CARSON CITY & TRAINS

For a train enthusiast like myself, Carson City, NV is paradise found. With the extension of the Virginia & Truckee Tourist Railroad, from Virginia City down to the outskirts of Carson City, the area now has a world class historic railroad, that only adds to the other train related attractions in the capitol city of Nevada. In May, Patty and I rode the "new" Virginia & Truckee, and yesterday, I was on board the first public train that traveled down into the Carson River Canyon, about 2 miles beyond the Eastside Station. These two pictures show the train at the station, and a closeup of engine #18, a Baldwin 2-8-2, built in 1914. This is a larger engine than #29, which pulled the train that Patty and I rode in May, and came from the McCloud River Railroad in Northern California, after they went out of business.
Our drive yesterday from Reno wasn't very long, as it's only about 30 miles from Reno to Carson City. It's been many years since we traveled this route, and a lot has changed. The Hwy 395 freeway extends farther south out of Reno, and another stretch is currently being built, that will extend the freeway into the Washoe Valley. After we got settled at the Gold Dust West Casino RV Park, we drove the jeep to several places in town, all in preparation for an RV Rally that we're putting together for this time next year.
This little train runs on about a one mile track, in Mills Park, adjacent to US Hwy 50 in Carson City, and the bottom picture shows a model railroad layout inside the depot building. We pretty much decided to incorporate this mini railroad into our rally next year. The photo below is of the Nevada State Railroad Museum, which we visited many years ago. This will also be part of our rally, and with a group, they will provide a private guided tour of the museum. On selected weekends, the museum fires up one of their steam locomotives, and they have a trolley car that runs around their 1/2 mile track on most every summer weekend.
Today, we're driving up to Virginia City, to look for a restaurant that has the capability of feeding a large group for lunch. One of the nice things about the Virginia & Truckee RR is the layover in Virginia City. It gives folks about 3 hours for lunch and browsing all of the historical attractions in town. In my opinion, there are a few ingredients that a successful tourist railroad must have, in order to survive. In no particular order, they are - scenery, history, the right equipment (like steam locomotives), and an attractive destination. The new Virginia & Truckee has all of those, and a few more. There is still about 4 more miles of track to be built, which will extend the line almost into Carson City. Unfortunately, with all of the budget problems every state faces, it's doubtful that this last part of the railroad will be built in the near future.

RENO AIR RACES

Here we are, with Uncle Marty, in his box, at the 47th Annual Reno Air Races. Marty and a group of his friends, each year purchase one of the many VIP boxes on the tarmac, at the Reno/Stead Airport. Marty describes his group as a "drinking club with an airplane problem". It was good to meet up with Marty who flew his airplane into the Tahoe Airport, and rented a car for the duration of the races.
The last time Patty and I were at these world famous air races, was 15-20 years ago, and we just happened to stumble upon them, while taking a trip in one of our first motor homes. I remember parking on one of the streets close to the airport, and even though the event wasn't as big as it is now, we enjoyed the races, and all of the aviation related events.
When the action officially kicked off with the playing of our National Anthem, Old Glory was brought in by a parachutist, with a fly by of F-16 Fighter Jets. Among several dignitaries introduced, were two of the eight surviving members of the "Doolittle Raid" over Tokyo, during WWII. As you might expect, this type of event honors our military, and it was very gratifying to see the thousands of people standing in appreciation, for the sacrifices that our military veterans have given, to make this the greatest country on earth.
This picture shows Patty standing to the left of Marty (flower shirt with straw hat), in his box at the start/finish line. I didn't see any empty boxes, and with the weekend still to come, it appears that this event is doing very well.
This picture shows a group of T-6 Trainers, as they begin a 5 lap race. There are many different classes of aircraft, and the T-6's are one of the slower classes, averaging about 225 m.p.h. We watched several races and demonstrations, like a jet powered dragster race an airplane already in flight. Perhaps one of the most exciting demos was when an FA-18 Super Hornet Fighter, did a high speed pass, right in front of the grandstands, at about 750 m.p.h. We watched a U-2 Spy Plane do a flyover, a couple of stunt pilots doing amazing things with their aerobatic planes, and the highlight of the day was an amazing demonstration of precision formation flying by the Canadian Snowbirds. This last photo is of the Snowbirds, as they made a pass in a very tight formation. We said adios to Marty, and left the races after the Snowbirds had finished, and sort of beat the traffic rush. By the time we got back to the motor home, one of our 4 legged kids was very glad to see us, probably thinking "it's about time you got back to feed me". This morning, we'll move a few miles south to Carson City, and do some research on a possible train rally we might be putting together for next year.

THE BIGGEST LITTLE CITY

Our drive down Hwy 395 from Susanville, CA to Reno, didn't take very long, as it's only about 100 miles. We pulled into the Silver Sage RV Park at a little after noon, and got hooked up for what will probably be just 2 nights. We both have been putting off some of our necessary chores, so we spent yesterday afternoon cleaning, me on the outside, and Patty on the inside. She also got some laundry done, including our bed sheets. By the time we were both finished, it was time for some dinner, so we walked across the street to the Peppermill Hotel/Casino, and had an OK meal. During the evening, I telephoned my 2 favorite ex in-laws, my sister-in-law Claudia in Phoenix to get my brother-in-law Marty's phone number. Marty is here in Reno for the air races, and we agreed to meet at the airport today. We were last at the air races about 20 years ago, and have vowed to return ever since. It seems that we were always someplace else, or doing something else, but this year, we built the races into our travel plans.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

The familiar, and in this case, the very welcome big brown UPS Truck, pulled into Cummins West at 9:30 am with our new engine exhaust manifold pictured above. The not so straight, old manifold is pictured below. Around 10:30 am, Ray, the technician who had disassembled our engine, was back to work on our traveling house, and by noon, we fired up the Cummins ISL, 400 horsepower engine. This time, there were no whistling, squeching noises, it just purred like a kitten.
While taking care of the bill, (our portion was $100) I thanked both Steve, the Service Manager, and Ray, the tech, for the great service. Even though we just dropped in on them, Steve fit us into the schedule, got our parts ordered, and made sure that we were kept informed of exactly what was going on. Ray was more than competent. When I first explained the problem, instead of looking at the back of the engine, he crawled under, and had the problem diagnosed in just a few seconds. I remember wondering why he wasn't looking at the fan belts, and soon learned why. His many years of experience lead him to another area, and when he started working on the engine from within our bedroom, I could see first hand that this guy was really good at what he does. Not only was he an excellent wrench, he was very pleasant to deal with, and didn't have the typical attitude of us interrupting his day. Both of these guys are assets to the business, and were a pleasure to deal with. It's not likely that we will need the services of Cummins West in Redding ever again, but if I was ever close and needed some work done to my engine, I wouldn't hesitate to drive a few hours to get there.

If there was any negative out of this entire experience, it was when I discovered that our new exhaust manifold was made in China! After Ray took the new manifold out of the box, I saw what you see above, and said to myself, no wonder we have so many people looking for jobs in this country. When I looked a little closer at the old manifold, yep, you guessed it, also made in the same place. Now, I had a different perspective on why the old manifold started leaking, and couldn't help but think we might be faced again with the same problem down the road. Come on Cummins! You're about as American as apple pie. Even if you have to charge a few more bucks for your parts, I for one will not mind paying the extra, if those parts are made in the good ole U. S. of A. Our day ended in the Camp Wal-Mart parking lot, in Susanville, CA. Today, we'll try and find an RV park in the Reno area for a few days, and catch some of the action at the Reno Air Races.

STUCK IN REDDING

My thought that our engine noise might be fan belt related, wasn't even close to the actual problem. Yesterday morning, Ray, one of the techs here at Redding Cummins, came out to diagnose the problem. After I explained what the noise sounded like, he immediately crawled under the engine with a flashlight, and said "here's your problem", and it wasn't related to the belts, as I original had thought. The problem was several exhaust leaks where the exhaust manifold connects to the engine block. The first photo, with the manifold still on the engine, doesn't show the leaks very well. However, the second photo, with the manifold removed, shows the black marks on the engine block.


The good news is that the problem was quickly found. The bad news is that when the exhaust manifold (2 pieces) was removed, it was found to be badly warped. This was a problem that slowly developed over time, and when we were coming down a long grade west of Redding, frequently using the exhaust brake, it quickly got much worse. Steve, the service manager here at Cummins informed me that a check of the area showed that no one had an exhaust manifold in stock, and it would have to be ordered from the Bay Area. The other good news is that it should be here this morning, and we have been plugged into a 50 amp service since our arrival.

The photo above shows the top of the engine as viewed through the two hatches in the bedroom. It took Ray about an hour to remove the faulty manifold, and in the process, discovered a turbo coolant line that was about to rupture, so it was replaced. When the part arrives (fingers crossed), this morning, it shouldn't take but a couple of hours to get everything back together, and with any luck, we'll be out of here today. Steve and Ray have been super to deal with, and the best news is that all of this is covered under our Cummins 5 year, 100,000 mile warranty.

THE HIGHS & LOWS

Sometimes, the highs and lows of life come toward you at a rapid fire pace. Yesterday, we were parked on a bluff, overlooking the Pacific Ocean, almost like a scene from a postcard. This morning, we are parked at Cummins West in Redding, CA. We went from the sound of ocean waves crashing onto the beach, to a squelling engine noise that necessitated a stop in Redding. We made it to the Cummins Shop just before they closed, and they will take a look at the engine this morning. It sounds like a loose fan belt, and I'm hopeful that it's nothing serious. There are two things that are givens, when it comes to RV's. 1. They depreciate faster than a falling rock. 2. They are going to break. Just think if you took your house and subjected it to a constant 6.0 earthquake, what the consequences might be. Well, that's kind of what is going on when you drive a motor home down the highway. We've been on some highways where that earthquake was more like an 8.0!
This was the beautiful setting where we spent the afternoon and night of 9/12. This spot is near Myers Creek which is a part of the Pistol River State Park. The fog stayed away, until we left on the morning of 9/13.
A view of the large turnout from the beach. Almost directly above the motor home, there is a house, from which there is an incredible view of the ocean in both directions.
Sami and Dad playing on the beach.

Who needs to buy a million dollar beach house when we have this kind of view from inside our traveling beach house. That's one of the great things about an RV. You aren't limited to the same vacation home, now matter how beautiful the setting might be.
I took several pictures of the sunset, as the light disappeared between the rocks. This parking spot is firmly imprinted in our memory banks, and will definitely be a place that we will stop in the future. We'll keep our fingers crossed that Oregon doesn't adopt California's policy of prohibiting overnight parking along the coast highway.

THE JETTY CATS

We pulled out of the Mill Casino RV Park at mid morning, and headed south on Hwy 101. Our first stop was at the north jetty of the Rogue River, in Gold Beach, Oregon. We first discovered Fort Feline, and the Jetty Cats, several years ago, on one of our trips along the Oregon Coast. Now, whenever we travel through Gold Beach, a stop at Fort Feline is always on our itinerary. We only saw 2 of the feral cats, and Patty was able to get close enough to one of them, to hand out some cat treats. We filled up one of the multiple dishes with water, and another with a box of deli-cat food. The only problem was that the seagulls will devour the cat food, if left out in the open. I placed the food inside one of the cat houses, with the hope that they would discover it, and not the gulls.
When we left the Jetty Cats, our cat Gracie was quickly informed by Patty, that if she only knew how lucky she was, she wouldn't complain about having to live with a snoopy dog. It's saddening to think that countless dogs and cats don't have loving homes, and some, like these Jetty Cats, are existing with thanks to the local volunteers who bring food to Fort Feline.
We stopped at Gold Beach, inquiring at Jerry's Rogue River Jet boats, about a trip up the river, but decided that it would have to wait for another year. It was only about noon, and we wanted to put on a few more miles. However, not too far south of Gold Beach, we found a turnout, about 30 feet above the beach, and decided to stop for the day, and see if we could get away with parking there for the night. In California, if there's even a wide shoulder along the coast highway, there are multiple signs prohibiting stopping, or camping for the night. We hadn't seen any signs here in Oregon, so gave it a try, and were not disturbed. If fact, 2 more motor homes parked next to us, and spent the night. Today, we're not in any hurry, and will continue south on the coast to Eureka, CA, then head inland, and work our way toward Reno. The National Air Races just outside of Reno begin on the 15th, and we've been talking about revisiting this event for several years. This just might be the year. And yes, we did get some of Chef Dan's Clam Chowder to go, and while having it for dinner in our motor home last night, with the million dollar ocean view, I can honestly say, it is the best I have ever had. The Willow in Jamestown, CA is now number 2!

BACK TO AFRICA

The West Coast Game Park, a few miles south of Bandon, OR, is a place that we have visited numerous times. It's one of the few places that we know of, where you can actually get your hands on a baby cat. Over the years, we have been able to touch & photograph a baby Lion, Tiger, Leopard, Lynx, Serval, Cheetah & yesterday for the first time, a baby Caracal. In fact, yesterday was a 3 for 1 day. Normally on our stops at this wildlife park, there has only been one baby cat available, but yesterday, there were 2 three month old Bengal Tigers, 2 four week old black Leopards, and 1 four month old Caracal, that we got up close and personal with.
Of course, Patty was on cloud nine, as she petted this amazing, juvenile Caracal, with the long black tufts on its ears. This female was acquired to breed with a male that they already have, and has a couple of years to go before that might happen.
Dan & Karen have talked about visiting this park for years, but this was their first experience. This picture shows one of the Bengal Tigers being fed a bottle by Patty, as Karen holds him in her lap. This takes the definition of a "lap cat" to a different level. Each group of folks had a few minutes to sit with the cats, and actually get their hands on these beautiful creatures.
Nice kitty, kitty, kitty. If only these guys didn't grow to about 600 pounds, there would probably be a lot more Tiger house cats. Unfortunately, there are people who buy these beautiful cats when they are babies, then are unprepared to deal with them as adults. Many are euthanized, or, in some cases where there is room, placed in wildlife sanctuaries like Keepers of the Wild in Arizona, and are able to live out their lives with proper care.
When we left the animal park, we stopped in Bandon for lunch, and enjoyed the atmosphere of a small town celebration. The area around Bandon is known for it's cranberry bogs, and this was the weekend of the cranberry festival. None of us had much of an appetite for dinner, so we returned to the motor home to feed Sami, and take care of her other needs, then drove over to Dan & Karens for my favorite desert, cherry pie and vanilla ice cream. We visited for a couple of hours and thoroughly enjoyed our time with Karen & Dan. I hope no one forgets, that 9 years ago, 3,000 Americans were murdered by fanatical, Muslim terrorists, and if we are not vigilant, that element will attempt to further their extreme views, and destroy our way of life. Now, before we leave this morning, I have to sneak back to the Casino, and purchase some of that delicious Clam Chowder to go.

MEMORIES

We pulled into the Mill Casino RV Park in the Coos Bay, Oregon area, yesterday afternoon. After getting settled, we met Dan & Karen in the Casino, and had dinner with them at the Buffet, one of several restaurants that Dan oversees as the Executive Chef. It was seafood night, and everything from the Clam Chowder, to the Prime Rib was really, really good! Now, if the food had been not so good, I'm sure I wouldn't have said as much, since we were being treated by the guy who is in charge of all things related to food at the Mill Casino. For years, I have been on a quest to find Clam Chowder as good as the Willow Restaurant in Jamestown, CA, and until last night, had not even come close. I can now say that I have finally found an equal, if not better! After the delicious meal, Dan gave us a tour of the kitchen(s), the banquet facilities, and other back scene areas of the Casino. We stopped by the motor home, so Karen & Dan could meet Gracie for the first time, then we headed over to their house, where Karen presented me with several family photos, that her mom (my Aunt Martha), had found with help from my cousin Diane.
The first picture is one of my Mom and Dad, with me, at about 5 weeks old. I only have a handful of photos, with both my Mom and Dad together, and these are indeed, treasured pictures. It, along with the next picture of my Mom and me, were taken in Fresno, CA, in late November, or early December, 1946. It was just one week later, after these two pictures were taken, that both Willa Jean and Daniel Chance were killed in an automobile accident, in Fresno. Karen told me last night, that I was being babysat by her Mom, (my Aunt Martha), and our Grandmother Alice. She said that her Mom will never forget the knock on the door, when a friend of my parents informed them that "Billie" and "Danny" were killed, not too far from the house. It's hard to imagine what the impact of that moment must have been on my Grandmother, and my Aunt. These obviously, are memories that I don't have, other than hearing them from friends and relatives.
These school pictures were taken at about the same age, of me and my boys. Marc, on the right,
is a year or two younger.
This picture was taken at Stockton, CA. in 1985, at Grandma Alice's 90th birthday party. Mike, on the left, is pretty close to starting his career in the U.S. Army, and I think Marc was a sophomore in High School. I was still working for the CHP, and Grandma was living in Stockton.
These pictures, and others given to me by Karen last night, brought back a lot of memories that have a way of remaining dormant, unless brought back to light by photos, or conversation. We're looking forward to spending the day with Dan & Karen.

LEAVING COBURG, OR

With all of the repair and maintenance issues completed, we're outa here! Spending the last 3 days, mostly in the jeep, with our 4 legged children, has been less than optimum, regarding leisure time. But, with work done on all 4 slideouts at Monaco, and the engine & generator serviced at Cummins, we'll be heading for the Mill Casino RV Park in Coos Bay, and a visit with my cousins, Karen & Dan.
The two pictures show the relationship of Monaco on the west side of the street, and Cummins on the east side of the street. Over the years, we've stopped here at Cummins Northwest several times, and have never had any problems with work that they have done. Yesterday, they got the motor home in the shop at 2pm, and before the end of the work day, at 50,646 miles, we had new engine oil & oil filter, 2 new fuel filters, a new air dryer and the generator was also serviced. Even though Cummins says that the engine oil needs changing every 18,000 miles, I routinely change it, or have it changed at about 6-8,000 miles. I don't think we'll be in a big hurry to leave this morning, as the fog has set in, and hopefully, it will burn off a little later.

NEW PAINT

The damage to the lower left portion of our front street slideout, was repainted yesterday, unfortunately, that was about all that got done. The repair and new paint looks good, it just took from 9am to 3pm in the paint shop, which killed most of the work day, for the other issues yet to be finished. With any luck, the work on the bed slide should be done by noon, and we'll be able to sort of keep our appointment across the street at Cummins Coach Care. The original appointment at Cummins was 8am this morning, but they said that this sort of thing happens, and they would try and get us in, and done this afternoon.
This will be the 3rd day spent mostly in the jeep with our two animals. Sami is a trooper, and has gone through this sort of thing, many times in the past. Gracie however, takes a little longer to get settled and after almost losing her in the forest, on the WA Coast, we are extremely careful whenever a door has to be opened. One more day of this routine, and again with a little luck, we'll be headed toward Coos Bay tomorrow, and a visit with my cousin Karen & her husband Dan.

THE NEW MONACO

After the old Monaco Corporation filed bankruptcy last year, the company was purchased by Navistar, a multinational conglomerate, who makes International Trucks, and a lot of other things. The new RV Company is now called Monaco LLC, and we are now parked at their much smaller service center in Coburg, OR. Without going into a lot of detail, the main purpose for this visit is that each one of our 4 slides had something that needed to be corrected. The motor home was in the shop all day yesterday, and corrective action was finished on 3 of the 4 slideouts. The good news is that our Extended Warranty is picking up the tab for 2, due to broken parts. We're on our own for the other 2, which can best be described as "wear & tear".
The previous service center in Harrisburg, OR was much larger, with room for about 40 motor homes to park, and dozens of technicians. The service center here in Coburg has parking for 15 RV's, with 7 techs currently employed. Unfortunately, while working on our largest slide, (the one with the refrigerator), a jack slipped, causing damage to the exterior, lower right on the slideout. The picture shows the damage repaired, and today, it goes over to the paint shop for the finishing touches. As they say "do do happens", I just wish that the do do had happened to someone else.
Also today, our king size bed pedestal has to be dismantled so that the rollers can be changed, and some metal placed on top of the plywood. It seems that over time, the rollers started eating into the plywood (genius design), and without a fix, the rollers will continue tearing up the wood. This is the biggest job of the 4, and naturally, the one that we have to pay for. We have an appointment across the street at Cummins, tomorrow morning, so, I'm hoping everything including the new paint, gets done today.

MONACO LLC

After a short drive south on Hwy 97, then over the Cascades on Hwy 58, we arrived at the Monaco Factory in Coburg, OR at noon. When the old Monaco went into Bankruptcy in 2009, most of their facilities in Indiana, and many of their operations in Oregon were closed. When the company re-emerged as the new Monaco LLC, a Navistar Company, they re-opened their factory service center at the main facility in Coburg, OR. The old service center in Harrisburg, OR was much larger, with approx. 40 RV parking spots. This facility has parking for about 15 rigs, and we were here early enough to get backed into a slot. This morning, I'll get us checked in, and the service writer will document our issues. Primarily, all 4 of our slides have varying degrees of problems. So far, nothing big enough to keep a slide from going out, or coming back in, but I'm afraid if there aren't some adjustments, that may be the case, somewhere down the road. I'm not sure how long this will take, but I allowed 2 days, then we move across the street to Cummins Northwest, for engine and generator maintenance. Yesterday afternoon, I finished washing and waxing most of the drivers side of the motor home, so the bones are a little creaky this morning.

LEAVING BEND (again)

This morning at 6am, the outside temperature is a chilly 34 degrees, and it's a good time to be moving on down the road. We're heading over to Coburg, OR for a couple of appointments, one at Monaco, and one at Cummins Coach Care. This completes our 3rd stay this summer, here at the Thousand Trails in Bend/Sunriver. During those 3 stays with a combined time of a little over a month, we've grown more and more attracted to this high desert/forest area. In fact, we came close to making offers on two different properties, but decided that this isn't the right time to be lowering the bank account. Perhaps, somewhere in the future, this might be the place that we spend much of our summers. For now however, the motor home serves the purpose of a "summer cabin", very nicely.
The top picture shows the motor home in our parking spot, and the picture of Sami on the dash, is typical of where she spends much of her time. When the sun gets too hot, she retreats either to the front passenger seat, or to her sofa. When we get back to Lake Havasu, in about 3 weeks, the routines of our animals will change from living in a little house, to a much bigger house. In either case, they have both adapted quite well to both domiciles. Yesterday, I packed up the BBQ, the flagpole, and all of the outside stuff, and Patty caught up with the laundry. Today being Labor Day, I'm not particularly looking forward to being on the highways with everyone else in the world, but we don't have that far to travel, and we sure as heck are not in any hurry.

NATIVES IN SISTERS

The small town of Sisters, OR is located on Hwy 20, about 18 miles northwest of Bend. We have driven through Sisters on several occasions, and have vowed to stop "one of these days". Well, yesterday was that day, as we picked the weekend of a Native American Crafts Festival, located in town at the city park. There were quite a few vendors with a lot of neat stuff, but except for a couple of Tee Pees, the Native American theme was a little less than dominant. We found a couple of things we couldn't live without, and enjoyed the nice day, and festive atmosphere.
The local musicians were having a good ole time, and the crowd seemed to be enjoying what they were playing. We got into a conversation with one of the vendors who was talking about moving to Arizona. He said that he loved living just north of Redmond, but the long winters were starting to take their toll, and he was looking for a little warmer climate. We sort of told him to be careful what he wished for, as the Arizona summers were way beyond "a little warmer". When we were seriously looking to buy a summer property, just a few days ago, we often overlooked the fact that we already have a summer property. It's called a motor home, and it takes us to the cooler climates during the hot Arizona summers.
This gentleman had just created FIRE, by the age old method of rubbing, or spinning a stick onto another piece of wood, and this little girl was fascinated when the kindling burst into flames.
One more thrift store in the train bank. No day adventure would be complete without a stop at the local used everything store. In this case, it was the habitat for humanity who benefited from the sale of donated items. We seldom buy anything at these stores, but as the old saying goes,
"one mans junk is another mans treasure". I have found a few books that at least keep me interested enough, to continue looking in these stores of cast away stuff. I think the train bank is now almost full, and Patty is forever obligated to ride any tourist train that I happen to find, for the rest of her days!

BEND, OR

Our primary plan yesterday, was to check out a going out of business sale, at a western apparel store, then catch a movie that was filmed almost entirely in Lake Havasu last summer. The first part of the plan came together like clockwork, and I found a couple of western shirts, plus a (gulp), black felt cowboy hat. Since we learned for sure a few weeks ago, that we would again be contracting with the new merchandise vendor at the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas, I knew I would need another shirt or two, but had no intention of buying a western hat. I guess the old saying was appropriate, "the price was too good to pass up", and I'm now the owner of a very nice cowboy hat. Whether I actually ever wear the darned thing or not, is another question.
On the way to the movie theater, we drove up to the top of Pilot Butte, which is a prominent landmark in the City of Bend. The panoramic view of the city was worth the short drive for a couple of pictures. Before heading to the theater, I checked the local paper, and the movie Piranha 3D was listed as playing, however, when we arrived and asked for 2 tickets, we were told that yesterday was the last day. We were both disappointed and kind of glad at the same time. Neither of us had much desire to watch a movie that has been described as quite gory, and in the category of a "Jaws" on steroids. On the other hand, we were curious to see how our winter home was portrayed on the big screen. It looks like we'll have to check it out when the DVD comes out. Today, we're headed for the town of Sisters, where there's some sort of Native American arts and crafts festival.

ASLEEP ON THE DASH

Both of our critters spend a lot of time on the dashboard of the motor home. Sami's time is when we are moving, so she doesn't miss anything as we travel down the road. Gracie dominates the dash after we are parked somewhere. Occasionally, they will share the space when we're stopped, but almost never when we're moving. Gracie's claimed spot when we're on the move, is in the recliner, and when Sam gets tired of looking out the windshield, she curls up on the sofa. I took this picture of Gracie yesterday, when the sun was peeking through the trees, and I guess she decided it would be a good time to catch some rays, and take a nap at the same time. We did some cleaning projects yesterday, but other than when I took some material back to the Real Estate Agent, we didn't go anywhere. Today, we're headed into Bend to do some shopping, and we might catch a movie.

TOUGH DECISION

As was the case, the last time we were in this area, we seriously debated the issue of buying some property to use during the summers. Previously, we found a bank owned mobile on 1 acre, that had a great price, and we considered it for purchase. During this visit, we found another mobile home on 1/2 acre that we have been back to see twice. The asking price seems to be quite a bargain, and if the real estate market comes back, even a little bit, this would probably be an excellent investment. We visited the Real Estate Agent yesterday, and got most of our questions answered. We were close to making an offer, but decided to sleep on it until today. I read through the Covenants and Restrictions of the subdivision, finding no red flags, like architectural review committees, or outrageous association fees. This morning, my gut feeling is, even though a big part of me wants to do this, it just doesn't feel right. Perhaps, in our older years, the conservative approach seems to be the more prudent course of action, despite the very strong impulse to pursue a project, that on some levels, appears to be very attractive. I don't think this story is closed for good, and as much as we have gone from hot to cold on the idea of a summer property, I have a suspicion that there is another chapter ready to unfold, somewhere down the road.

MORE TEMPTATIONS

This is the latest property in the area to tempt us. Even though we sort of decided last time we were here, that buying a property wasn't what we should do, the temptations continue to present themselves. If I didn't look at Real Estate in the various publications, or scan the Internet, there obviously wouldn't be any reason to be tempted. But, for some reason, I keep looking. Maybe it has something to do with the low prices, and the bargain hunter instinct that dwells inside me. This small parcel is 1/2 acre, with a 1260 sq ft, 3 bedroom, 2 bath mobile. The structure is in pretty good shape, but needs a few things like carpets. It's in a subdivision here in Sunriver, with paved roads, city water, and city sewer. Asking price is $69,900, with a County assessed market value of a little over $100,000. Before the drop in housing prices, the market value was around $150,000, and was in fact listed for sale a couple of years ago for $160,000. Most of the bare lots in this development are in that$50,000 to $80,000 price range, so the attraction is amplified by the improvements that already exist. Now we're back to the basic debate, and that is - if we had a property in the area, would it become our primary focus, and take away from the summer lifestyle that we enjoy so much? I think the answer is more yes than no, and so the debate continues.