there will be a vendor present, that will have something that I just can't live without.

JAN & JOE

Arizona Governor JAN Brewer, and Maricopa County (Phoenix) Sheriff JOE Arpaio are two public servants who are often at the forefront of national news stories relating to the illegal immigration debate. Both have taken a stand against the Federal Government, and have basically said "enough is enough"!


The Governor pushed through, and signed legislation that essentially gave Arizona Law Enforcement, the ability to enforce a new law, that mirrored the federal immigration statute. This law was immediately labeled by the left as racist, even though it basically says the same thing as the existing federal law. The irony here is that if the federal government was doing its' job of securing the border, there would no need for any state to take matters into their own hands. When the U.S. Attorney General filed a lawsuit against Arizona, attempting to stop the enactment of SB1070, there was no mention of potential racial profiling, but rather, the argument was that the states should not be doing a job that is described in the U.S. Constitution as being a function of the federal government. The laughable component of this lawsuit in my opinion, is the fact that the Feds were saying to Arizona, you shouldn't be doing a job that we're supposed to do, even though we refuse to do that job. There's very little argument that the millions of people in this country illegally, are costing billions of additional dollars, and putting additional strains on everything from health care, to education. For those folks that argue against any immigration enforcement, and protest against the new Arizona law, then I say, if that's your argument, why not just let everyone come here? There has to be a limit, and we are a nation of laws, so how about the novel concept of enforcing the existing laws that we have. Most of us have ancestors that immigrated from a foreign country, and it's probably safe to say that most of those immigrants didn't climb a fence to get here. Conversely, they stood in line, and did it the right way. There's no doubt that some sort of immigration reform is necessary, but without a secure border, it's pointless to even start that debate.


Sheriff Joe is a polarizing figure, in that he doesn't care what's politically correct. He says it like it is, and enforces many of the immigration laws that the feds either won't, or can't. He also doesn't care where the criticism comes from. His position is that he was elected to enforce all laws, and not to be selective, especially when dealing with illegal immigrants. Any Sheriff who puts convicted criminals in pink jumpsuits, feeds them bologna sandwiches, and has reinvented the chain gang, is my kind of Sheriff. It's no wonder that the Maricopa County voters keep re-electing Joe Arpaio with overwhelming margins.


If it sounds like I have no compassion for those families who are here illegally, working hard, and
are productive members of society, that is not the case. There needs to be some way for those good people to walk a path toward citizenship. But, without a secure border, that should never happen.

STATUS QUO PREVAILS

These pictures show our current location at the Bend/Sunriver Thousand Trails Preserve. This is a heavily treed park, and it took some doing to find the TV satellites through all of the growth. The FMCA rally in Redmond starts tomorrow, and we'll be pulling out of here on Saturday the 14th.
We looked at some more land parcels for sale yesterday, and after much debate, decided that the cons outweigh the pros, regarding the purchase of a piece of property. As much as I would like a piece of dirt to develop, it probably isn't a good idea, at least not right know. We really enjoy our ability to move around, staying in an area for up to 2 weeks, then moving on to the next destination. One of our fears is that if we owned some acreage, it would be like a magnet, and would detract from what we enjoy doing. I also know that there would be lots of expensive projects, like a garage/metal building, fencing, and countless other ways to severely impact the budget. Then, with any improvements, there's always the worry of a problem developing while you're away. As it is right now, we only have to worry about the Lake Havasu house during the summer, and with our great neighbors, Tony & Michelle, there really isn't much worry at all. Just last week, there was a small problem with one of our roof tiles due to wind, and after Michelle called us, she got someone to come out and fix the problem. Just knowing that someone is looking after the house is very comforting. Thanks Michelle! I don't think this is the final period on the issue, and we may be kicking ourselves for not buying while values are relatively low, but it just doesn't feel right, and we have to trust our instincts.

WHAT TO DO?

When ever we stop in a new area, one of the things that I routinely do, is pickup a local newspaper, and/or the free real estate publications. I enjoy reading about local news, and checking out properties for sale. It's amazing how much the values of real estate can vary, from one area to the next. We've kind of been looking for acreage in Oregon, a place where we can park the motor home for several weeks during the summer, and perhaps, several years down the road, a place to spend the entire summer. These pictures were taken yesterday, in a development about 10 miles southeast of LaPine, and about 40 miles south of Bend.


Specifically, this pictured property is 1 acre, with a small 2 bedroom, 2 bath mobile, set on a permanent foundation, and is bank owned. We were more focused on just a piece of property, with infrastructure in place (well, septic, & power), where we could park the motor home, and do improvements over time. We were driving around yesterday in the Sun Forest Subdivision, and stumbled on this place. We were interested enough to call the realtor, who came out, and showed us the inside of the mobile. Since it's a repo, there's some work to be done, but the asking price is only $48,900. Now, we are debating whether this is the right thing for us to do, or should the status quo prevail. The Central Oregon area is one that we both like, and the summer climate is ideal, with 80 & 90 degree temperatures, lots of sunshine, and cool nights. The big question is - do we want to obligate ourselves to spending the necessary time that would be required toward improving this, or any other property. Or, do we continue our summers in the motor home, traveling, or work camping around the country, enjoying the new scenery as we move from one place to the other. That's the big debate going on right now, and there are pros and cons to every aspect of the issue. Stay tuned.

ARTS, CRAFTS, PLANTS & MUSIC

After catching up with a few things that were neglected while I was riding on AMTRAK, we drove south about 10 miles, to the small community of LaPine, OR. Just outside of town, a local nursery was hosting a Dutch Oven Cook-off, along with an arts & crafts fair. A few of the locals were playing & singing some music, and it was just an all around nice day. We looked at some beautiful, hand made furniture, and a few other things that either wouldn't fit in the motor home, or would look out of place in the motor home. So, nothing was purchased, but it was a friendly, small town get together, and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.

The rest of the afternoon, included a stop at the local Bi-Mart, then back home where Patty finished preparing a crock pot chicken dinner, that was most excellent. It's good to be home with my girls!