COBURG, OR TO NORTH BEND, OR

With a new, big chunk of glass installed in the front of the motor home, we pulled out of RV Glass in Coburg yesterday morning, destination Coos Bay (N. Bend).  Hey, if I keep up this trend, the positive is that I don't have to clean any bugs off the glass!  We left under a dark and cloudy sky, which turned to heavy rain on the west side of Eugene.  The rain lasted for about 20 miles, then we started to see small patches of blue sky as we got closer to Florence, where we met back up with Nancy.

From Florence, we only had to travel about 50 miles to the Mill Casino RV Park, located in North Bend.  Coos Bay/N. Bend is pretty much one continuous community, and by the time we pulled into the RV park, the weather had improved considerably.

 The big bridge over the entrance to Coos Bay, qualifies as a "Nick" bridge.

 The bridge is high enough to allow large ocean going ships to pass under.

We didn't have reservations at the RV park, and it looked pretty full.  At the check in desk, we were told that they had a couple of spaces for last night, but they were booked solid for tonight, due to an RV Rally.  We took the one night, thinking we would move out into the large dry camping area, as we planned on being here for a couple of days.

After we got parked, we had lunch in the Casino where my cousin Dan was the executive chef for several years.  He and his wife Karen recently relocated to the Sacramento area, where they are closer to family.  When Dan was in charge of all the food service at the casino, his clam chowder was the best, and of course, I had to try it again.  We all had the soup & salad bar for lunch, and even though I thought the chowder was good, it didn't quite measure up to chef Dan's.

After lunch, the girls added to their world record quilt/fabric/yarn store patronage, as I kept Gracie company in the motor home.  When they returned, we had dinner at the casino buffet, where prime rib was the attraction.  For $14.95, the buffet was excellent, and as is the case with most buffets, we all left with very full tummies.

On our way to the buffet, the sound of a train whistle caught my attention in front of the casino.  The Coos Bay Railroad is a branch line that runs from Eugene over to the coast, dead ending in Coos Bay.  I suspect it's main customer is the timber industry, evidenced by this train full of everything from sawdust to finished lumber.  We also saw one large ship that appeared to be loading from an endless pile of logs.
 

We waited in line for over half an hour, but the dinner was worth it.

After dinner, Nancy said she went online, where the Mill Casino RV Park web site allowed her to make two reservations for tonight, even though we were told that they were full.  It took our credit cards, and we have confirmation numbers, so we'll see how this plays out later this morning, when we go back into the office.  

Miles traveled - 118  Cumulative - 8,966
Mill Casino RV Park - $38.48  Cumulative - $1,765.40

NEW GLASS & A TREASURE

It was only a few minutes after checking in at the front desk, when an employee came out to get the motor home.  Rather than take Gracie with us in the Jeep, as we did last time, we decided it would be better for her to stay in the closed bedroom, while the new windshield was being installed.  I stayed in the motor home while it got parked in the shop, and made sure our little cat was secure, with food, water, and the necessary kitty box.

In the past, I've chronicled the often futile search for Sharps, my unleaded beverage of choice.  Back home in Tucson, the only store that stocks this non-alcohol brew is BevMo, and it retails for $12.99 plus tax.  In the Pacific Northwest, BiMart is a regional chain department store, that is kind of like a little version of WalMart.  They tend to be in smaller communities where the big boxes aren't, and they appear to be the only store that continues to keep Sharps on the shelf. 

After leaving RV Glass, we arrived at the closest BiMart in Eugene, just as they opened for business at 9am.  In a matter of minutes, I wiped out their inventory of 6 twelve packs (3 on the shelf, 3 in the back room).  Next stop approx. 3 miles away, was another BiMart, and yep, I cleaned them out too.  A re-programing of the GPS showed that there was one more BiMart in the adjacent town of Springfield, and by now, I was on a mission.  When we left the Springfield store, it had joined the other two BiMart stores as being Sharpless!   For a moment, I sort of felt bad that I had temporarily deprived any other Sharps junkies of their favorite beverage, but hey, in today's culture of instant gratification, and "it's all about me", who am I to rock the boat.  Besides one BiMart employee said they would have more on the shelf in a couple of days.  The best part of this treasure hunt is the fact that the BiMart price for Sharps is $8.29 with no sales tax. 

We did some more shopping, killing time before returning to RV Glass around 3pm.  At 4, the motor home came out of the shop with new glass, and we settled in for the rest of the day, plugged into one of their three 50 amp electrical parking sites.  This morning, with 216 additional cans of Sharps, we'll be back on the road, destination Florence, where we'll rejoin Nancy.  I wonder if I might need Patty to get in the Jeep, put it in gear,  and push the motor home with all of this extra weight? 

SEASIDE, OR TO COBURG, OR

Most of the drive from Seaside to Coburg was on wet pavement.  Thinking that we might get away from the drizzle as we drove inland was a false thought.   This latest windshield glass got it's last cleaning from the wiper blades, and is due to be replaced this morning.  We pulled into the RV Glass parking lot around 3pm, and fortunately, two of the three 50 amp hookups were still available.  Not too long after our arrival, the third spot behind us was taken by another coach, presumably to also have a windshield replacement.

We said adios to Nancy at Newport, where we left the coast highway, and she continued south to Florence.  If everything goes as planned, we'll reconnect with her in Florence tomorrow.

I suspect that our insurance company isn't going to be thrilled about replacing this huge chunk of glass, again, that according to the gal I talked to at RV Glass, retails for $2,600.  When I explained on the phone what the crack looked like, and where it was, she said it probably was a "stress crack", and they would not warranty the glass.  She did offer to completely waive our insurance deductible, so our out of pocket should be $0.  If that changes, I'll talk about it tomorrow.  Today will be a day of waiting for our house to come out of the glass hospital.

Miles traveled - 217  Cumulative Miles - 8,848
Tillamook Fred Meyer Diesel - 42.8 Gals @ $3.83 = $163.72
Cumulative fuel cost - $5,019.64  MPG - 7.9  Cumulative MPG - 7.9
RV Glass - $0  Cumulative RV Parks - $1,726.92

MORE KITES

The Seaside Beach, in front of the turnaround, was a kite fliers paradise yesterday.  When we arrived at around noon, the air was filled with a bunch of static kites, all anchored into the sand.  Next to the big kites, there was a roped off area, dedicated to competition kite flying.  Yep, there are folks who compete for points at different kite events, and this was one of those gatherings.
 

We met Nick & Terry on the beach, and spent some time watching the competition, and demonstrations.  A few days ago, my definition of flying a kite was a whole lot different than it is today.  The acrobatics of some of these specialized kites is pretty amazing.  One of those highly maneuverable kites is called the Revolution, and after watching a couple of demos, Nancy decided that she had to have one.  These things aren't cheap, and are certainly a far cry from the typical diamond shaped kites that we all tried to fly when we were kids.

 Nick, Terry, Nancy & Patty, flanked by Ray and Carol who were doing Revolution Kite demos.

Later in the day, we all met at a local Mexican restaurant, and enjoyed our last visit together, before  our departure this morning.  Nick and Terry are staying another week here at Seaside, before they start making their way toward the southwest for the winter.  We've been acquainted for years, but these past couple of weeks have been the first time that we've had the opportunity to spend time with them.  It's been a lot of fun, and we're already looking forward to when we can meet up again.

 

 

 Our parking spots at Seaside Thousand Trails for the past week.

Today, our destination is RV Glass in Coburg, and Nancy's is Florence, farther south along the coast.  After we get the new windshield glass installed, we'll meet back up, and continue our journey toward our respective homes.  Estimated return home date for us is September 25th, making this latest RV adventure almost exactly 5 months.

THE GLASS DETOUR

A few weeks after having the new windshield installed in the motor home, I noticed a 1-2" crack at the upper left corner, on the drivers side.  The crack may have occurred right after installation, but I didn't notice it until we were driving, several weeks later.  When I called RV Glass in Coburg yesterday, I made an appointment for this Monday, the 16th to have it replaced...............again!  This will be the 4th windshield replacement, the second within a month.  It looks like it's going to be another insurance claim, because I was told on the phone that "stress cracks" aren't warrantied.  I have no way of knowing when the crack appeared, or if it's defective glass, so it's kind of hard to make an argument for RV Glass to cover the cost.  We'll continue that discussion when we get to Coburg, and they can take a look at the crack.

Tomorrow, we'll pull out of the Seaside Thousand Trails, and head south along the coast to Newport.  That's where we'll split up, and Nancy will continue south to the Elks RV Park in Florence.  When the new glass is installed on Monday, we'll stay the night in Coburg, then join back up with Nancy on Tuesday.  Being flexible, and able to change plans, or directions, is a good thing when traveling in an RV.  I think I'll call this change "the glass detour".

NEW PRISM KITE OWNERS

 Another awesome pastrami sandwich at the Tsunami Sandwich Co.

A few days ago, if someone had told me that I was going to spend $125 for a kite, I would have told them they were headed for the looney farm.  "No way, it's not going to happen", would have been my exact words, and today, I would be eating those words big time!  As soon as the local kite store here in Seaside opened, Nancy and I were waiting at the door.  

 Here I am, flying my new Prism Snapshot 1.9 air foil kite.

When we heard a disappointing "no, we don't carry prism kites", Nancy was on the phone with more determination than a homicide detective, as she tracked down the closest prism kite dealer.  It turned out that the closest store that carried the kites we wanted was in Long Beach, about a 35 mile drive back north.  When we returned to the motor homes to pick up Patty, we solved a small problem concerning our stay here at the Seaside Thousand Trails.  The park is full, but we needed to lengthen our stay by one day, leaving here this Sunday, instead of Saturday.  Thanks to Charles, the nice young man who sold Nancy here T.T. upgrade a few days ago, and the park manager, they had us taken care of in a matter of minutes.  With that issue solved, we piled in the Jeep, destination Wind World Kites in Long Beach.

When we arrived in Long Beach, Nancy purchased a Prism Snapshot 1.4, and I picked up the larger Snapshot 1.9 at Wind World Kites.  I could have saved about $10-15 bucks by ordering it online, but with kite fever running though our veins, there was no way we were going to wait for the big brown truck to show up.

Back in Seaside, we had lunch for the second time at the Tsunami Sandwich Company, then grabbed Nick & Terry for some more kite action at the beach.  The wind was marginal, but we still had a bunch of fun for an hour or so. 

 The beach is definitely the place for kites.

After a few minutes, and a few crashes, Nancy got the hang of it, making her kite dance all over the place.  The two handles allow you to really fly the Prism Snapshot, and you have the ability to move it left or right, up or down.  Loops and all kinds of other movement is possible, once your proficiency increases.

 Lots of smile yesterday!

Nick was the last kite pilot, and if you look closely, you can see the difference in size, as he flew the orange 1.9 on the right, and Nancy's blue 1.4 is on the left. We left the beach late in the afternoon, with a little more kite flying experience under our belts, and a bunch of smiles on our faces. 

We've been keeping our fingers crossed the last couple of days, as Terry's dad was hospitalized in Phoenix, and there was a distinct possibility that she & Nick might have to make a quick trip to Arizona.  As of yesterday afternoon, it didn't appear that the situation was serious enough for them to leave, and we're hoping her dad will be OK.  A link to Nick's blog (Gypsy Journal) is available to the right, under "Blogs I Follow".

KITE FLYING 101

Nick's flying the Prism Snapshot 1.4, and can you tell where it's headed?

 

I think we've all heard the term "go fly a kite".  The context is usually somewhere between "get outa here", and "don't bother me".  Well, the phrase took on a new meaning yesterday afternoon, when we met Nick and Terry Russell at the beach.  Nick had arranged to meet Gypsy Journal subscribers John and Karen Landry, who drove down from their RV lot in Ilwaco.  John brought several of his Prism Snapshot kites for Nick to try out, and when we arrived at the beach, the first one was just getting airborne. 
 

Most of us have flown some sort of kite, and I would venture to say that most have been the standard one string variety, shaped similar to a box, or a rectangle.  Way back when I last flew a kite, the object was to see how high I could get it, and that was just about it.  There was no such thing as aerobatics, maneuvering, or simply making the kite go where you wanted it to go.  In the old days, it was hang on to the single string, and hope that the wind remained strong enough to keep it flying.  I learned yesterday, that kite flying isn't what it used to be.
  

The next kite to get some airtime, was John's big boy, a Prism Snapshot 2.5.  This baby had 4 control strings, and when wind gusts would come along, it's a good thing that John's not a 98 pound weakling.  There were a few times that I wasn't sure who was flying who!  Watching John make his kite go where ever he wanted it to, gave new meaning to "go fly a kite".

Next up was Nancy, as John got her set up to fly his smaller Snapshot 1.4 kite.  After a few crashes, one very near a lady who was trying to lay peacefully on the beach, Nancy got the hang of it.  She almost bought a kite when we were in Long Beach, and after this experience, she was ready to beat feet to the closest kite store.

Teaching folks how to fly a kite does have it's advantageous!

John was the perfect instructor, as he patiently tutored Nancy, and made countless trips out to a downed kite, where he unraveled twisted strings in order to get the kite back in the air.  When Nancy was finished, I gave the blue  Snapshot 1.4 a try, and yep, I crashed it straight into the sand a few times.  After a few minutes, I started to get the hang of it, and it was truly a lot more fun than just holding onto a single kite string.  There just might be a kite in my future.
 

Nick brought out his orange Snapshot 1.9, which I also got to fly when he was finished.  It wasn't exactly like the tail wagging the dog, but when I made the kite go in a horizontal direction, there was no doubt that something was pulling at my arms pretty hard.

 There was a trend developing, as John once again went out to Nick's downed kite.

 After several abrupt kite vs. sand collisions, I changed Nick's name to "CRASH".

While all of this kite flying was going on, Patty was busy making friends with John and Karen's dog

P.J.

Later in the afternoon, I BBQ'd some burgers, Nancy fixed a potato salad, and we topped off our picnic with Terry's delicious apple slab pie, & some Tillamook vanilla ice cream.  Yep, we were all stuffed, as we finished off the evening with more visiting inside our motor home.  Life is definitely  good!

A BEACH TOWN

While growing up on the Central CA Coast, the beaches were a close destination.  Before cars, girls, and the more complicated things in life, my friends and I would ride our bicycles about 4 miles out to the beach, where the waves were all we needed for entertainment.  Eventually, we graduated from riding the surf on our air mattresses, to boogie boards, and later, real surf boards.  The surf boards came when we all started to drive, and the better surfing was a little farther from home.  Many a weekend night was spent cruising the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk where it was ALL about the cars, and the girls. 

 This statue of Lewis & Clark represents the end of their westward trek to the Pacific Ocean.

Seaside kind of reminds me of those carefree years, where we spent a lot of time at the beach, having fun doing what teenagers do.  Yesterday, we drove down Broadway to the turn around at the beach, and found a parking place on Seaside's main drag. 

After checking out all of the tourist shops, we eventually made our way back to the Jeep, where we had lunch at the Tsunami Sandwich Co.  The tsunami pastrami on sourdough was pretty awesome, and took care of my mid day stomach growls.

 In my younger days, the motto was "Live to ride, ride to live".  I think I like this one better.

 If you like a pastrami sandwich, this is a good place.

 Patty didn't tell me she was moonlighting.

Inside a large building that houses this carousel, there's also about 20 businesses.  What would a beach side tourist town be without a merry-go-round?  I wish I had a dollar for every time I rode the one at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk.
 

Finally, I got to drag the girls into a real store, that didn't have fabric, yarn, or pink stuff on the shelves!  The Man Store on Broadway has important things for sale, like man cave signs, hot rod shirts, Marilyn Monroe posters, and even a simulated street rod that is pictured below.  Now, that's what I'm talking about!

I mentioned Nancy was considering an upgrade to her Thousand Trails membership in yesterdays blog.  I guess I should let her fill in the details, as there were a bunch of consultations between she, myself, and Nick yesterday.  A link to Kissack Adventures is on this blog, below CHP Memories.

Today is an important anniversary of an event that should always remind us that there is evil in this world.  Sep 11, 2001 changed everything, and not for the better!