THE OREGON COAST AQUARIUM

Due to the fog, and low visibility, we put on hold our plans to drive south to the viewpoint at Cape Perpetua.  We'll check that out on a better weather day.

Whenever we're in the Newport, OR area, one of the "must do" things, is to visit the Oregon Coast Aquarium.  That's exactly what we did yesterday, checking out all of the sea critters, especially the 3 sea otters.  We happened to be there during feeding time for the sea otters, which was an added treat.  

If I remember correctly, two of these cute little guys came from CA, and one from Alaska.  In some way or another, all had been orphaned, and would not have made it, had they not been rescued.  Sea Otters have voracious appetites, eating as much as 25% of their body weight, each and every day.  These guys devoured  several buckets of squid, clams, and other seafood, in a very short period of time.

This aquarium is similar to the one we recently visited in Seward, Alaska, but this one covers more area, and the outdoor exhibits are much larger.  They even have large aviary's, one with seabirds, and one with other birds, like the turkey vulture pictured.
 

 This Turkey Vulture was part of the large bird habitat.

These birds are ofter mistaken for CA Condors at the Grand Canyon, but  their wing span is several feet smaller than the Condors.   We spent an hour or two at the aquarium, before heading over to South Beach, where we had lunch for the second day at South Beach Grocery/Restaurant/Fish Market.  More seafood (crab cocktail & Halibut fish/chips) for this burger guy.  Where's In N Out when you need one?

 The Newport bridge of the Yaquina River is impressive.  This is what we call a "Nick" bridge.

Great halibut & chips, clam chowder, and a fresh seafood market.

FLORENCE, OR TO NEWPORT, OR

With a 2 week reservation at the Whalers Rest Thousand Trails starting yesterday, we only had a drive of about 40 miles from Florence to Newport.  Actually,  the TT park is about 6 miles south of Newport, and we arrived early, so that we would have the best opportunity to score good parking spots.  When we checked in with the ranger shack, he said there's one good 50 amp, full hookup site open, and the folks in the site next door are due to check out today.  When we unhooked the Jeeps, I drove up to the north section, and discovered that both sites were empty.  We placed our tags on the utility pedestals, and went back to get the motor homes.  The photos above, show our parking spots in spaces 117 and 119.

Once we got everything set up, we drove into Newport for lunch at one of our favorite seafood/fish markets, just south of the Newport Bridge.  The halibut & chips, and the fresh crab cocktails were really good.  I see a dangerous trend starting, whereby I'm eating more seafood than burgers.  Probably just a temporary thing, besides, when we get back home, fresh seafood is kind of scarce in the desert.
 

This morning, and future mornings, I'm at one of the lodges, where WiFi is available.  Our Sprint phone, and data device is very marginal where the motor homes are parked.  When I'm finished, we're driving back south to a place that provides a great panoramic view of the coast.  I think it's a viewpoint near Cape Perpetua.

Miles driven - 39  Cumulative - 8,264
Whalers Rest Thousand Trails - 0  Cumulative - $1,596.92

A "DO NOTHING" DAY

Even though our Winegard Satellite antenna is shooting through part of a nearby tree, the reception on the standard definition satellite is good enough to watch TV.  That is.............if the wind isn't blowing the tree branches too much.

While the girls were (pick one) - quilt/yarn/fabric shopping, or beach combing, I first watched the Brickyard 400 NASCAR race from Indy, then some other motor sports on the tube.  While Gracie was curled up in my lap, I might have joined her, in resting my eyelids for a few brief moments.  Later in the day, I set the DVR to record the NHRA drag race from Sonoma, and we then drove into town, where we had reservations at the Waterfront Depot Restaurant.

This locals favorite had been highly recommended by a gal at the Elks RV park, and she said "you have to get a reservation, or you probably can't get in."  Nancy called on Friday, right at 3pm, when they start taking reservations each day, and the earliest we could get in was yesterday (Sunday).  Even with a reservation, we still had to wait about a half hour for a table, but oh boy, was it worth the wait.
I'm not a big seafood kind of guy, but the crab encrusted halibut that we all had, was incredibly good!
With crab cakes and crab stuffed mushrooms as appetizers, the clam chowder and main course was more than enough to leave us all very full, and very pleased with the food.

The end of my "do nothing" day included watching the recorded drag race, where my fantasy picks out scored Mike & Marcs picks for this second drag race on the western swing.  The old man is steadily pulling away with the lead, and even though I'm not predicting anything yet, perhaps there's a new champ on the horizon.

Almost forgot..............today, we're moving to Whalers Rest, a Thousand Trails park just up the coast near Newport.  We've stayed at this park in the past, and we know that our Sprint phone & Sprint Internet device will not work there.  The lodge should have WiFi, but there might be a few upcoming days without a blog post.

Florence Elks RV Park - $20  Cumulative - $1,596.92

SHARPS, HOT RODS, LIGHTHOUSES, & YARN

Recently, a blog reader asked how I was doing with my mini warehouse of Sharps non-alcoholic beer.  Let's just say that the motor home was no longer tilting to one side, as the supply of fake suds had dwindled to just a few 12 packs.  Now that we're back in BI-MART country, the only store where Sharps is usually on the shelf, I can start to restock the rolling warehouse.  While the girls were beating the bushes, in a never ending quest to find that perfect quilt fabric, I cleaned out the Florence BI-MART of the three 12 packs they had in stock. 

On the way back to the motor home, I stopped at the local Les Schwab Tire Store, where there was a small classic car show in their parking lot.  I keep saying that one of these beauties is pretty close to occupying some space in my garage, but, I've got toys that I already don't use very much, so why add to the dust gathering collection.

 My first car in 1962, was a 58 Chevy Impala, that was equipped with this same 348 cubic inch engine, and three, 2's.

When Patty & Nancy returned, we took a drive north on the coast highway, where we stopped at this scenic turnout, that had a great view of Heceta Head Lighthouse.  Despite the strong winds, it was a "picture perfect" day, offering panoramic vistas of the Pacific Ocean.  If you like an ocean environment, it doesn't get much better than the Oregon Coast.
 

On the way back to the Elks RV Park, this yarn shop, which is only a stone's throw from the park, had somehow escaped from the girl's patronage.  At first, they agreed to being dropped off, then walking the half mile back to the motor homes.  OK, I caved rather quickly, and said I would wait in the parking lot, where I heard, "we'll only be 10 minutes".  Sure, I thought to myself, I knew that wasn't going to happen.   So, after the allotted time had come and gone, I wandered into the store, where I discovered the "shop dog", a beautiful, multi colored Collie.  I think there should be a quilt/fabric/yarn shop law, that says - husbands must be provided with a waiting area, and said area must include one, or more of the following......... dogs or cats to pet, hunting, fishing or car magazines to read, a model railroad, or at the very least, a TV showing video of the latest NASCAR or NHRA races.  Now that I think of it, that's probably not going to happen either!

Back at the ranch, I BBQ'd some pork tenderloins for dinner, and we settled in for our second night at the Florence Elk's RV Park.   The only thing on today's agenda is some motor sports on the tube, and a dinner reservation this evening at one of the local eateries.

Florence Elks RV Park - $20  Cumulative $1,576.92

A SHORT DRIVE TO FLORENCE, OR

 The Oregon Sand Dunes Recreation Area northern boundary is a few miles south of Florence.

 The Siuslaw River near it's entry into the Pacific Ocean.

With the last of our appointments taken care of, yesterday morning was more on the relaxing side, instead of the hurrying & scurrying mornings of the previous 3 days.  The last thing to be taken care of, was a house water filter for Nancy that had to be ordered.  When that was installed, we drove over to the TA truck stop to fill the diesel tanks.  Due to a problem with the fuel desk's computer, we both got the P.U.C. cash price of $3.69 a gallon, rather than the posted $4.08 credit price.  In Oregon, the trucks pay 30 to 40 cents LESS per gallon, and in Arizona, the trucks pay about 8 cents MORE per gallon.  The logic & rules regarding heavy vehicle fuel prices in these two states is completely opposite.  Go figure.........

Our destination was the Florence Elks RV park which is located about 5 miles north of town.  It was only about 75 miles from Coburg to Florence, and we were on the coast in in about an hour.  The last several days in the Eugene area have been hot, with temps in the 90's.  When we arrived in Florence, the temperature was 68 degrees, but felt cooler due to a pretty good breeze.

After getting parked at this very nice Elks campground, we drove back into town, continuing south on Hwy 101 to the South Jetty Thousand Trails RV Park.  It's been several years since we last stayed at this T.T. park, and I wanted to see if there had been any improvements.  It's still heavily wooded, so satellite TV is iffy, but there were several sites that had been improved to 50 amp.   Of the 6 TT parks on the OR, and WA coast, this is the one that's the most southerly.

Adjacent to South Jetty, is one of the staging areas (entrances) for the sand dunes.  We watched the 4 wheelers running up and down the dunes, and the effort to get a pickup unstuck from the top of one of the dunes.  We left before they got it out.

We had a late lunch, early dinner in Old Florence at Mo's, famous for their clam chowder.  It was good, but we've all had better.  After dinner, a quick stop at Safeway, before we headed back to the motor homes.  Today, the girls are continuing their quest to set a Guiness World Record, for the most patronage of quilt/yarn/fabric shops.  I think I'll stay put, and clean some Alaska dirt off the Jeep & motor home.

 The Florence Elks RV park offers 50 amp electric, water & dump station for $20 a night.

Miles traveled -  79  Total miles - 8,225

Florence Elks RV Park - $20  Cumulative $1,556.92

Coburg TA Diesel - 40.7 Gals @ $3.69 Gal = $150

Cumulative fuel $4,689.12  MPG - 9.6  Average MPG - 7.9

NEW OILS & FILTERS

After the windshield had been replaced in the motor home, we drove north to Albany, where we met Bob & Brenda Nelson for dinner.  We first met the Nelson's several years ago, when they lived in Enterprise, OR, across the street from Bob & Diana Rush.  They have since moved to Albany, where Bob insists that he is finally retired.  We had a nice visit with our friends, and I was able to thank them for the referral to their family dentist.  When we said adios, Brenda left us with a batch of her fabulous scones, which were gone the next morning.    

Yesterday, the motor home went into the shop at Cummins Coach Care, for it's annual service.  In addition to the usual change of engine oil, oil filter, & two fuel filters, I had the air dryer cartridge changed, and differential gear oil replaced with synthetic oil.  By mid day, the job was done, and I parked in one of the RV sites, where I quickly got the A/C turned on.  It's been hot here in the Eugene/Coburg area, with daytime temps in the 90's.  Unfortunately, Nancy's motor home wasn't finished until after 4pm, partially due to the longer list of things that needed to be done. 

This morning, we're headed over to the coast, where the weather forecast is for much cooler temperatures.  Our first stop for a few days, will be the Elks in Florence, then, it's north to Whalers Rest for a couple of weeks,  a Thousand Trails park near Newport.  Our plan is to stay along the OR and WA coast, into Sep, when we'll start thinking about returning to AZ.

A BIG PIECE OF GLASS

The replacement of our motor home's one piece windshield took place yesterday morning at RV Glass, in Coburg, OR.  I was given the opportunity to take a few pictures, as the old glass was being removed.  I'm sure there are some bigger motor home windshields, but this is one huge chunk of glass. 

When the one piece motor home windshield trend started almost a decade ago, I wonder if any of the structural engineers gave much thought to the unintended consequences of putting so much glass in the front of a big vehicle.  Motor homes aren't rigid like your automobile.  They flex, particularly when going over things like driveway transitions, or speed bumps at an angle.  The old Monaco didn't allow for the "flex factor", and the result was (still is), many broken windshields when the glass is forced against an edge, or corner, as the front cap twists, and bends.  As I mentioned before, we had the rigid "halo brace" installed before Monaco went bankrupt, and that mitigated most of the flex problem, but not entirely.  During this trip, while on a bumpy, undulating portion of the Alaska Hwy, the top left corner of our windshield glass was forced against the cap, and broke.  We later had the rock damage.

 RV Glass occupies the old Monaco corporate headquarters building.

 3 "Before" pictures.

While talking to the folks at RV Glass, I learned that this flex problem is causing lots of windshields (not just Monaco products) to break.  Dave, the installer pictured below, said that they just came back from the rally in Gillete, WY, and if I remember correctly, he said they replaced 27 windshields due to this flex issue.  The approx. retail cost of our windshield is $2,000!

The broken windshield being removed.

 

 Driving down the road without a windshield would give new meaning to the biker term "In The Wind".

 After

We were back in the coach around 3pm, and stayed parked on the property, where we had a complimentary 50 amp electrical connection.  This morning, we're moving just down the street to Cummins Coach Care, where an annual service is on the agenda.  Nancy is having the same service, and we'll both stay tonight at Coach Care, where they also have water & electric hook ups.  Tomorrow, we're off for the coast where the 60 degree temps will be a welcome relief from the last several days of 90+.  

THEY'RE FIXED

The teeth, that is.  Without getting into the weeds with details, lets just say that I'm back to where I was before we left for Alaska.  My dental appointment yesterday went better than I expected, and despite the fact that I still need a more permanent fix, I'm hopeful that I bought a bunch of time, and will deal with the problems when we get back to Arizona.

So, where was the first stop after leaving the dental office?  Just a few blocks away was an old pal of mine, Miss Wendy, who I hadn't seen since leaving for Alaska.  The last couple of days have been like old home week, with a renewed relationship with my other pals, Ben & Jerry.  Seeing my old buddies, has lifted the spirits, particularly with the restored ability to take a bite out of some food, a  basic human function that I'm sure we all take for granted. 

This morning at 8am, we have an appointment just a few blocks away, with RV Glass Solutions, for a motor home windshield replacement.  When that job is finished, we'll move over to Cummins Coach Care, where we have appointments tomorrow, to have both motor homes serviced.  When that's done, we're heading for the coast, where the daytime temps are supposed to be in the 60's, instead of the mid 90's, which was our high temp yesterday in Coburg.

Eugene Kamping World RV Park - $33.61  Cumulative - $1,536.92

A DAY OF CATCHING UP

With long days of driving, finally in the rear view mirror, yesterday was for taking care of things that had been put off until we arrived in OR.  First up was a good scrubbing of the Jeep at the local quarter car wash.  With the pressure washer eating up quarters like there was no tomorrow, I got most of the Alaska Hwy dirt to disappear. 

The next stop was at RV Glass solutions, which now occupies the old Monaco Headquarters building in Coburg.  In fact, it appears the only presence the new Monaco has in it's old hometown, is a service center just down the street.  The new owner of Monaco, & Holiday Rambler is Navistar, best known for building International Trucks.  It looks like they have said adios to Oregon, and consolidated what's left of  their RV business elsewhere.  Our appointment for the windshield replacement is tomorrow morning at RV Glass.

It's been a few years since we were last in this area, and yesterday, I discovered that Cummins Coach Care has moved to a new facility, about a mile south of their old location.  They used to be right across the street from Monaco.  We  have an appointment at Cummins on Thursday.

When we had the inside of the motor home a lot cleaner than it was, we piled into the Jeep, and did some shopping.  Being without my pals Ben & Jerry for several days, had gone on long enough, and it was time for a buddy fix.  When we had finished with all of our chores & shopping, the day was pretty much shot, so I BBQ'd some chicken, and we called it a day.  First dental appointment this morning in Albany.

Eugene Kamping World RV Park - $33.61  Cumulative - $1,503.31



  

MT. VERNON, WA TO COBURG, OR

We made it!  After driving for 7 straight days from Tok, Alaska, to Coburg, OR, covering 2,370 miles, we're here in the Central OR area, where the first of several things will start to happen.  1st dental apppointment tomorrow, windshield replacement the following day, and motor home maintenance/service the next day.  When those are out of the way, we'll be heading over to the coast, where we're booked into the Thousand Trails at Whalers Rest for a couple of weeks.  

We decided yesterday morning to head straight south on I5, rather than take the longer route down the west side of Puget Sound.  And, instead of stopping for one more night before getting to our destination, we agreed to keep the pedal to the metal, and just get here.  This morning, I'm glad we did, as we now have all day to catch up on things like grocery shopping, cleaning some of the Alaska dust out of the motor home, washing the Jeep, and a host of other things that have been put off for over a week.  This isn't the way the summer was originally planned, but sometimes you just have to be flexible, and roll with the punches. 

Kitty update - Gracie is hanging in there, but not eating very much.  She acts pretty normal, but that's what cats do.  They're good at disguising their ailments, but according to the Vet in Anchorage, her kidney failure was well advanced.  I think another blood test is on the near horizon, when we can compare the results with the last two, and get a better idea of how she's doing.

Miles traveled - 351  Total miles since we left Tucson - 8,146
Eugene Kamping World RV Park - $33.61  Total RV parks - $1,469.70

BOSTON BAR, B.C. TO MOUNT VERNON WA

After leaving our riverside campground, and driving under the very low railroad bridge, we drove the last few miles through the Fraser River Canyon.  This drive from about Cache Creek to Hope, has always been a favorite of mine, especially with the railroad on each side of the canyon.  The town of Hope is at the end of the canyon, where it was back on the freeway for about 25 miles to the turn off for the U.S. Border crossing at Sumas.   

The lineup of vehicles caused us to slowly move forward for about 10-15 minutes, before handing our passports to the "cute" (Nancy's description) customs officer.  The usual questions, and we were back in the good ole U.S.A.  Just down the road, we filled the motor homes with diesel, and headed for our destination, the Thousand Trails Park near Mt. Vernon, WA.  My first choice was to stop at an RV park near the harbor at Port Townsend, but they were full, so the T.T. park was the second choice.
Today, we'll drive out onto Whidbey Island, then take the ferry across to Port Townsend, where we'll pick up Hwy 101, and head south.

It is indeed a small world, which was reinforced yesterday, while we were parking the motor homes at Mt. Vernon.  I had backed our motor home into a space, and was helping Nancy get her rig parked a short distance away, when I looked back at Patty, who was talking to a couple of people near our motor home.  Nothing new, Patty talks to everybody.  I didn't pay much attention, until I started walking back to where she was standing.  Low & behold, Lynn & Dave Cross, friends who we first met after joining the Golden Spike RV Chapter, were also parked here at the T.T.  They follow the blog, and knew that we had just crossed the border, but didn't know we were coming to Mt. Vernon.  We had a nice visit, including our first look at their magnificent new 5th wheel.    
  

Back at the very dirty house and Jeep, it was time for a BBQ dinner of steak for me, and salmon for the girls.  It's been 6 days of driving, since we left Tok, Alaska, covering 2,019 miles.  For me, driving has never been a chore, only an adventure as to what's around the next corner, or over the next hill.  Except for a few aches and pains, resulting from long days behind the wheel, the quick drive south was no big deal for me.  I have to say that our pal Nancy has been a real trooper, and a great traveling partner.  She's handled the narrow, winding roads, the dust, the gravel, the idiot drivers,  the construction zones, and the long hours of driving with not the slightest complaint.  When it's time to go, she's always ready, and only occasionally asks for help.  There aren't many challenges greater for an RV owner, than driving your rig to Alaska and back, and our friend has handled it better than most men I know!  Good job girl!

Miles traveled - 134  Total miles since leaving Tucson - 7,795
Mt. Vernon Thousand Trails $0  Total RV parks - $1,436.09
Diesel - Everson Union 76, 60.3 Gals @ $4.08 Gal = $246.01
Total Fuel expense - $4,539.11  MPG 6.3  Avg. MPG - 7.9

PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. TO BOSTON BAR, B.C.

By chance, we stumbled across another "Chances" Casino in Fort St. John.

Our drive yesterday, on this "hurry up and get there" journey, took us across some desert country, then into the Thompson River & Fraser River canyons.  By mid afternoon, the temperatures had jumped into the 90's, and for the first time on this trip, I fired up the generator to run one of the roof A/C's.  Not knowing where we would stop for the day, we stumbled across a small RV Park, with a big sign up on the highway.  Before exiting, I saw that there was enough room to turn around, before heading down the hill to the park which wasn't visible.   When I decided to keep going down this narrow road, Nancy called on the radio, "are you sure about this???"  I answered, "it's an adventure, follow me". 

 

 The drive through the Thompson & Fraser River Canyons is quite scenic.

Around the last corner, at the bottom of the hill, a loud "O CRAP" came effortlessly out of my mouth, as I stared at a railroad bridge that looked too low for us to pass under.  Now what!!  We're on a one lane road, on about a 10% hill, which is on a curve, and we're blocking the road.  No markings on the bridge to indicate what the clearance is, so, the options were limited to only a couple.   Try to unhook the Jeeps, which would have been very difficult, and then, back the motor homes up.  Not liking that option, I decided to give it a try, while Nancy watched from behind.  As I slowly crept under the bridge, Nancy said "it looks like you're going to make it", as my two antennas were making loud noises, while they scraped the bottom of the bridge.  Whew, another catastrophe averted, as we pulled into a nice little RV Park with lots of shade trees to help quell the heat.

This what the bridge looked like when we left the park this morning.

 

 Nancy's motor home isn't quite as tall as ours, but there still wasn't much clearance.

After a tasty red beans/rice & sausage dinner that Patty whipped up, we walked a short distance down to where Anderson Creek flows into the Fraser River, and discovered this massive Railroad Trestle over the creek.  According to the stamp in the concrete, it was built in 1962, and was quite impressive.

Our Jeeps are so dirty, it's difficult to tell the actual color.

The bridge looked to be about 125 feet high.

It was another long day of driving, but were making progress, and in a day or two, we'll be in the Albany/Eugene area for over a week, and lots of stuff to take care of.

Miles traveled - 350  Cumulative miles - 7,661
Anderson Crk RV Park, Boston Bar, B.C. $27.50  Cumulative - $1,436.09
Diesel Petro Canada, Quesnel  37.9 Gals @ 4.88 Gal = $185.00
Cumulative fuel - $4.293.11  MPG - 9.9  Avg. MPG - 7.9