BACK TO YELLOWSTONE

We drove the 30 miles back to the park yesterday morning, and spent most of the day, traveling around to many of the scenic wonders in this first U.S. national park. The photo of Sami, with Yellowstone Lake in the background, is from the eastern entrance. This AM shot shows the lake very calm, with little wind. When we left in the afternoon, the wind was blowing fiercely, with water spraying across the road in several locations. This time of year, there are an awful lot of people in Yellowstone, and every parking lot was either full, or close to capacity. We spent time on both sides of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, and there are more photos that I will post tomorrow. Where the Yellowstone River cascades over the upper, and lower falls is truly amazing. We walked down to a viewing area that is perched right above the upper falls, and the tremendous amount of water rushing over the falls, just a few feet away, almost takes your breath away. The Canyon Village Visitors Center occupied some of our time, where we learned in more detail about Yellowstone's history, and the fact that most of the park is a super volcano, that has had 3 major eruptions in the last several million years. Except for the afternoon wind, it was a day of sightseeing delight. Today we head for the Buffalo Bill Museum in Cody, WY, where we'll spend a few hours, then on to the Black Hills of South Dakota.

YELLOWSTONE N .P.

One correction from yesterday........we didn't rejoin I84 at Idaho Falls, but rather I15. Upon leaving I.F., we traveled north on US20 to West Yellowstone, and the west entrance to the park. When we came around the corner at the entrance station, there must have been at least 100 vehicles waiting in the 4 lanes. The posted fee per vehicle was $25, but with the senior passport, (one time fee of $10), the fee is $0. This kind of stuff really excites Patty. I think that's why she gets a kick out of shopping at goodwill, and other thrift stores. Shortly after entering the park, we stopped for lunch next to this river, where I took the picture. We drove thru the park, taking in all of the magnificent scenery as we headed for the east entrance. About 25 miles east of the park on hwy 20, we stopped at Yellowstone RV Park, where we will also stay tonight. Today, it's back into the park with the jeep, for a complete day of scenic wonder. Since we'll be gone the entire day, Sami will be a reluctant passenger.

SOUTHERN IDAHO

Before pulling out of the RV park in Caldwell, ID, I took off the back refrigerator cover, to check the burner assembly. I found a chunk of carbon that had fallen down from the chimney onto the burner, and it was distorting the flame enough to be a problem. This morning, it has cooled back down to within a few degrees of where it should be, so, I hope that issue is corrected. We drove east on I84 to US26, where we got off the freeway, with the intent of taking the back roads thru craters of the moon national monument, and back to I84 in Idaho Falls. When we got to Shoshone, ID, the ugly "Road Closed" sign appeared, and we had to take a detour, but still made our way to the Craters of the Moon visitor center, where I snapped this picture. I knew the photo wouldn't do the landscape justice, but, if you kind of get the picture of what this prehistoric lava flow looks like. We ended up on US20, which took us thru the small town of Arco, ID. About 20 years ago, Patty and I stopped in Arco, in our first motor home, on our way back from the Sturgis motorcycle rally. This was the first U.S. city that was lighted by nuclear power, and there still is a lot of nuclear research done at the nearby National Laboratory.
At about 5pm, mountain time, we pulled into the Wally World supercenter in Idaho Falls, where we almost always spend way more money, than we would for a space at an RV park. It's almost uncanny how Sami seems to know that it's 5pm (dinner time), no matter what time zone we happen to be in. Today, we will drive thru Yellowstone, from the West entrance, and we have a reservation at an RV park that is about half way between the East entrance, and Cody, WY.

ALMOST A GROUP

I don't claim to be much of a photographer, and this picture proves it. I tried to get a group photo of everybody staying at Bob & Diana's over the 4th weekend, and almost succeeded. I didn't wait long enough with the group, because someone said "I heard it click", so I got up and was headed back to the camera. The second attempt had an even worse result, and it was getting hot out on the deck, so this is it. Sorry Brenda, you should be visible behind the guy who got up too quick, and blocked your view. Right after this poor attempt at photography, we left Enterprise, and made it as far as Caldwell, ID. The temps were in the mid to upper 90's, so we checked into an RV park, and turned on the A.C. I traced the problem of no turn signals on the jeep to a couple of blown fuses in the motor home. Right after leaving Bob & Diana's, I was having trouble with the tow bar locking into the full length. Phil and Tristan happened to be riding their bicycles toward town where we stopped, and helped me fix the tow bar. The fix was extending the safety cables, but before we had stopped, the coiled electrical cable got pinched, which shorted out the fuses. Thanks Phil and Tristan for the help, and thanks again Bob & Diana, for the super hospitality.
This morning, I noticed that the refer isn't cooling, so as soon as I'm done typing, I hope to see what's up with that. That's part of this lifestyle. There's always something to adjust, or take care of. We should get close to Yellowstone today, and hopefully, some cooler temperatures.

FEELING BETTER

Since catching this bug a few days ago, last night was the first night that I got a good nights sleep, without any panic rushes to use the bathroom. I think the worst is behind me, and that's a good thing, because we start our eastward journey today. Sami is also in a recovery mode, due to some minor surgery the day after we arrived here in Enterprise. She has been prone to small, wart like, cysts, and over the years we have had several removed. In the summer of 2007, in Skagway, we let one on her right ear go to long, and she would have lost part of her ear, had the Vet in Whitehorse not done such a spectacular job in it's removal. When this one appeared on her left ear, we weren't going to wait any longer than necessary. So now, mom has two sick kids to nurse back to health. A big thanks to Bob & Diana Rush for their wonderful hospitality while we've been parked next to their house the last few days. Even though I've been out of circulation the last two days, Patty has gotten her people fix, visiting with Bob & Diana, Bob & Brenda, Phil & Lisa & their 6 year old twins, Jordan & Tristan, who have all been staying at Bob & Diana's. Today we head back to I84, and eastward toward Boise, ID, and then eventually, up to Yellowstone.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA

Even though I disagree with many of the decisions being made in D.C., this is still the greatest country in the world. The fact that we can have legitimate debate about government policies, without fear of reprisal, is one of the many things that sets the U.S. of A. apart from the rest of the world. Happy birthday America!
Caught an intestinal bug yesterday, and have been staying close to the facilities. I was hoping that I would be feeling better this morning, but now, I have a low grade fever, so instead of enjoying the BBQ and fireworks, I'll probably just stay put.

COMMON SENSE

Just finished reading Glenn Beck's best seller, "Common Sense", based on Thomas Paine's' writings in 1776, and passed it on to Bob Rush. I won't get into a political dissertation, but for the first time in my adult life, I'm worried about my kids, and my grand kids future. The path that our genius leaders (both political parties) in D.C. are taking us down, is pure and simple, a path to destruction, of the way of life we hold near and dear. The massive debt that is increasing at unsustainable levels, is no different than the individual who runs up his credit card debt, and can only pay the interest, never making a dent in the principle. The annual interest on the national debt today, is $300 billion! These idiots in Washington are taking our once great country down a road that will have a seriously adverse affect on future generations. I have come to the conclusion that, when I vote, if the word incumbent is behind the persons name, he/she probably will not get my vote. OK, enough of the soapbox.
We are enjoying our visit at the Rush RV Resort, and yesterday, we mostly just visited. Watching the 6 year old twins, Jordan & Tristan, is like watching perpetual motion machines. Where does all that energy come from, or maybe, some of us are just getting a little older.

THE RUSH RV RESORT

I can count on one hand, the number of friends houses', where we have visited & parked our motor home. To us, these places are RV Resorts, because not only do we have a place to park, but we have wonderful friends, or family, to visit with. We started this trip with a stop in our old hometown, Jamestown, CA. The East RV Resort (Everett & Lori), was our parking spot for a few days, while we took care of our annual medical visits.

Yesterday, we drove from the Wal Mart in LaGrande, OR, to Enterprise, where Bob & Diana Rush have built a beautiful home on several acres. Diana's daughter Lisa, her husband Phil, and twin grandchildren, Tristan & Jordan (age 6), are also here on vacation. Bob & Brenda Nelson are due to arrive today, so the Rush house will be bursting at the seams. This part of eastern OR, and specifically this valley, is so beautiful in the summer months. Probably a little too cold for me in the winter, but right now, the temps are in the 80's, and everything is green, green, green! Bob & Diana spend a lot of time taking care of their property, and it shows. We spent the evening outside around the fire pit, and enjoyed the conversation and company. Today, Sami goes to the VET, for yet another cyst removal on her left ear. This poor dog grows these wart like things, like a farmer grows a crop.

A DAM TOUR

After our visit with David and Louise, we spent the night in the Ridgefield Nazarene Church parking lot, which was a couple of blocks from David's dads house. We pulled out at about 9am, gave David & Louise a toot on the air horn, and hit the freeway. I was going to stop at Roadmaster in Vancouver, WA, but decided that our Sterling tow bar was OK, so we took Hwy 14 east along the WA side of the Columbia River. It would have been much faster to cross into OR, and take I84 east, but we were in no hurry, and I prefer the back roads anyway.

We stopped at the Bonneville Dam visitor center, and did a self guided tour of the north side of the dam. What was especially interesting was the fish ladder and the viewing room. We watched a lot of fish make their way past the large windows, on their way around the Bonneville Dam. Hwy 14 is a nice, scenic drive,and at Hood River, we crossed over the Columbia to the Oregon side, on a very narrow bridge. We pulled into the town of Hood River, with the intention of stopping at the Mt. Hood tourist railroad, but could not find a way into their parking lot. I've learned over the years, especially when we pulled a 35 foot trailer, that it's better to error on the safe side when it comes to venturing into narrow streets, and places where a 40 feet motor home may not be able to make a turn.

We drove east on I84, out of the Columbia River Gorge, and continued to La Grande, where it was now late in the day, and our favorite over night stop awaited us. Wally World almost always allows RV's to overnight in their parking lots, and we were in need of some groceries.

Today, we travel a short distance to Enterprise, OR, where we will spend a few days with our friends, Bob & Diana Rush. I seem to remember that our phone doesn't work too well in Enterprise, so, not sure about Internet coverage.

TIRE PROBLEMS

After leaving the left coast for the last time, we stopped in Aberdeen, WA, at our favorite tire store, a Les Schwab's. We've gotten very familar with ole Les the past few weeks. First it was a nail in the R/R on the jeep, fixed at no charge in Newport, OR. Second, it was a bad valve stem on the R/F of the motor home, fixed at no charge in Albany, OR. Third, another nail in the L/R on the jeep, fixed at no charge in Aberdeen, WA. Do ya think I might be looking for a Les Schwab store when I need tires? Having owned a business, I know better than most, that "time is money". I also know how important advertising is, and the best way to create customer loyalty is exactly what Les Schwab does - great customer service. The tire problems on the jeep were detected on its' tire monitoring system. The tire problem on the motor home was detected on the new pressure pro, tire monitoring system that I recently purchased at the FMCA rally in Albany. Any one of these three tire issues had the potential to be devastating, had I not had the warning provided by the tire monitors. Isn't technology great!
About mid afternoon, we stopped in Ridgefield, WA, where Dave & Louise Hawkins, our old Skagway buddies are staying. Dave grew up in the area, and after his dad recently passed, he and Louise have been working on getting dad's house ready for sale. We got a quick tour of all the work they have done, (a lot), and then, went out to dinner for an awesome bacon, mushroom, cheeseburger. It was good to see Dave & Louise, and catch up on the latest.
Today, I'm planning on a stop at our hitch manufacturer, Roadmaster in Vancouver, WA, then on toward Enterprise, OR, and a visit with our good friends, Bob & Diana Rush.

THE DRIVE EAST BEGINS

Today, is the beginning of a several thousand mile trek toward the east coast, as we leave the last of 6 Thousand Trails Preserves (TT) where we have stayed, along the Oregon & Washington coasts. We have thoroughly enjoyed these past 6 weeks, and have had the time to explore some new venues, where in the past, we either haven't had the time, or didn't take the time. Our upgraded Thousand Trails membership allows us to stay in about 65 parks across the country, at no charge, for an annual fee of $600. Out of the 4 parks in OR, and the 2 in WA, only 1 park was not within walking distance of the beach. So far, this membership is making good sense for us financially, and otherwise.
Our jeep has a factory air pressure monitoring system, and when Patty started to go to the grocery store yesterday, the system showed the LR tire was down to 18 lbs. We just had the RR tire fixed on the jeep, and the RF tire fixed on the motor home. So, what's up with all the bad tire luck? I put on the spare, so later today, we'll find a Les Schwab tire store on the way to Portland, check out why the tire is leaking, and hopefully get it fixed. This afternoon or evening, we hope to meet up with our friends, David and Louise Hawkins, who are working on Davids Dad's house near Portland. Patty & Louise worked together in Skagway, and it will be good to catch up, since we last saw them over the winter.

WOOD & SAND

It's amazing what can be created out of logs and sand, and it's being demonstrated in the Ocean Shores Convention Center parking lot this weekend. As I mentioned yesterday, there are chainsaw artists from near and far, competing for a $20,000 prize package. I took a picture of this eagle, simply because it reminded me of a similar sculpture that we had displayed in our Harley-Davidson Dealership. We watched as a big truckload of logs was being dumped in the parking lot, and as soon as the logs hit the ground, the chainsaw guys with the spray paint cans were marking what would be their logs. When it comes to creating something out of a log with a chainsaw, I guess there are good logs and bad logs, because it was like watching a shark, feeding frenzy.

The most interesting thing that was taking place in the parking lot was this one guy who was creating a 55 t-bird, and a boy and girl standing next to it, out of beach sand. The details were unbelievable! Even the intricate gauges on the dashboard were visible in the sand. The one thing I kept thinking was, after the many hours of work in creating this masterpiece, it would be destroyed when the event was over. Much of what was being sculpted out of the logs would eventually end up with a buyer somewhere, but not the t-bird.

Today is our last day on the west coast, and the day has dawned with beautiful sunshine. I will be glued to the tube this afternoon, as NASCAR is in New Hampshire, and NHRA is in Ohio.

2ND CHANCE

We thought that our last encounter with a baby harbor seal was a once in a lifetime event. Wrong! We were walking on the beach near this namesake state park, and lo and behold, Patty spotted another baby seal. What are the Chances? This little guy was wiggling into the rocks, waiting for the tide to come back in and for his mom to return. After the last encounter, we self educated ourselves on the habits of harbor seals, and learned mostly from a ranger, that the moms park the youngsters on the beach or in the rocks, while they return to the ocean. The reasons for this are twofold. The adults need to hunt for food, and the babies need to get out of the water, or they become hypo-
thermic. When small, they don't have the insulating fat to stay warm enough, and can actually die from hypothermia. Except for these pictures, we resisted the urge to get close to this very cute little critter.
There's a chainsaw sculpting & sand castle building convention in town this weekend, and there are chainsaw woodcarvers here from all over the northwest. We walked around the convention center parking lot where the chainsaw sawdust was flying! I'll have some pictures posted tomorrow.

WEATHER

Since leaving Arizona on May 10th, where the temperatures were over 100 on a regular basis, we have enjoyed very moderate weather, along the Oregon and Washington coasts. Today, for the first time in awhile, the sun is out with totally blue skies. The forecast is for sun and about 65 degrees. As I look at weather around the country, I think there is a point in our not to distant future, that we will be wishing we were still on the west coast. I used to love the hot weather, in fact it couldn't get hot enough. After 2 seasons of traveling around the country with the N.H.R.A. drag race circuit, and being exposed to lots of heat and humidity in the eastern states, I somehow lost my appetite for hot weather. So, what do we do in 2002? We moved from the Sierra Foothills in central CA, to Lake Havasu City, AZ, one of the hottest climates in the entire country. If that seems like a contradiction, well, it is. My rationalization is that so far, we are only there in the winter, when the weather is almost perfect. In the summer, we've been on the road, staying in places like Skagway, Alaska, Glacier National Park, and this year, a good part of the summer, on the coasts of OR and WA. We will soon begin our eastward trek across the country, toward New England and the Canadian Maritime Provinces. Hopefully, by staying mostly in the northern states, we will avoid a lot of the uncomfortable, hot and humid weather.

OCEAN SHORES

Our geographical location is now about central on the Washington Coast, about 4 miles north of Ocean Shores. The town of Ocean Shores is on a peninsula, that ends at the entrance to Grays Harbor. We drove around the community yesterday, and there are a lot of very nice homes, most of which seemed to be empty. I suspect that most of these homes are of the vacation type, which would explain the lack of occupancy. Lots of beach front motels, and even a convention center. Back in the days when I was involved in planning the Bridgeport Motorcycle Rally, one of my partners used to talk about a big Motorcycle Rally in Ocean Shores, WA. When we were at the visitor center, I saw a poster that advertised this same rally, which is coming up in August.
It rained off and on most of the day, so we grabbed a few groceries, and got back to the motor home about mid afternoon. This morning, the wind is blowing with more rain, so, it might be another popcorn and movie day.

OCEAN SHORES

We arrived at our last Thousand Trails Park on the WA coast near Ocean Shores yesterday. When we leave here in a little less than a week, our journey will be mostly in an easterly direction until we get to the east coast. In all of our travels over the years, this was the second time we have run across this sign. The first time, for some twisted reason, it immediately tickled our funny bone. Yesterday, it wasn't so humorous, but, you have to admit, you don't see this public warning sign very often.
The Oceana Thousand Trails Preserve is a short walk from the beach, so Patty will have one last opportunity to get her ocean fix, before we head inland. Shortly after we arrived, a small black tail deer meandered by the motor home, and Sami happened to catch a glimpse. Naturally, she went bananas, so I took her out to where the deer had walked. As soon as she caught the scent, you could hear the howls and barking a mile away. This never lasts very long, but for me, it's fun to watch her natural instincts kick into high gear.
Today, we're going to check out Ocean Shores, which is about 4-5 miles south of where we are parked. This is another north western beach playground area, and I suspect, will be similar to Seaside, where we were a few days ago.

AN OLD TROLLEY

We decided to drive back across the big bridge over the Columbia River, to do some shopping at a Costco & Fred Meyer. We stopped briefly at Fort Columbia on the WA side, and I was surprised at how well all of the WWII buildings have been maintained. Fort Columbia was the 2nd military installation on the WA side, that protected the mouth of the Columbia River, and is now a State Park.

After leaving a few bucks at the above mentioned stores, we found a viewing platform on the Astoria waterfront. Just as we arrived, this large ocean going vessel passed under the bridge as I took a picture. In the early 1900's, there were multiple canneries in Astoria that were all built out over the water. In fact, most all of early Astoria was built out over the river, until a major fire destroyed most of the town. When the city rebuilt, they began to use fill, and the shelf of land where most of Astoria sits today, was once part of the Columbia River.

Running along the waterfront is about 4 miles of track that once belonged to the railroad that connected Astoria to Portland. That rail line is no longer used, but an old trolley, built in 1914, runs along this 4 mile stretch. Of course, the railroad fanatic had to ride it, so, Patty and I climbed on board at the maritime museum, and made a round trip of almost an hour. Best 2 bucks we've spent on the whole trip.

Today, we leave the Long Beach Thousand Trails (TT), and drive north to our last TT on the coast at Oceano. After our week stay there, we'll be heading east toward the New England States.

CAPE DISAPPOINTMENT

Our day started with a "Dogie Poker Walk", here at the Long Beach Thousand Trails (TT). There were about 5 families that took a stroll around the park, picking up cards that were in sealed envelopes. Back at the office, everyone opened their envelopes, and unsurprisingly, our pair of 3's was not a winner, but the manager of the park gave each dog a toy, and Sami's is pictured.
The other photo was taken from the Cape Disappointment, Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center, looking out at the mouth of the Columbia River along the north jetty. This was also a location of one of the many gun batteries at Fort Canby. The entire area is rich in history, and we are starting to have discussions about spending a lot more time along the OR & WA coast, perhaps next summer. We have one more TT park to visit, just up the WA coast, then we'll start our journey east. Our primary goal this year, is to see the New England states, and the Canadian Maritime Provinces. Today, I think we're headed back south to Astoria, to check on a few things that we missed while we were parked at the Seaside TT.

DOGS ON THE BEACH

Our first activity yesterday, was the Garlic festival in Ocean Park. It started at 10am, and we arrived shortly thereafter. Within an hour, we had checked out the vendors and were ready to leave. This was basically a small town arts & crafts show, with a few food vendors. Some of the food folks had an item or two, that they attached the word garlic, but neither Patty or I felt inclined to pay $8 for a garlic hot dog. We drove back to Long Beach where I had a $10 cheeseburger, and found a train book in a local bookstore. Up until 1930, there was a 27 mile narrow gauge railroad that served the Long Beach Peninsula, and it was nicknamed "the clam shell railroad". It's hard for us to imagine that before roads, for about 50 years, railroads were the only transportation system.

We then drove down to the beach, for the 3rd annual Dogie Olympics. We watched dogs of all types, compete in the ball throw, an obstacle course, and a couple of other events. Some of the dogs were well disciplined, and many were more like our totally spoiled beagle. I think it was more fun watching the owners, than it was the dogs.

Today is Father's day, and I'm really proud of my two boys, Mike and Marc, and my stepson David. All 3 have grown up to be responsible, productive, young adults, and as parents, Patty and I more than happy, that they have accomplished much in their lives. I often wonder what my life would be, had my mother and father not been killed when I was just a baby. No regrets, just a lingering question that will never have an answer.

A LONG BEACH

The cool thing about a lot of the beaches in OR & WA, is that you can drive right out to the water, from numerous beach access points. After taking the picture of the jeep and the sign, I drove right out onto the beach. The other photo, shows a less than genius type, in the blue van, who must have thought he was in a sand buggy. We watched the 4 wheel drive Chev back up to the van in very soft sand, and she immediately got stuck with the first tug on the tow strap. The white pickup was on more solid ground, and eventually he pulled them both out. Sometimes you have to wonder, what were they thinking?

After stopping at the visitors center, we drove to the tip of the Long Beach Peninsula, and tried to remember which RV park we stayed at about 10 years ago. Must be old timers setting in, because we weren't sure which one it was. We checked out a store in Ocean Park that had a little bit of everything - groceries, hardware, sporting goods, stationary, and a lot more. Kind of a mini version of a Super Wal-Mart. Today, we're off to check out 2 events. The Garlic Festival in Ocean Park, and the Dogie Olympics in Long Beach. Oh, almost forgot. We walked out to the beach at about 9:30, and the baby seal was no where in sight. We have to believe, or at least we feel better believing, that the mom came back for her baby, and they lived happily ever after.

A BABY SEAL

Shortly after arriving here at the Long Beach Thousand Trails, we decided to check out the trail to the beach. I hooked up the leash to Sami, and off we went. This park is at the beginning of the Long Beach Peninsula, and is situated about 200 yards from the beach. As soon as we got to the beach, we noticed something moving near the waves. When we walked over to see what it was, we discovered this baby harbor seal that had crawled out of the surf. It looked distressed to us, but not ever experiencing anything like this before, we really didn't know. As soon as Sami realized the little critter was alive and moving, she of course started barking, & wanted to get closer. I decided to remove Sam, and headed back to the motor home to call Fish & Game, or some agency that might be able to help this little guy. I made 2 phone calls. One to the local Fire Dept. and the 2nd to WA Fish & Game. They both said this was a common occurrence, and that if the infant seal didn't appear injured, to leave it alone. Apparently, the mother's will park the baby's on the shore, and leave them for up to 24 hours, while they go fishing, or do whatever seals do in the ocean. I was told by Fish & Game, that if the seal was still there in the morning, to call them back. Both of us being animal lovers, it was very hard to leave this defenseless little guy on the beach, but we did. Hopefully, when we check out the beach today, he will be gone.

INFLUENCING WEATHER

Yesterday was a day for me to do some cleaning on the rigs. First, I wiped down the motor home, then, as I was finishing the jeep, a light rain began to fall. We have had very little precipitation, since leaving Arizona over a month ago, so I should have known that as soon as I got the vehicles nice and clean, it would start raining, and it did. This morning, everything is all wet, including the roads. Oh well, as I stated to the neighbor in a fifth wheel next to us, "it keeps me out of the bars"
Today, we have a short drive north, over the 4 mile Columbia River Bridge into Washington, and our next Thousand Trails Preserve at Long Beach. This park is suppossed to be right on the ocean, so Patty should have easy access for beach combing. The area where this park is located is somewhat isolated, so, not sure if we will have a good internet connection.

ASTORIA

Astoria, OR, sits at the mouth of the Columbia River, and is the oldest permanent community west of the Mississippi River. The photo of Patty and I was taken on a hill above Astoria, using my handy dandy, flexible tripod, which I curled around one of the roof rails on the jeep. Truly a spectacular view of Astoria, the river, and the bridge that takes Hwy 101 from Oregon to Washington.

Earlier in the day, we stopped at Fort Clatsop National Historical Park, the place where Lewis & Clark spent the winter of 1805/1806. At the visitor center, we watched a video of the Lewis & Clark Expedition, then checked out the fort and living quarters that has been recreated by the park service. We had visited Fort Clatsop about 8 years ago, and it's always amazing when you get a chance to see, or experience how people existed, 200 years ago.

Next was the Maritime Museum in Astoria. If you like history, this is a really great museum, complete with a decommissioned, 44 foot Coast Guard, lifesaving boat. The display of this boat is at about a 45 degree angle, as if it's being tossed in the waves, and the crew is attempting to rescue a person in the water. Very well done! Outside, a lighthouse ship is moored next to the museum, and it's open for self guided tours.

These two attractions took up most of the afternoon, except Patty found one thrift store in downtown Astoria that she had to check out. As we were leaving Astoria, the Carnival Cruise Ship Splendor was docking near the big bridge. Reminded us of our years in Skagway, when we would see big cruise ships come and go every day. We both miss that little town in Alaska, and are planning a return trip within the next few years.

FORT STEVENS

We have our mail bundled and forwarded to us about every 2 weeks, and our second batch since leaving AZ, arrived here in Seaside yesterday. Some have wondered why we don't receive mail at our home. The reason is that since 2002, our mail has gone to a private mailbox, at a business called Havasu Mail & Package. Over the years, we have gotten to know the family that runs this business, and they do a great job forwarding our mail when we're on the road. Thanks Bill, Betty, & Linda.

We drove the jeep north about 15 miles to the mouth of the Columbia River, and Fort Stevens State Park. Fort Stevens was one of 3 military installations that protected the ocean entrance to the Columbia River. From the civil war until after WWII, huge guns were aimed at potential enemies, but never fired at any. The pictures of the rock barriers are what now forms the south jetty, and protects the entrance to the Columbia River. Looking closely, you will see wooden posts sticking out of the rock. When I mentioned yesterday, that I can find a railroad if there's one close by, I failed to mention that I can often find evidence of railroads that have long disappeared. After I took these pictures, I found out that in the 1890's, a wooden RR Trestle was built about a mile out into the ocean. They used the trains to dump the rock that now forms the south jetty, and some of that trestle system is still visible.

After leaving Fort Stevens, we were driving through Warrenton, and stumbled upon another Fultanos Pizza. We decided to stop and see if this was the business that was still in the family of our friends Bob & Jeanette Fulton. Sure enough, we met their son Robert, had a short visit, and a pretty darned good pizza for lunch. Today, I think we'll be checking out Fort Clatsop, which is where the Lewis & Clark expedition spent the winter of 1805-06.

SEASIDE

This community on the north Oregon Coast, has been one of the main ocean playgrounds in the North West for many years. Its' proximity to the metro Portland area makes it an easy drive from a major population center, and the downtown area where I took the photo of the mural, is adjacent to the beach. The many trinket shops, multiple food establishments, bumper cars, tilt-a-whirl, and even a carousel, reminded me a little of the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk in CA, near where I grew up and went to high school. As we were walking, we came upon a pizza business called Fultanos. We knew our friends Bob & Jeanette Fulton were originally from this area, and had previously owned a pizza restaurant before moving to Lake Havasu City. The name being similar, we inquired inside, and sure enough, this was one of the pizza businesses that Bob & Jeanette used to own. Before leaving the beach area, and heading over to the outlet mall, I found another train! This little kiddie ride was putting smiles on a few small faces, not to mention the big kid, who took the picture. If there's a train close by, big or small, I can find it! No, I didn't ride it.

We ended the afternoon at the Outlet Mall where there was a Black and Decker Store, that kept me occupied for about an hour, while Patty checked out some of the other stores. Of course, there were a couple of things that I couldn't live without, so, my toolbox continues to get smaller and smaller. Not sure what's on the agenda today.

CHANCE'S ON A CHO CHO

We arrived at the Seaside Thousand Trails yesterday afternoon, and our Internet connection here is much faster. I would have posted some of these pictures last week, but due to the very slow connection, I was barely able to keep the blog going.

The Oregon Coast Scenic Railway runs between Garibaldi and Rockway Beach, on the Tillamook Bay R.R. Except for this 6 mile stretch, the rail line is basically closed, due to a severe washout a few years ago. This tourist railroad was on my list of things to do, so we stopped in Garibaldi on our way to Seaside. The 6 mile stretch of track is along the ocean, so the scenery was excellent, but, the best part of this adventure was the locomotive that pulled the 3 cars. The 1910 Heisler, geared, steam engine is rare, and I was glad they were using it instead of a diesel. During the era of logging railroads, there were 3 geared locomotives manufactured for pulling heavy loads, often on steep grades. The most popular was the Shay, followed by the Climax and Heisler, and I can now say that I have ridden on trains pulled by all 3 engines. Not sure where our next train encounter will be, but I do know there will be one, somewhere.

We are parked a few blocks from town, and as we turned off Hwy 101, we passed a large outlet mall that's within walking distance. Hmm, I think I know where my wife may want to go today.

TILLAMOOK MUSEUM

The one thing on our list of things to do, before we left the Tillamook area, was the Tillamook County Pioneer Museum. We needed a few things from the Safeway in Tillamook anyway, so we drove into town (about 20 miles from Pacific City), and toured the museum. If you haven't already guessed, we like area history, and museums are usually the best place to learn about an areas past. The Tillamook museum is housed in the old courthouse, and there are 3 floors of displays. As museums go, this is one of the better ones we've visited. Their web address is
http://www.tcpm.org/.
I got word from our Beagle Sami, this morning, that she doesn't want to leave this Pacific City Thousand Trails (TT). Almost every time that we take her out for a walk, there's either a rabbit or chipmunk that crosses our path. This distraction doesn't help with the necessary business that needs to be done, but, it sure does highlight what a beagle does best.
Today, we have about a 50 mile drive up the coast to our last Oregon Thousand Trails in Seaside. After about a week in Seaside, we'll cross over into Washington, stay at 2 more TT's on the coast, then start our trek toward the New England States and Canadian Maritime Provinces.

WHAT ARE THE CHANCES?

After an early morning rain yesterday, surprisingly, the skies quickly cleared. Instead of hanging out at the motor home, as I thought we might do because of the weather, we ventured into nearby Pacific City. This is a small town on the coast with a tiny airport right in the middle of town. Very near to the town center is a state beach that we had not checked out, so we drove to the parking lot and began a short trek over the dunes to the beach. About half way to the ocean, we met two ladies who came up another trail from the parking lot. After walking in front of us for a short distance, the younger girl (20's), stopped, turned around and asked us if we were from CA? After Patty replied that we used to live in Central CA, the older lady (40's) raised her sunglasses and said "remember me, I'm Malory Barendregt". Malory (spelling?) & her family are long time Jamestown residents, and she worked in her family grocery store for years, and now owns the Jamestown Emporium on main street. Malory's daughter lives in Salem, and they had driven to the beach at exactly the same time we decided to check out this state park. What are the odds? It is indeed a small world sometimes.
Today is our last day at the Pacific City Thousand Trails. Tomorrow we drive north to the Seaside Preserve, where hopefully, our Internet connection will be a little better.

A BIG AIRPLANE

Two days ago we visited the world's largest wooden building. Yesterday, we drove about an hour inland, and visited the world's largest wooden airplane. Howard Hughes completed his "Spruce Goose" in 1947, flying it for about a mile, before storing it out of the public eye for 33 years. It was put on display in 1983, next to the Queen Mary in Long Beach, CA, where it stayed until it was purchased by the Evergreen Aviation Museum in McMinnville, OR, and displayed at the museum in 2001. To say that this airplane is impressive, would be an understatement. Even today, it has the longest wingspan (319' 11") of any airplane ever built, including some of the modern, massive jet airplanes. The museum includes 3 large, modern buildings, and due to time, we only toured the one where Hughes' flying boat was parked. More information and pictures can be found at www.sprucegoose.org.
This morning we were awakened by a good rain, which always makes for a dirty and somewhat muddy dog, after our morning stroll. Oh well, we are in the Pacific Northwest where supposedly, some of the natives have webbed feet. Not sure what we'll do today. Might just be a popcorn and movie day.

A BIG BUILDING

Like many military installations that existed during World War II, the Tillamook Naval Air Station, and it's two huge blimp hangars, sprouted almost overnight. Yesterday, we visited the one remaining blimp hanger and the 30 aircraft housed inside. The building and war birds are now the Tillamook Air Museum, and this was our second visit to this impressive building. The former blimp hangar, is the largest, clear span wooden structure in the world. The length is over 1,000 feet and the width is 296 feet, which is approx. 7 acres of floor space! Just to stand inside this massive hangar, is worth the price of admission. I tried to download a photo, but as I said previously, our Internet connection here at Pacific City isn't very good. More information and photos can be found at www.tillamookair.com.
This Thousand Trails park is within walking distance to the ocean, and Patty has taken the trail a couple of times to the beach. Today, I think we will head inland to another air museum in Mckinnville, where Howard Hughes' "Spruce Goose" is now on display.

PERAGRINE FALCONS AT CAPE MEARES

We took a drive yesterday afternoon, on a nice sunny day, that took us north to Cape Meares along the 3 capes road, then over to Tillamook, before returning to Pacific City. So far, one of the best things about this trip, is the fact that we're trying to explore areas and roads where we have never been. Yesterday was a good example of that. The 3 capes road along the coast is very scenic, with small communities like Tierra del Mar, Netarts and Oceanside, along the way. At Cape Meares, almost due west from Tillamook, we stumbled upon the Cape Meares Lighthouse, and a viewing platform, across an inlet, where a pair of breeding Peregrine Falcons were raising 4 chicks. The nest was about 400 feet up on a vertical cliff, and a volunteer with a spotting scope was on the platform, answering questions about the falcons, and other birds within view. This volunteer and his wife were workampers, who donated 20 hours a week, in exchange for their RV spot in a nearby state park. They were enjoying the sharing of their knowledge of the falcons with us, and others. I'm most certainly not a birdwatcher, but it was really interesting to hear about the Peregrine Falcon, and it's comeback from being perilously close to extinction.
Today, I think we'll drive back to Tillamook, (about 15-20 miles), and check out the air museum, which is housed in a WWII blimp hanger.

BACK ON THE COAST

We left the FMCA Rally in Albany yesterday, and drove west on Hwy 20 to Newport, then north on Hwy 101 to the Pacific City Thousand Trails (TT). This park is similar to the South Jetty TT, in that it is heavily wooded, with lots of room between spaces. Our Internet connection is very slow, but at least I'll be able to do the basic stuff while we are parked here for the rest of the week. I think that trying to post any photos will be almost impossible.
Our 7 days in the Eugene/Albany area went by extremely fast because we got a lot of stuff done to the motor home. It started with an engine and generator service at Cummins Coach Care, then a new leather sofa. At the FMCA Rally, we upgraded the TV system from Analog to Digital high definition with a Winegard Trav'ler HD satellite dish antenna and a new HD Dish Network receiver. Lastly, I finally got a pressure pro, tire air pressure monitor system for the motor home and jeep. All systems seem to be working as they should, and Sami told me that she really loves the new sofa!
I should have a bunch of pictures to post when we get to a better Internet connection.

ALBANY'S CAROUSEL

Since arriving in Albany at the Family Motor Coach Ass'n Rally, we've been hearing about Albany's carousel restoration project, that started about 5 years ago. Well, our curiosity got the better of us, and yesterday, we ventured downtown in search of the building where all of this work is taking place. When our GPS in the jeep said "arriving at destination", we looked around, and saw nothing that resembled what we were looking for. Thinking that our faithful GPS (aka Missy) had failed us, we walked across the street to the visitors information center. It was while there, we learned that the address of the visitor bureau was mistakenly printed, instead of the address of the carousel project. Armed with the correct address, we drove to where the restoration was taking place. There were approx. 15-20 volunteers working, as we were given a tour, and some history of the project. The mechanism which was built in 1909, was donated to Albany, but the rest of the carousel (I used to call them merry-go-rounds), is being rebuilt by hand, including 52 animals. This is probably a 10 year project, and it was fascinating to witness the progress at about the half way point. As a younger lad, I remember the carousel at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, and the many attempts I made at grabbing the brass ring. Not too many of these original carousels still in existence. Today, we're back on the road for a couple of hours, as we leave the FMCA Rally, and drive to Pacific City on the Oregon coast. I never know what kind of coverage we will have with our Sprint air card, so if there's no activity on the blog for a few days, it's because we won't have internet connectivity at a future location.

RALLY WINDS DOWN

The FMCA rally ends tomorrow, and we'll be going back over to the coast for a stay at the next thousand trails in Pacific City. We have enjoyed our time here in Albany, particularly the visit with Bob & Diana and Bob & Brenda. The 2 Bobs dropped by the rally yesterday, while the new Winegard satellite antenna was being installed. Even though there is a tree that is partially blocking the southern sky, this new system quickly found and locked onto the 3 dish network satellites at twice the signal strength of the previous dome. Yahoo!, we now have high definition and an antenna that will hopefully work every time. Incidentally, the tech who installed the system, was a prior 15 year Monaco employee, and he has been called back to work starting this Monday. Monaco is emerging from chapter 11, with Navistar as the new owners. It will be interesting to see what products they keep building, and which ones go away.
I mentioned previously that there would probably be something else for sale at this rally, that I couldn't live without, and I was right. I've been thinking about a tire pressure monitoring system for a couple of years, but just haven't pulled the trigger. Well, I did yesterday, purchasing a Pressure Pro, 10 wheel system. We've been lucky, but over the years, I've heard lots of horror stories, about damaged RV's and towed vehicles from blowouts and flats. Most of those incidents would have resulted in less damage with one of these systems. I know I'll feel better as we head down the road, and put several thousand miles behind us this summer.
The weather has been cloudy and raining the past few days, with more of the same today.

A SEA OF MOTOR HOMES

We met Bob & Diana Rush yesterday, at Bob & Brenda Nelson's beautiful home in Albany, where Brenda served us a delicious dinner. A homemade cherry pie (my favorite), topped off the evening. It's a good thing I don't live closer to Brenda's cooking, because there's no doubt, I would soon wear out my welcome. This was the first time we had visited Bob & Brenda in Albany, and they should be proud of the gorgeous home that they built themselves. They used to live across the street from Bob & Diana in Enterprise, and that's where we got to know them a few years ago.

Lots of stuff going on here at the Family Motor Coach Ass'n (FMCA) rally here in Albany, OR. They just announced at the opening ceremonies this evening, that there are 555 coaches registered, so that should be a little over 1,000 folks. I took the photo from the roof of our motor home, and this is one parking lot of three. We checked out the vendors this morning, got our generator serviced, and finalized the switch over to our new high definition satellite antenna, which will be installed tomorrow. Also, I found out that Roadmaster, the manufacturer of our tow hitch is here, and will be able to repair a minor problem that I thought we were going to have to take care of at their headquarters in Portland. A small rock chip in the motor home windshield is scheduled to be fixed tomorrow, so, along with seminars, another catered dinner and a comedian/juggler in the evening, it will be a busy day.

SAMI'S NEW SOFA

Our appointment at Countryside Interiors yesterday was at 8:30 am, so we drove from Coburg to Junction City (about 15 miles), arriving a little after 8 am. The bottom of the new leather recliner sofa that we purchased, had to be modified in order to fit the raised kitchen slide out. When Monaco built the coach, and installed the old couch, they just sat it on the raised slide, so it was about 3 inches higher than it should have been. I better not get started on Monaco. Let's just say that I wasn't at all surprised when they filed Chapter 11.

We returned in the early afternoon, just as they were about to install the sofa, and I helped them squeeze it into place. It was a tight fit, but once in place, it looks like it belongs. We left Junction City about 2:30, and drove about 30 miles north to the Linn County Fairgrounds in Albany, where we got parked for the FMCA Northwest Rally which begins tomorrow.

This afternoon, we'll be driving into Albany to have dinner with our friends, Bob & Brenda Nelson. Bob & Diana Rush are driving to Albany from Enterprise, so it will be good to see our friends, and sample some of Brenda's delicious cooking. As Patty says, Brenda can make corn flakes taste wonderful!

STIMULATING THE ECONOMY

This morning, at 8am, our motor home went in the shop, here at Cummins Coach Care. Routine
maintenance stuff like oil and filters = $378. Next stop, the local satellite store for a dish network receiver upgrade = $75. Then it was off to Camping World in Junction City for an appointment to install a High Definition satellite antenna = $1,545.35. "Are we done yet?", the shop at thrift stores, budget minded wife says. Heck no says the spender husband! "I think we can out do the last stop, lets go look for a new couch, to replace the one, only the dog likes". Our last stop for the day was at an RV furniture store which had the perfect leather couch = $2,425. "Now, are we done, pleads the saver wife?" After careful consideration, I figured that we had done our part in helping our (spend till the cows come home) federal government get us out of this recession. After our new couch is installed tomorrow morning, we're headed for Albany, OR and the Family Motor Coach Ass'n rally, where there just might be a vendor or two, with bargains that we won't be able to live without!