SUMPTER VALLEY RAILROAD

The anticipation of a train ride behind a wood fired, 1915 Heisler, geared steam locomotive, was almost more than I could handle!  Awake before the sunrise, I patiently awaited  for some activity near the steam engine.  When I saw the smoke coming from the engine's stack, I wandered over to where the little 40 toner was being prepped, and engaged in a conversation with Jim, the engineer (drinking from the red cup in the photo).  He took me inside the shop building, and showed me the other steam engine that was being rebuilt.  He also said that the Heisler was to his knowledge, the only wood fired one still in operation.  In fact, there are only a few wood fired steam locomotives still running. 

 

 Loading the wood into the tender.

The restoration of this narrow gauge railroad began in the early 1970's, and it currently operates on about 6 miles of track between McEwen & Sumpter.  This was the first run of the season, and we had an added bonus of a shoot um up train robbery.  If I were any of these bad guys, I think I would look for another day job, because, our valuables remained intact.  

After we pulled into the Sumpter station, we had about an hour while the crew serviced the engine.  The old  restored gold dredge was a short walk from the depot, and we spent some time marveling at the size, and scope of what must have been a huge operation.  The picture of Nancy next to the dredge buckets, gives you an idea of how big this machine actually is.

When the 4 blasts of the whistle sounded, Patty and I returned to our seats on the train.  But wait.....

where's Nancy?  Just seconds before the engine chugged away from the station, I looked forward, and saw her climbing into the cab of the engine.  Now wait just one second!  I'm the train guy, and she's getting a privileged ride in the cab, of the only wood burning Heisler steam locomotive left in the entire world!!  I'm instantly jealous.  No, I'm way beyond jealous.  All kinds of thoughts are whirling around in my brain, like do I need to carry more cash in my wallet for possible bribes?  Do I need to wear coveralls, and a train engineer's cap?  Do I need to transform my personality from a strong assertive kind of guy, to a pleading, begging, wimp, who would do anything for a cab ride?  Or, do I need to consider a sex change, where, like Nancy, I might have a shot at being in the cab?  After careful consideration, I surmised that none of those things would be practical, and that I would have to continue to forever dream about riding in the cab of a steam locomotive.

 If you look carefully, Nancy is waving back at me from the locomotive cab.  

Upon returning to the McEwen depot, I had to deal with huge smiles from the new train engineer, and was actually quite happy that she got to enjoy a once in a lifetime opportunity.  

It was early afternoon when we pulled out of McEwen, and headed north on Hwy 7 to Baker City, then west on I84 to Hwy 82, and east toward Enterprise.  We arrived at Bob  & Diana Rush's beautiful home at 4pm. and were pleased that Bob & Brenda Nelson were also there from Albany for a visit.  We hadn't seen Bob & Brenda for several years, and we had a nice visit with everybody before calling it a day.  We'll be here for a couple of days before continuing our journey north toward Alaska.

 

Left to right - Bob Rush, Bob & Brenda Nelson, Diana Rush, Patty, Nancy.

Miles traveled - 133  Cumulative - 1,828

SUNRIVER, OR TO SUMPTER, OR

Being parked at the Thousand Trails Park in Sunriver for 9 days, caused the "hitch itch" syndrome, and it needed a little scratching.  So, we  pulled out a little before 9am, traveled north on Hwy 97 to Redmond, then east on Hwy's 126 & 26 to Hwy 7, where it was short run to our destination, the parking lot at the McEwen Depot of the Sumpter Valley Railroad.

The drive across Central Oregon on Hwy 26 is a mixture of forest, green valleys, rivers, and when close to a couple of small towns, farms & ranches.  We all agreed - "Yep, we could live here"!

When we got to the Sumpter Valley RR parking lot, I quickly unhooked our Jeep, and we skedattled to the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center, a few miles east of Baker City.  Patty and I had been to this great facility once before, and we were anxious to let Nancy take a look.  I could do an entire blog or two on what we learned about the early pioneers who endured the months of hardships on the trail, all for the promise of better opportunities in the west.  However, with an almost non-existent Internet connection, many of the pictures I took, will have to wait. 

When we got back to the motor homes, Patty heated up a chicken, tortilla soup that she had made , and it was delicious.  When I finished my second bowl, I was filled up, and ready for the recliner with the required cat in the lap.

This morning is the first trip of the season for the railroad at 10am.  We may participate in that ride, or, if the layover in Sumpter is too long, we'll get some pictures of the train, then head for Bob & Diana Rush's place in Enterprise.

Thousand Trails RV Park (9 days) - $0  Cumulative - $207.23

Diesel @ Sunriver Shell - 48.6 gal @ $3.86 = $198.00  Cumulative - $735.89

M.P.G. - 7.7  Cumulative 7.6

Miles traveled - 230  Cumulative - 1,695

SHE LIKES LAPS

Our traveling cat Gracie, has become more and more of a lap cat as she gets older.  That's where she spent a good part of yesterday afternoon, while I read, and watched TV.  During part of that time, there were a couple of cat naps going on.

The girls first did laundry, then drove into Bend for some last minute shopping.  No more big box stores for awhile, and certainly not as many fabric/yarn/quilt stores in one place, as there is here.  While they were gone, I drove south to LaPine, where I picked up some more Sharps, and a few other things.  The basement of the motor home is now a mobile warehouse, full of Sharps!

While parked here at the Bend/Sunriver Thousand Trails, I've been using our Sprint, USB data device, plugged into a cradlepoint router.  The reception has been poor at best, and often the connection is broken entirely.  Loading pictures onto the blog is a lesson in patience.  There is WiFi at the office, but it's not strong enough to reach the RV sites.  As we get farther north, there will be times when we will not have an Internet connection, so, when there's no blog posted for the day, that will be the reason.

This morning, we're leaving Sunriver where we've been parked for the last 9 days.  As I've said before, I like this area, and I'm sure we'll be back.

A FREE LUNCH, SORT OF

Not much to share about yesterday, except for the fact that it was drizzly most of the day.  We did drive into Bend, where we killed an hour or so at Costco.  It was near the lunch hour, so we were all hungry.  Strolling through Costco, with all of the food product sample tables, can either help quench your appetite, or you end up buying a bunch of stuff that later turns out to be not quite as good as when you sampled it in the store.  I think the former was an appropriate description for the girls, as they tried to have a free lunch, compliments of Costco.  For me, a cracker with the latest wonder cheese, or a spoonful of fake meat & pasta, or a thumb size bite of an energy bar, didn't do much to stop my stomach from saying "it's time for a burger".

When we left Costco, I pointed the Jeep to the nearest building that looked like a restaurant.  I didn't drive far before stopping at Jake's Grill, where Patty had a glass of water.  She must have been doing more sampling than I thought.  Nancy must have passed on some of the Costco samples, as she had a bowl of soup.  I ordered a half pound bacon cheeseburger, which easily took care of the funny noises that had previously been coming from my stomach.  

It was late afternoon when we returned to the motor homes, but the girls weren't done shopping quite yet.  When they said that there was one more quilt store in LaPine, I said "see ya".  With Gracie curled up on my lap, I finished the day in my recliner, doing the same thing that the feline was doing.

DAMS, SKI RESORTS & WATERFALLS

Before picking up Nancy's Jeep at the dealer in Bend, we took a ride into the Deschutes Forest, toward Mount Bachelor.  When you go exploring, you never know what you might run across.

Our first discovery off a dirt road, was a small dam on the Deschutes River.  As dams go, this one was pretty small, but lots of water was being released on the down stream side of the earthen structure.  We next drove toward Mount Bachelor on the Cascade Lakes Hwy, and made several stops for look see's, and photos.  This region is dotted with lakes, all in the shadows of several snow capped mountains.  Mount Bachelor is the one most visible, towering above the western view from Bend.

 This is looking east at Mount Bachelor.  Bend is on the other side of the mountain.

When we approached the ski resort at approx. 6,500 feet above sea level, we were kind of surprised to see plenty of snow, and more than just a few skiers.  By mid May, I think it's safe to say that all of the Sierra Nevada ski resorts are already closed. 

Our next destination before heading back to Bend was Tumalo Falls.  This 89' high waterfall is about 10 miles west of Bend, located on Tumalo Creek.  It was about a 1/4 mile hike up to the top of the falls, and well worth the effort.  A viewing area, complete with wall & railing for acrophobia types like me, provided a great panorama of the water cascading over the edge. 

 Patty & Nancy at the lower viewing area.

Even though this waterfall is at the end of a dusty, dirt road, the parking lot was just about full of cars.  A space to park here, might be just about impossible on a busy weekend. 

It was early afternoon when we got back to Bend, stopping first at the Chrysler dealer to pick up Nancy's Jeep.  The girls hadn't quite finished stopping at every yarn & fabric shop in Bend, so when that subject came up, I said "see ya"!  On the way back to the motor home, I made a couple of quick stops, one of which was the High Desert Museum.  When we were there a few days ago, our debit card was charged twice for the same purchase, so that was quickly corrected. 

We're here for two more days, then we'll be headed east toward Bob & Diana Rush's place in Enterprise, OR.  In a couple of weeks, our journey north will take us across the U.S./Canadian border into British Columbia.

THE CROOKED RIVER CANYON

We drove both Jeeps into Bend, and left Nancy's with the local Jeep dealer.  While she was getting her work order written, I checked with the parts department, and discovered that they did not have in stock, the part that I needed.  However, after looking at the schematic, and at Nancy's hood support rod, I figured that I could fix our Jeeps bent rod myself.  We had breakfast at the local Black Bear Diner, and shortly thereafter, Nancy got a call from the dealer.  The problem with her drivers power window, was the electric motor was shot.  They were going to order a motor, and have her Jeep done by 10:30 this morning.  If that indeed happens, it will be pretty darn good service.

We left Bend, driving north through Redmond, then northeast to the Crooked River Ranch.  This area is an old cattle ranch that has been converted into a rural residential community, complete with golf course, RV parks, and several small businesses.  Situated in, or near the Crooked River Canyon, the location is very pleasing to the eyes.  We stopped at one of the RV parks near the rim of the canyon, where we walked to a viewing platform located 350' straight up on the canyon wall above the river.  The gal at the RV park told us that the trail directly below the viewing area was used years ago, as a movie set for a period western entitled The Way West, that starred  Kirk Douglas, and Robert Mitchum.

When we were in this area 3 years ago, we seriously looked at property, and almost pulled the trigger on a home with some acreage.  Considering our desire to be closer to family, that probably would have been a mistake.  This high desert of Central Oregon has always been a magnet of sorts for me, and given different circumstances, it's not hard to picture living here.  The scenery that we saw yesterday, didn't do anything to take away from that visualization.

VOLCANOS & CAVES

The area around Bend, OR is filled with evidence of volcanic activity.  From soaring mountains, like nearby Mount Bachelor, to smaller cinder cones like Lava Butte, it's not hard to figure out that once upon a time, Central Oregon was a place where fire from the ground reigned supreme.

Our first stop yesterday was Pilot Butte, a 500' tall cinder cone located in the heart of Bend.  This drive to the top scenic state park, provided us with some panoramic views of  the surrounding area, and is a popular hiking spot.

Our next stop was at Lava Butte, located about half way between Bend & Sunriver.  This cinder cone is also accessible by a narrow road that winds it's way to the top.  An active forest service fire lookout is situated at the end of the road, and the 150' deep volcanic crater is served by a trail all the way around the top of the small mountain.  We hiked around the crater, before heading off to the Lava Lands Visitor Center.

After checking out the Visitors Center, we stopped a few miles down the road at Lava Cave.  Patty & I had not previously been to this almost mile long volcanic cave.  We probably went down, and into the cave for 1,000 feet or so, far enough where it was really dark.  There were a group of school kids in front of us, and as noisy as they were, their voices soon disappeared from hearing distance.

Just inside the entrance, we came across  a small ice field of moisture that drips from the ceiling.  It was still early enough in the season for this natural phenomenon to still exist, as the temperature in the cave was only 42 degrees.

On our climb back out of the cave, some of the school kids passed us by, and when we returned to the top, the 60 degree temps almost felt like we were entering an oven.  We've been in other caves, but this was one like no other, especially with the ice formations.

This morning we're off to Bend for an appointment with the local Jeep dealer at 8am.  I'm sure we'll find something to do while waiting for the repairs to be completed.

A POT OF GOLD

Since I've previously written about my never ending quest for the elusive Sharps, it's no secret that this unleaded version of beer, is more and more difficult to find at the local retailer.  Yesterday, I hit the jackpot at BI-MART!  While the girls were shopping till they dropped in Sisters, I drove a few miles south to LaPine, and happily discovered that BI-MART still stocks Sharps on their shelves.  It's been almost 3 years since we were last in this area, and if I were a betting person, my guess would have been that BI-MART had joined the long list of stores that no longer kept Sharps in their inventory.

To make this end of the rainbow discovery ever sweeter, the price per 12 pack was over $4 cheaper than what BevMo charges.  Because our motor home is already sagging in the middle, due to one of the basement bays being chock full of Sharps, I only purchased one case yesterday.  But, like a drug addict might happily proclaim, "I now have a reliable source for my habit"!

Today is fix the Jeeps day.  Nancy discovered a problem with her drivers side power window, and I need to fix the hood support rod on our Liberty.  Since we're here for a few more days, and there is a Jeep dealer in Bend, that's where we're headed this morning.

 

MEMBERSHIP CAMPING

First, let me say that we are members of the Thousand Trails (TT) system.  Membership agreements in the TT system are as varied as the stripes on a Tiger, and there are literally hundreds of different membership contracts.  Our particular agreement is known as an Alliance membership, entitling us to stay at all Thousand Trails, NACO, and Leisure Time Resorts.  Our dues are approx. $600 per year, and that allows us to stay up to 50 days per year at no charge.  Each day over the 50 free days, and we pay $5 per day.  We are limited to a maximum stay of 14 days at any of the preserves, and we can go directly from one preserve to the next.  Any membership, or product, is only of value, if used.  Last year, we stayed in the TT system once, so the value simply wasn't there.  Three years ago, we stayed at TT parks over 100 days, and our per day cost, including dues, was approx. $8.  For those that utilize the system, like full timers, the value can be exceptional.  Access to the parks, hasn't been a particular problem, although, during the summer, or busy season, finding a suitable site at the more popular parks has sometimes been a challenge.

When we joined the TT system, the parks were private, and open to members only.  Over the years, we've seen many changes.  In 2008, the entire TT system, including land, was purchased by Leisure Time Properties.

The first change that impacted the number of sites available to members, was the purchase/lease your site program.  This program allowed members to pick an available site in one of the parks, pay an annual fee, and have that site for their exclusive use.  Supposedly, there were a limited number of sites at each park, that were eligible for this program.

The second big change that occurred a few years ago, was the opening of the parks to the general public.  Prior to this, access to the parks was members and guests only.  The explanation by TT was that this was a replacement program for the method that was previously used to recruit new members.  In that old program, nonmembers were given several days of free camping, in exchange for a sales pitch.  A certain number of sites at each park were reserved for this program.  Supposedly, the amount of sites now available to the public, were the same as previously used under the old recruitment program.  I could never get TT to say how many spaces that was, but the number that was thrown out there several times, was 10% of a particular parks available sites.

Recently, I've noticed that most all of the TT parks (TT, NACO, Leisure Time), are now listed as open to Passport America members.  If you're not familiar with Passport America, it's a membership system that costs approx. $44 a year, entitling members access to around 1,800 parks at half price.  We are members of this system, and once again, if you use Passport America even a few times, it can save you a few bucks.  Generally speaking, RV parks that sign up for Passport America, are ones that need to market themselves to a larger group, due to lower vacancy rates.

I think you can probably see where I'm going with this.  There are a limited number of parking/camping sites in the TT system.  When we signed up, we joined a membership only camping system.  There were 8 pages of "member rules" when we joined, and TT's definition of their preserves is as follows - "Preserve or preserves mean the recreational campground resort(s) operated by us for the benefit of our respective members".  No where in those 8 pages, or on our contract, is there any mention of the public.   We only had to compete for parking spaces with other TT members.  Now, due to corporate policy changes, we are competing for those limited spaces, with a much larger group of RVers.   From a purely business perspective, these changes are understandable.  Opening the parks to the public has increased cash flow, and that's what most businesses should be focused on.

However, in my humble opinion, the value of our membership has been diminished considerably.  We signed up for membership in a private system, and have seen that once exclusive system change to a hybrid public system.  Yes, there's a certain amount of selfishness in my comments, but the facts are indisputable.  Thousand Trails is no longer a membership only system, and that's what we signed up for!

Happy Mom's day to all the mothers!

1ST TRIP INTO BEND

It's been about 3 years since we were last in this area, and the same amount of time since we last visited the High Desert Museum.  This isn't just a museum, but rather a combination of lots of different things, including live animals.  We spent a couple of hours viewing all of the different aspects of this excellent facility, including a couple of presentations, first about birds of prey, then about wild cats.

 

 This Peregrine Falcon decided it was going to talk louder than its handler, and had to be returned to it's habitat.

   A pair of Bald Eagles.

Two of our favorite critters at the museum are a Bobcat, and a Lynx.  Both are unable to be returned to the wild, living out their lives in captivity.  The story about the Lynx is typical of the many misguided attempts to make a wild animal a pet.  It was found several years ago, almost dead from starvation.  It's canine teeth, and it's claws had been removed, and it had been neutered.  It had either escaped from it's owner, or had been abandoned.   One of my first thoughts was why would any Veterinarian do those procedures, and second, what's wrong with folks who think they can turn a wild animal into a pet?

 Mrs. Bobcat was giving herself a bath while sunbathing.

 Mr. Lynx awoke from his catnap to check out what was going on.

From the museum, we drove into Bend where I did some banking,  we stopped at the visitors center, then a Fred Meyer Superstore.  We don't have any of these stores in the southwest, and it's too bad because they certainly give Wally World a run for it's money where ever they're located.  When we got back to our motor homes, I put some chicken on the grill, and we enjoyed eating a meal outside, while the temperature was a pleasant 75 degrees.

 

LIKELY, CA TO SUNRIVER, OR

Continuing our journey north, we pulled out of the Likely RV & Golf Resort yesterday morning, destination Sunriver (Bend), OR.  We all agreed, that this hidden gem of an RV park was just about perfect for anyone looking for some peace & quiet, and if you're a golfer, it's beyond perfect.  Our route took us north on Hwy 395 through Alturas, past Goose Lake, and into Oregon near Lakeview.  North of Lakeview, we turned to the northwest on Hwy 31 for about 120 miles, before connecting with Hwy 97 at LaPine.  From there it was a short run up to the Thousand Trails just outside of Sunriver.

We passed through a few very small towns like Silver Lake, where we stopped for a lunch break.  Life in these remote small communities is centered around the ranches, with little else driving the economy.  I often think that if our modern culture could somehow return to the values of this rural lifestyle, our society would be a lot better off.  When is the last time you drove your RV through the big city, and had countless drivers wave at you?  Probably never.  But, on Hwy 31 in Oregon, it happens a lot!

It was early afternoon when we pulled into the Bend/Sunriver Thousand Trails (TT).  This is a park that we have frequented several times, and is one of our favorites.  Three summers ago, when we spent most of that time in Oregon & Washington, we parked at this  TT on 3 different occasions.  Finding a couple of sites where there was an opening between the trees for our Winegard Satellite Antennas was a slight problem, but right now, the park isn't even close to being full.

I did find a couple of side by side, 50 amp electric & water sites, where we both found a hole between the trees for satellite TV.   Nancy had to move her motor home a couple of times before finally getting the antenna to lock on to the satellite.  We're here for a little over a week, before heading toward north eastern Oregon.

Likely RV/Golf Resort - $16  Cumulative - $207.23
Miles traveled - 233  Cumulative - 1,465