June 30,2007

Waterton National Park, Canada

After two days near West Glacier and one day at East Glacier, we headed to Waterton National Park, the ‘Canadian’ part of Glacier Park for two days.

The US side has suffered from some horrendous wildfires. Notably is the area around Lake McDonald and the area around St. Mary. Thousands and thousands of acres of burned trees are a brown contrast to green trees unburned. In areas out of the park (on Blackfeet Indian land), the burned spires have been harvested, presumably for pulp mills somewhere. In the park, the rules prevent logging, so the brown mess will remain for a long time.

We love Waterton. Gorgeous scenery, a nice town next to our park (Waterton townsite). Just returned from dinner at Zum’s (4 blocks away) where we dined on the front porch as the cottonwood trees created a virtual blizzard around us. We were one of the last 2 tables outside to stick it out. This would be a meal to remember. A little cottonwood fluff seasoning ain’t too bad. We are dry-camping next to the lake, conserving our battery power.

Afternoon exercise to ‘Bear’s Hump’, a mile hike overlooking Waterton. Pretty steep hike---thought we were going to have to call a pack mule for Janice, who finally wheezed her way to the top. Julie is restored, post-Ironman and mountain-goated her way to the top. Here's a short video of the view.

Janice has been working exceedingly hard on her book revisions, hoping to get this stage of edits done before Calgary. Very fortunate to have satellite internet for this work. (Got that, IRS?)

If I were back in Sacramento right now, I would be toasting good friend, golf partner and RV newbie Karl Engeman, who is retiring after 35 years with the State of California. Karl served as the head of the state’s Office of Administrative Hearings and was a skilled Administrative Law Judge. Karl….job well done. Time to join us geezers. I’m toasting you this very moment with a glass of Corbett Canyon chardonnay, smuggled into Canada this very day! (Don’t look down your nose at Corbett Canyon. The box fits perfectly on the shelf of the RV refrigerator—a tip from my sister Mya, who carried a boatload of Corbett Canyon up and down the Alaska coast the past several summers. In the RV realm, it’s all about how it packs! )

(Which reminds me, the great wine crisis was averted as we cleared the border. The guard asked if we had any guns, alcohol or cigarettes. I advised, “Just some wine, about seven bottles. No smokes, no guns.” She responded, “Have a nice day”, and we were outta there. Welcome to Canada! Didn’t need to guzzle all of that wine the last couple days after all.)

June 28, 2007

From St. Mary, MT
east of Glacier Park







Ironman Triathlon Special


June 24, 2007

We woke up at 3:30, ready for the big event—tossed and turned until 4:45. We would pick up Julie at 5:15 for her 5:45 sign-in. Julie had to check in her five bags, get her bike tires pumped up, get ‘body marked’ (contestant number on arm; age on calf). The wind was blowing at 15-20 mph across the lake. It was chilly as we took our position on the sea wall overlooking the race swim course. A choppy surface turned into waves and white caps just before the 7 a.m. start. Great sailing weather!


At the gun (a cannon), the lake looked like a school of mackerel thrashing the surface. All that was missing was diving sea birds. Next to me a black Labrador howled for her ‘mistress’ who was a participant. The dog had been a vital part of training and knew it was ‘crunch time.’

[Interrupting the commentary, there are a few key points to keep in mind: 1) This was not just a triathlon, but an “Ironman” consisting of a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride (over a grueling course), and capped by a full 26.2 mile marathon. 2) One cannot fully appreciate the dedication/training of tri-athletes until you’ve actually seen a triathlon in person. These fine-tuned athletes suffer through physical endurance—and their positive attitude is reflected by their smiles and waves to the gathered crowd. 3) Let’s face it—most of us couldn’t complete but a fraction of these events without a coronary.]

After an hour and 14 minutes, Julie completed her swim and headed to the ‘stripping area,’ where volunteers assisted pulling off the wet-suits. A quick change in a matter of minutes, and Julie was headed out for a ‘bike ride’—all 112 miles.

For the next 11-12 hours, Janice and I wandered about the streets of Coeur d’ Alene—from one vantage spot to another, walking Carly (who spent much of the day snoozing in the car in 60-70 degree weather) in between.

During the day, as Julie would variously ride or run by, we would go to the course, yell encouragement, shoot photos, and prepare for the next move.

On the bike ride especially, it was hard to photograph a ‘moving target’ who came into view at 20-30 mph, had to be identified, and the camera started (whether movies or still—lest the batteries drain). Admittedly, I missed a few good shots because I was slow on the trigger.

During one lull at 10 a.m., Janice and I searched for breakfast and wound up at Hudson’s Hamburgers, a local icon for the last 100 years. Ordering a couple burgers to go, we took them outside to a park bench, where we were interviewed by a local TV station as ‘turistas’ who came for the Ironman. (That evening, a clip of me was shown on the Ironman coverage. I still have the talent to attract the cameras!)

At 8 p.m. we headed to the finish line. We watched finishers being joined by family members as they crossed the line—holding infants or holding the hands of a phalanx of kids or a spouse. Even one dog accompanied his master across the finish line. (Carly opted out.) A very emotional finish to a long day.

Shortly after 9 pm, 14 hours and 8+ minutes after the 7 a.m. start, Julie headed down the chute, beaming. She looked relaxed and happy, hardly like somebody who had covered 140 miles that day.

To get a feel for the day, click here, Julie’s first video production. It may take awhile to load, but it's good viewing.



June 25-26,2007
We departed CdA about 11:30, heading towards Kalispell. A lunch stop at the Walmart parking lot in Bonner’s Ferry, followed by an “adventure stop” at the swinging bridge. Amazingly, Julie headed down the trail gazelle-like—her pain was a day away.

During the drive, the motorhome engine was misfiring slightly—which had started in CdA after the oil change. We arrived in Kalispell at the Rocky Mountain Hi RV Park—and I began to ponder the causes of the engine trouble: bad gas?; first time use of synthetic oil?; or a computer chip malfunction? I inspected the spark plug wires and it seemed that one felt a bit loose. I secured it. First thing in the morning, I called the ‘local’ warranty dealer only to be told that they had no appointments until Friday the 29th! We were not about to spend the week there waiting, so we took off and the problem had resolved itself—possibly by the mere tweaking of a spark plug wire. We hummed down the road for a short one-hour drive to Glacier NP.

Montana is indeed “big sky” country. Giant tree covered mountains, and the Flathead River paralleled our course.

We arrived at the San-Suz-Ed RV Park, about 3 miles from the park. Initially we were going to stay in Glacier Park, but we needed a UPS address as Janice had documents over-nighted from her publisher and we were being shipped new VISA card because a number of cards were cancelled due to a “security breach.” Since several of our bills back home are ‘auto-paid' from this card, this was a near disaster. Only the fact that Janice checked our account on-line tipped us off to the cancellation and card re-issuance. Such are the perils of life on the road.

June 27,2007

After settling in at San-Suz-Ed’s (terrible name, huh?), we entered Glacier, visiting Lake McDonald and the 1920s lodge. Julie was ‘foot-weary’ as the triathlon ‘hangover’ had set in. We returned to camp.


Up early, we took a ‘Red Jammer’ tour on the Going to the Sun Road—at least the half of it that was open. Some great views, but the good stuff was just out of reach due to road damage after snow and heavy rains last Nov. The road will not reopen until July 1. Lunched on buffalo burgers at the McDonald Lodge before returning to camp.




The great wine crisis: With the limited wi-fi connection at the park, we checked on Canadian entry regulations. To our horror, visitors from the U.S. are limited to 40 oz of wine per person.
Our stash exceeded that limit (which figures out to be about 5-6 bottles of wine total ---since Julie is travelling with us. We'll count her, even though she is a non-drinker.) I immediately began wine 'triage', and advised Janice that she would indeed be having wine, not milk, with dinner. And I must confess to having an extra glass while cooking. No sense pouring it down the drain or leaving it leaving for some lucky camper!

June 27, 2007

Temporary post.

Due to limited internet availability, a busy schedule and 3 people fighting to use the computer, the regular postings have been delayed, though ultimately in the next couple days, we will catch up.

Be advised that Julie sucessfully completed the Ironman triathlon in 14 hours, eight minutes (or so). Great video on the way.

All is well. Now near Glacier Park.

Blackwell's RV Park
Couer d’Alene, ID (known also as “CDA”)

June 23, 2007


Arrived at the Blackwell park on Thursday.
A quick one hour drive from Stoneridge, we spent the balance of the a.m. getting gas ($2.84/gallon at the Costco, the cheapest gas on the west coast according to gasbuddy.com), getting the oil changed and going to the laundromat. Checking in at noon, we were given a spot along the bank of the Spokane River, but the tall trees were blocking the satellite view, so we had to move to an interior lot. Still have a river view, but it also includes a pulp plant across the river that runs night and day(weekends apparently excepted).

Picked up daughter Julie at the Spokane airport (35 miles west), filling the CRV with her crated bike, duffel bag and suitcase, Carly was relegated to a small corner to nap enroute back to CDA. We walked along the lakefront while Julie checked in to triathlon headquarters). In the evening, we drove her bike route (56 miles x 2). It was tiring just driving it in a car. Lotsa hills


Friday, Julie began the day with a brisk one-mile swim on the brrr! lake course. I ventured over to the local muni course (very nice!) for nine holes with 3 fellow geezers. I opted for his course ($15 bucks for 9 holes, rather than the neighboring CDA Resort course, famed for its floating island hole (only $225). In the PM, we toured the lake on a cruise boat (nice trip, perfect 80 degree weather, but only 17 aboard the boat which could easily handle 200.) Viewed the floating island hole.













Julie moved to her local hotel room, where she can sleep well, undisturbed by Carly’s occasional pacing or the old folks visiting the john during the night. She didn’t think the slide-out bed would produce optimum rest, either.

In the evening, we all attended the official Ironman dinner. A very inspiring program with recognition to a couple of special athletes: The oldest—a 75 year old who has done "about 35" Ironman triathlons (by the way, an Ironman consists of a 2 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride, followed by a full 26.2 mile marathon); the ‘biggest loser’- a woman from Kona who lost 170 pounds training for this event (second place—130 lbs ); and finally a double amputee who lost both legs at the knee in a car accident at age 15. Now 39, he is an inspiring triathlete.
Looking around the room of approximately 3000 people, one couldn’t help but be impressed by the trim physiques of the athletes present.
Lean machines indeed.

After returning to the rig, a surprise thunderstorm rumbled through, commencing at 10 pm. Rain and hail continued until about midnite!

Janice has been busy with her publisher, polishing up her manuscript after their initial review and a review by a native American regarding her Indian (feather, not dot) chapters.
Far more work on the road than we anticipated, but we are grateful for our movable internet access which allows her to be a roadie during this part of the process.

June 21, 2007

Spent two days at Stoneridge, a wannabe ‘Sun River’ in the woods of north Idaho.
Folks at the RV Park (where lots are bought) greeted us like royalty, thinking they had new neighbors who had also taken the same bait they swallowed. Once they realized that we were just passing through, their warmth cooled like an Idaho night.

The park itself had large concrete pads, paved streets, no trees over 5 feet, dead shrubs (winter freeze?) and a garbage bin a good 100 yards away. Carly left a few surprises in the weeds on the way to the bin. The lots were selling for $50-60k last year and the price is now upwards of $70k. The golf course had a couple of interesting holes (#1 and an actual #19), but the rest were pretty tame. Certainly wouldn’t want to wile away my retirement summers playing this course, even though it was ‘nice’ to me. Took an obligatory tour with a real estate salesperson, but it was very low key. If you live in Arizona, this may be the place for you in the summer!

June 19, 2007

Left a very nice Corps of Engineers park at Charbonneau,WA and headed northeast, taking secondary roads like highways 124,12, 127, 2, 395 and 41, to get to our destination, the Stoneridge Resort. We will be taking a sales pitch in exchange for free golf (nice course), 2 nights camping, and $25 off of our dinner. (Cost to us-$39)

On the way, it took about 45 minutes to traverse through Spokane. A Hwy 395 detour includes about 30 stoplights. About 10 of them turned to orange just as we approached causing choices between a possible ticket or having everything in the back of the rig (including Carly) fly forward if I slam on the brakes. The traffic engineer need to be lynched.

Speaking of lynching, my beloved SF Giants are twisting in the gallows. Very depressing to read of loss after loss.

Oregon Hospitality at its Best

June 14-18, 2007

From West Linn, OR to Pasco, WA
(Charbonneau Park, near Pasco,WA)

Always a favorite stop on sojourns north is Camp von Tagen---our private backyard RV space at Fritz and Dee von Tagen’s in West Linn, OR, just south of Portland. We ‘camped’ for 4 days enjoying their hospitality as well as several other treats.


First, a lunch with Janice’s Aunt Helen and cousin Anne, followed by a hike in grey weather with Anne and her husband, Tom. The hike, chosen by Tom, was in the Columbia Gorge---a 4-5 mile hike to Triple Falls. Carly stayed behind.
















On our final day, high school classmate Don Carlsen, and his lady-friend Cindy joined Fritz, Dee, Janice and I for some wine tasting at Lake Oswego Hills Winery, owned by Jerry Marshall, a friend of the von Tagen’s. Jerry ran through about 10 or so ‘tastes’ for us. Later that evening, another highschool classmate, Denny Young, wife Jan (of Salem) and his parents Deke and Fran, from Walnut Creek, joined us for dinner. Four old geezers, Fritz, Don, Denny and I, reminiscing about high school adventures together.


One of the highlights of our West Linn visit was an opportunity to see Fritz’s model train collection, dating back to 1915, it is comprised of approximately 1600 individual pieces that include about 300 sets. All of the pieces are in mint or new condition. It is simply unbelievable. This year’s national model RR convention will be sending 3 busloads of attendees to review the collection---the highlight of their convention. Wow!!! Fritz and I turned back the clock a bit and enjoyed playing with the trains. Take a look. (Click here)

(Oh, by the way--we bought a new camera at Costco. A very small one that fits on a flat car.)

June 12-14,2007

Champoeg State Park (click for aerial view)

(s/w of Portland, OR

We spent a night at Champoeg SP along the Willamette. Only 1 1/2 hrs from Silver Falls.

Janice has headed to Portland for a meeting with her publisher.I will be moving the rig to the von Tagen 'park' shortly."

Final notes from Silver Falls (along with many photos of falls)

Cloudy with Sun Breaks

June 10-12, 2007

Silver Falls State Park

After gassing up in Salem at Costco en route ($2.99 a gallon!) we cruised through the countryside, rolling farmland, vineyards and soon, Christmas tree farms as the road steepened. A curving, two-lane road. No logging trucks on Sundays!

Entering Silver Falls State Park, we headed for ‘our spot’, space 72, which we enjoyed last year. Nestled along a bubbling creek, it’s relatively distant from other campers. The only negative: No internet. Tried to put up the antenna and search for a signal, but the dish just kept spinning around. Too many trees. There are spaces where a signal would be possible, and they will be duly noted for any future visits.

Later in the afternoon we headed to Silverton, 15 miles away, for an early dinner at the Silver Grille. We toured the town for about an hour. Many nice older houses and some sprawling new ones. (“This must be where the doctors live.”) This is a town that caught our fancy last year when we visited it on a mild July day, catching the middle of their antique festival. Our ardor dimmed during last winter when daily weather reports for Silverton were “45 degrees, rain.” This at a time when Sacramento was enjoying a very long Indian summer into November. (Better make that “Native American summer!”)

Carly was ‘housed’ in the back of the CRV, so we stopped at the city park for a ‘walk’ prior to our 5:30 dinner reservation. We were hoping that Carly would leave a donation to the park, but she moved cautiously after seeing a sign warning of mountain lions.

Once at the Silver Grille, we first noted that our reservations were overkill. For the first 45 minutes, we had the place to ourselves---a window table facing the sidewalk. We were ‘shills’ to attract pedestrian interest. Their carrot soup was fabulous, but the entrees were only average. Janice’s salmon (with mini potatoes the size of grapes) was served in an aluminum foil package with oven-proof saran wrap on top that required a bowie knife to cut through. I had mussels, which were pretty good, except I think the chef slipped me a few empty shells to make it look like I had hit a mollusk jackpot. Lurking in the back of my head was why we were the only ones there? Had there been a recent ptomaine episode that we were unaware of? Towards the end of our dinner, another couple entered. They were in their 50s, and the snippets of conversation and nervous giggles led us to conclude it was a ‘first date.’ Possibly from the personals: “Male seeks female for cold, wet Silverton winters.”

Monday found us in he hiking mood, ready to do the whole Silver Falls canyon hike. (We omitted the 2 mile loop to North Falls last year.) How would our weather be??? The weatherman from the Portland station we received on our batwing antenna reported enthusiastically: “ Cloudy with sun breaks.” Yep, sun breaks. That’s what they call it in Oregon when the sun peeks through. Little children run into the street when there’s a sun break. Bikinis suddenly appear from beneath heavy wool coats. “Better slap on some SPF 50 today, I hear we’re gonna have sun breaks. “

Our hike was great, and the weather man was right on. Possibly 3 or 4 sun breaks during our 3 ½ hour walk. No rain though. Ideal 60 degree temperature.

The canyon hike (5-7 miles, depending on whether you do the whole enchilada) is, foot by foot, taking into consideration relative ease, lack of crowds, and scenic vistas, one of the best hikes we have ever taken. Ten or so waterfalls are visible as you walk through a non-tropical rain forest. Ferns, trees, flowers. Just great! No dogs allowed on this trail though. We did have to keep moving to stay ahead of a school bus full of 3rd graders who were on a field trip. These were Spanish speaking kids and it is likely that they had never seen anything like this. I quizzed them whether they had seen mountain lions in the canyon. “ El gato grande? Caramba!!Vamanos amigos.!!”

Enjoyed a campfire with Bill and Reina Bohnbrecht, a couple of 'young' 74 year olds from Southern California.

Rain is baaaack!

June 9, 2007
Still in Waterloo, OR

It was time to do the wash and pick up some supplies, so we headed into Lebanon, about 5 miles distant. And, there was that Saturday market to visit.

We arrived at the Laundromat, filled 4 washing machines (at $1.75 each) and took off, headed to the Saturday market. The signs directed us to the Elks Lodge parking lot, but when we got there, no market! Maybe they have Saturday market on Monday here??

With a few more minutes to kill while the clothes were in spin cycle, we drifted over to “The Filling Station,” a business establishment Janice remembered driving by a year ago. (“Filling station” for you young ‘uns out there is what gas stations were called back in the ‘real ‘olden days’, and my late mother continued to use that term, and was subject to a lot of ‘hoo-hawing’ about it.)

In honor of Mom, we stopped to look at this place, even though it clearly wasn’t a gas station. It was instead a place where one could secure parts for antique vehicles, those that really did use filling stations in their days. It does business world-wide via the internet. Need a grille for your ’25 Chevy? Only $595.00 (the grille!). Really a unique place in little ol’ Lebanon.

Next stop, back to the Laundromat to put the clothes in the dryer. As we were doing so, a fella offered us some directions, pointing out to us the best dryer. Our friend was in his late 50s, had a very ruddy complexion, and if it was “What’s My Line”, you would have guessed that he was a ‘carnie’, except that he had most of his teeth. In pointing out the best dryer, he added, “You could cook a chicken in that one”, and I surmise he might have done actually that on some bleary-eyed occasion. He had been coming to the Laundromat since 1989 and I’ll bet he even had nicknames for some of the machines. (e,g, “Sock-Eater”, “Lint-King”, “Ol’ Grinder”, and of course, the “Chicken Cooker.”)

Once all of our clothes were drying, we walked to the Dollar Store next door to kill a few minutes. As Dollar Stores go, this one was a flagship. Nine dollars (no tax) later, we returned to get our clothes. To our dismay, despite pumping in a fistful of quarters, they were not dry, even the ones in the “Chicken Cooker.” Amazingly, however, was the presence of a black sleeveless men’s t-shirt and a pair of camo (camouflage) pants belonging to our ruddy-faced friend that somehow had joined our clothes. As I pulled them out, he exclaimed, “Those are mine!”
Standing next to me, his breath reeked of booze, either the remnants of last night, or, more likely, from a ‘freshener’ in the parking lot. He then realized that the rest of his clothes were in the dryer next to our “Chicken Cooker”, and tossed the shirt and pants in with the rest of his wardrobe.

We were grateful that his clothes had been in the washer before joining ours in the dryer.

We tossed a few more quarters in, then called it ‘good enough’ and folded up our somewhat still damp clothes.

Walmart was the final stop. It was shortly after noon and the late sleepers had just arrived from the hills and hollers (i.e. hollows). Language spiced with Kentuckian twangs wafted through the air.
“Where the ‘taters?”
“See if Daddy will let me work on my truck in his garage, Momma.”
“Gimme 2 packs of those buck-fifty smokes.” (Rolled horse manure??)

I enjoy shopping at Walmart, if for no other reason than to thumb my nose at the labor unions. Just like the day we went to Disneyland years ago when the employees were on strike. (Management was running the rides and having a ball—and no lines. Waiting for another strike before I return.) Oops, my conservative ‘bent’ is showing! Walmart does have good prices, though. Strolling through the RV supplies section, I bought another vent gizmo for $18.64, less than half of what I spent a few days ago at an RV supply store!

Well, that was just about enough of Lebanon for us, so we passed by Carl’s Jr and KFC and headed back to the rig for a peanut butter-pickle-and-mayonnaise sandwich on rye toast! Yum, yum!

No more drizzles!

June 7-8, 2007

Waterloo County Park
Waterloo, OR

The title above refers to the weather and not any canine affliction, as you might have surmised.

We moved about 15 miles down the road to another Linn County RV Park, and for $13.00 a night (senior rate—don’t check my ID), it’s a steal. Clear skies and temps in the high 70s.

Today, everybody did their own thing.

Janice went to Corvallis for lunch to visit Cindy, a high school friend. They enjoyed reconnecting. Janice had visited her during last year’s Oregon sojourn.

I played golf at the Mallard Creek course, joining a three-some that included a 74 year old who consistently outdrove me. My driving was just pathetic---a high fade that left me scrambling on virtually every hole. I am ready for a lobotomy.

Carly stayed ‘home alone’ in the rig, and was a happy dog when Janice returned. She did take it pretty hard when Paris Hilton was sent back to jail, though.

Unlike the Mexico blog where something exciting (and new) happened nearly every day, our pace has been a bit more relaxing. No semi-trucks to fear, although the logging trucks have caused some trepidation. At least the roads are wider and there are usually shoulders.

Tomorrow the expected highlight of the day will be the Lebanon (Oregon) Saturday market, which should have a very different group of vendors than did the lefty-Eugene market. Expect to see cowboy belt buckles and NASCAR posters. No paisley allowed at this one.

We were fortunate to get a space here that had a good satellite angle, but Silver Falls State Park, our Sun-Tuesday abode, is thickly covered with tall trees, so it will likely be blackout time.

Between the Showers

June 6, 2007
Sweet Home, OR

Another day at our $13.00 per day (Senior Rate) Linn County RV Park(Sunnyside).
Rained most of the night, but we headed up Highway 20 this a.m. for a hike or two.

First a walk uphill about ¾ mile to Soda Creek Falls out of Cascadia State Park A long walk to a little falls, but the woods and greenery were refreshed by the rains. It was a walk out of Jurassic Park. Expected one of those dino-critters to come bursting through the woods.




We encountered 4th grade school kids on a field trip along the trail which shattered the tranquility of the experience. It was fun to see them racing up/down the trail, most impressed with the sighting of a couple of slugs.

Next hike was a shortie to Rock House Falls, along the old Santiam Wagon Road. More lush greenery and a so-so waterfall. The sun broke through the clouds as we enjoyed eating lunch sitting on rocks near the stream. Carly was done for the day, so we headed back down the hill to Sweet Home for some light shopping.

Returning to camp, the rig got a ‘sponge bath’ to remove road dirt. Hopefully the rain will 'go away' soon.

Weather Deteriorates
(but then, we are in Oregon)

June 4-5, 2007

Now at Sunnyside Campground
Sweet Home, OR

Yesterday began with an excellent hike to Proxy Falls, up Hwy 242 about 10 miles. The snow gate is closed at mile 11. A great walk through lush greenery and blooming flowers, through old lava flows and then back into the green, fern-filled woods. Temperature was about 75—just perfect –a relief from the last couple of 90 degree days.

The falls (upper and lower—don’t know which is which, as they are accessed by 2 different trails) glistened in the late morning sun.

Upon returning to camp, we moved the rig forward about 15 feet and were able to get a satellite fix. Subsequently moved to the next space (36) which provided a clearer shot to the skies and allowed yesterdays posting to occur. In the course of doing all of this rig-jockeying, time got away from me, so I just punted on golf at Tokatee. By 4 pm rain was in the air, and by 6pm there was a good drizzle starting. It continued all night, thumping off the leaves overhead and creating an irregular rat-a-tat on the roof. Not conducive to sound sleep.

After a breakfast of sausage patties and fresh blueberry pancakes, we hit the road. Since the internet advised it was 31 degrees up top on Santiam Pass, we opted to head back down the river canyon to Springfield (where an “RV 360” black tank vent cap awaited us). After picking up the aforementioned cap, we headed up through Mohawk Valley, alternating between drizzles, rain and sunshine. The greenery was gorgeous on the meandering country road (Marcola Road). We reached Sweet Home where the ladies at the Visitors' Info Center directed us to a nearby county park, Riverbend Park. We had checked out this park last year and it looked good to us then. A couple of park maintenance workers stopped as we were unhooking the toad and advised us that Sunnyside campground (about 4 miles away) would be a better place to stay.

We took their advice and wound up at Sunnyside, one of the nicest public campgrounds we have stayed at. It is located on the shore of Foster Lake (Santiam River), and there are about a dozen campers in the 100+ spaces. We located one (20C) that looked like it would give us a good satellite fix. (It did--A good shot between trees and over a forested mountain.)

Before the heavens opened with a late afternoon pouring rain, I was able to install the new vent cap. Hopefully the road will smell a bit better now. Carly is getting tired of being blamed for all of the foul odors.

In the Woods

June 2-3, 2007
Belknap Hot Springs Resort
Mc Kenzie Bridge, OR

Our BBQ steak dinner at Casey’s was great. We met some nice people at dinner and also around the campfire that followed. This park is rated in the top ten in the country by Good Sam, and the rating is no fluke. Only 56 spaces, but half of them are along the river. Casey and Becky, the proprietors, are great people and work hard keeping everything clean and neat. We’ll be back to this place.

Saturday morning found us in Eugene. After unhooking the toad from the RV, we attempted to make contact with the owner of the house Janice’s grandfather built and where her mother grew up. He didn’t answer any of Janice’s phone calls earlier, but we drove by anyway. It was still a dive (compared to last year) and the ‘welcome visitors’ sign was definitely not out, so we moved on to our next stop, the Eugene Saturday Market—a combination farmer’s market and craft bazaar. ‘Bizarre’ might be a better description. Eugene’s left-leaning artisans were there featuring the latest in tie-dyed merchandise, including tie-dyed toilet paper. Many aged hippies, priced out of the Berkeley housing market, now call Eugene ‘home’. Only the hair color (now grey) had changed. White guys with grey afros and earth mommas with straight hair hanging down over paisley frocks. Selling pottery and photographs and “Impeach Bush” paraphernalia. Drinking the Kool-aid.

Next stop was a visit with Janice’s cousin Ron and wife Judi. We met them at their store where they sell every kind of baby merchandise imaginable from socks to strollers. Very nice stuff. Hard-working small-business people. The American way.

After a quick Costco stop (“polish sausage, please”), we headed to Springfield to reclaim the rig, where it reposed in front of a grammar school. Neighborhood dogs howled their greetings, including one that Janice thought was a seal. A kid on a bike denied that there was seal in the neighborhood. “Just dogs.” A lot of them, though. I’d be dialing up Hit-a-Pet if this was my home base.

Moving along up the McKenzie highway, we stopped at the RV parts store to purchase a vent-cap-sucker-vane to pull the black tank stink out of the rig when we are on the road. This gizmo goes on top of the black tank vent and sucks the fumes into the ionosphere. Unfortunately, the last one had just flown off the shelf, so I placed an order, and we headed up canyon, eyes watering as ‘aromas de las stinkos’ wafted from some mysterious location under the bathroom sink. (A big ‘thank you’ to the Village RV service department for their hard work on this problem. If there was a way I could send them a sample….)

The drive up the McKenzie River canyon was otherwise gorgeous with thick conifers covering the surrounding mountains and a rushing river running along the highway. Postcard beautiful. Arriving at Belknap Springs, it was a busy Saturday and all spots were full, save the one I had reserved, “11A”. We soon realized why this was the last spot available when I made reservations six weeks ago. It was the site of the former camp host located in the resort parking lot. Totally blacktop. A defunct (fortunately) dump site was across from us. After some discussion, they agreed to move us to another site up the hill for Sunday-Monday.

Other than site “11A”, the grounds here are beautiful. Meandering garden paths across the river with ponds and a panoply of beautiful flowers. Carly fell in the pond, but it was a narrow trail and she was sniffing somebody’s postcard.

Today was spent in the town of Sisters, about 50 miles northeast. Don’t know what the allure is, but this is a townlet (pop.1704) that we fell in love with a couple years ago and we enjoy returning to it. Even looked at some houses here, but we are just teasing ourselves. A nice place for a second home, but we are driving our second home and it stops at plenty of nice places!

We headed back to Belknap Springs, stopping at some spectacular waterfalls along the way for a little bit of riverside exercise. Our new space was ready, a cozy spot in the upper park across from a wide lawn. The weekenders have moved out and we are in near isolation. After a dinner of buffalo burgers and salad ala Janice, we walked down to the hot springs pool for a quick soaking in the 102 degree water.

Where’s Waldo???

May 31-June 1, 2007

Westfir, OR

(looking upstream from our 'front yard')

Yesterday’s agenda had a visit to Lake Waldo, about 25 miles east of here off of Hwy 58. Our first stop along the way was at the Salt Creek Falls. For our $5.00 contribution to the Oregon recreation fund, we received a ½ mile hike and spectacular views of the second-highest waterfall in the state. Down the road, we turned onto the Lake Waldo road and after about 5 miles, snow blocked the road. We drove through the first drift, but others loomed ahead, so we turned around. Not ready to join the Donner Party.

Nearby was a trailhead for Lake Betty and Lake Waldo. We set off on foot and reached Lake Betty, where we were supplied mosquito repellent by hikers we met. Early mosquitoes were in the air---Lake Waldo is renowned for its mosquitoes in July, but it was only the end of May. Following lunch at Lake Betty, we set off for Lake Waldo.

It appeared that we were the first on the trail for the season. Snow covered much of the trail, so we followed blue blaze-markers attached to trees every couple hundred feet. Carly plodded through the snow, occasionally breaking through the top crust.

We passed a couple of lakelets, but Lake Waldo remained somewhere down the trail. At one point, Janice went ahead a bit searching for a hint of Lake Waldo. I remained with Carly (I thought), waiting for Janice's report. Carly, who was off-leash, headed in Janice’s direction, and then reached a point where she could not see either one of us. She panicked and took off downhill. After re-establishing contact with Janice, I took off after Carly. Neither sight nor sound of her for 5 minutes. These were thick woods. I began rehearsing my explanation to daughter Julie on how Carly became bear fodder in the Oregon woods.

With both of us calling for Carly (it's not a certainty that this 13 year old dog has much hearing left), I finally heard a stirring in the underbrush. Carly, still spaced-out, re-appeared and I was able to coax her back. We decided that Lake Waldo would have to wait for another day, and we retraced our tracks back to the car. Carly, who had been munching snow most of the day, passed on my offering of water, and just wanted to get into her carrier and snooze. It was a tough hike for the old gal, but she did well.

After a brief visit to Lake Odell, we returned long Hwy 58, stopping in Oakridge for a root beer float at the A&W Drive In. “I’d like a Brown Cow,” I told Melissa, the chubby, gap-toothed counter-gal. I had been thinking about a Brown Cow since Janice and I spied the A & W the day before. Actually, I might not have survived the aborted hike to Lake Waldo without the lure of a Brown Cow pulling me step-by-step on the way back. I really, really, really wanted a Brown Cow.
“A Brown Cow?” It was apparent that we were experiencing a generational cultural gap.
“A root beer float with chocolate ice cream,” I explained.
“No chocolate ice cream; how ‘bout root beer ice cream?” she offered.
“Nope, just make ‘em both with vanilla,” I replied dejectedly. After all, you just can’t make a Brown Cow with root beer ice cream.

Met a nice couple here…Al and Mary Lou from Salem…soon to be Midland, TX. They were the recent victims of the Mexico highways near Mazatlan and the lack of shoulders. They flipped their brand new fifth wheel (and truck)--miraculously surviving. Everything else totaled or disappeared in the aftermath, but they got right back on the horse, so to speak, and bought a 38 foot Suncruiser motorhome.

Today’s adventure had us heading for a nearby reservoir where a ‘canoeing landing’ was promised. Now this was to be the third voyage of our inflatable kayak, and the first piloted by Carly. As we arrived at the aforementioned landing, the dock was about 20 feet above the water level, so we drove a ways down to the water and I began setting up the kayak. Carly was already testing the water, and slurping a few gulps. Janice noticed a sign nearby that said “water hazard!” Reading the not-so-fine print, we were advised that the water contained a toxic form of blue-green algae that was a ‘great risk’ to pets and small children. A side effect is diarrhea, so Carly is on close watch, lest she engages in ‘interior decorating’ again.

Sea voyage cancelled, we drove through more of this beautiful country. Both Westfir and neighboring Oakridge are mill towns, with their respective mills long since defunct. Westfir is just a post office, and Oakridge is flourishing in comparison, although it is in need of a lot of paint. Worn out. And this is apparently a burg untouched by modern dentistry, judging by many of the folks at Ray’s Supermarket.

The local nine-holer (that’s a golf course, not a community out-house) lured me for a quick go ‘round. This is a course that’s fun to play, with nice greens. However, it won’t make my Oregon top 10.

Tonight the park is promoting a steak BBQ and we’ll be there, Pinot Noir in hand.

Now, the afternoon winds are beginning to subside. Should be a splendid evening. Splendid indeed.