Updated July, 2003
Log Date: +1915: 030701: 46N37.4': 122W46.6': 631': Chehalis TTN Resort, Chehalis, WA
Tuesday morning Deb stowed her tent while Alice and I dumped the holding tanks and rigged the trailer for travel. Pulling out around 9am, we traveled west on WA-14 on the north side of the river, thus avoiding the Interstate bustle through Portland. It was a beautiful drive and fairly level except for the stretch around Mt. Pleasant where we climbed several hundred feet and then dropped down into Washougal. Deb took the lead because of our slow descent and we got separated too far for the radios to work. I knew she wanted fuel, so when I saw a sign for 76 I pulled off. We still could not find Deb, but I did find a service station with a good price for diesel.
Finally Deb located us and we got back on the road together. A few miles west we connected with I-205 and then I-5 north. We pulled off at the Napavine exit and headed east for the Chehalis TTN Resort. Rainer was just barely visible. We checked in for a week and found a spot in G section. The total trip was 143 miles so we got to eat lunch in the trailer.
That afternoon I tried to set up the TV satellite antenna, without success. I installed Homeland (Deb's present) and the Nomad Jukebox loader on the Compaq. I quickly found that Homeland was very addictive.
Wednesday Alice and Deb went to the Family Lodge to wash clothes. I vacuumed the floors and worked on aiming the satellite antenna again. I found I had to place the antenna in the middle of the space next door in order to find a path through the trees. That happened to be right in front of our neighbor's trailer hitch. We worked out an agreement that I could leave it there if her husband had room to park his truck when he returned.
When Alice and Deb returned we headed off to Chehalis to shop. We went to the Wal-Mart and found it had grown into a SuperStore. This allowed us to shop for our sundries and then for groceries. Returning, I sat outside to enjoy the fresh air. Deb used the vacuum to clean up some dirt and plugged it into the invertor outlet. The motor promptly blew the fuse and everyone was upset for a while. After the fuse cooled off I was able to get the invertor running again. It was news to both Alice and Deb that it did not have the capacity to run a motor.
Thursday we did a tour of Mt. Ranier. I drove so Deb could see the scenery. We headed east to Morton, then north on WA-7 to Elbe to take WA-706 into the park at Longmire. We stopped at many turnouts to take pictures of flowers and various views of the mountain. The weather was mostly clear so the views were awesome. We had picked a perfect day for the trip.
We drove up to the Paradise Lodge, had lunch, and walked around taking pictures. The upstairs observation room was available, but we found the windows created problems when trying to take photos of the mountain, so we went back outside.
The clouds were beginning to build around the mountain as we headed back to the main road. We continued east on Stevens Canyon Road until we exited the park onto WA-123. We turned south to US-12 and headed west back towards Chehalis. We stopped by the Rib Eye Restaurant and had supper.
Friday morning we went to the Adult Lodge to collect email. I also had a chance to collect webpages on the Darrell Award. I need to get the book in order and submit it before the end of the year to qualify for the 2004 awards the end of March. Back at the rig I cleared up my problems with the memory stick and Floppy Disk Adaptor for my camera and after lunch we headed off for a tour of Mt. St. Helens.
I had originally planned to tour both the east and west sides, but when I plotted the trip it was over 200 miles. So we decided to do just the west side. Alice and I had done the east side five years ago.
Deb needed fuel for her car, so she drove out to I-5 where she loaded up and headed south to catch WA-505. It was another clear day and we had some great views of St. Helens in the distance. We intersected WA-504 and headed east following the Toutle River. We stopped at several turnouts for photo ops. The ash and pumice in the river bed became more and more evident as we went along. At Bear Creek Bridge we entered the blast zone and began to see evidence of the 1980 destruction.
At Elk Rock there were some great exhibits about the people involved in the eruption, including old newspaper clippings telling of Truman. I did get a picture of some elk on the river flood plain below. We learned that the Johnson Observatory closed at 5:30, so after taking a full set of photos we headed directly there to be sure we had a chance to see it.
The observatory was at the end of the road, and the parking lot was full. In the observatory my Golden Age Passport got us all ticketed and in and we got in line to see the 20 minute movie. The photography from the May 18, 1980 eruption was outstanding. It made us all feel humble. This is a must-see item.
Afterwards we wandered around taking pictures and reading the exhibits. The position of the observatory lets you look almost directly into the crater where you can see the new dome building there. They predict that in 200 years that dome will fill the crater and the scar will disappear; that is if it doesn't blow apart before then.
I walked to the top of the observation hill without problem. It feels good to be able to do things like that now.
It was after six so we headed back to I-5. We stopped at the 19-Mile Restaurant (on the banks of the Toutle River) and I had a great hamburger. There wasn't enough room left to enjoy their cobbler. This business had been started by a couple of girls selling volcanic ash and playing the guitar shortly after the blast. Talking to the grandmother I found out one of the girls was now an author. I also bought a book, Blast Zone, by another survivor.
We headed back to the rig where Alice and Deb were able to watch the fireworks on TV from the east coast. Luckily, our neighbors did not need to move the satellite antenna.
Saturday morning we went to the Family Lodge for breakfast then returned so Deb could pack and head back home. Later that afternoon it was very quiet in the trailer. Alice and I did cleaning and inventoried the food to see what we needed. Then we just rested.
Sunday and Monday we continued our rest. We
picked up mail on Monday, but there was nothing of importance.
I refilled the propane bottle and we shopped for groceries. Things
were beginning to return to normal.
Log Date: +1922: 030708: 45N14.0': 123W58.0': 132': Pacific City TTN Resort, Pacific City, OR
Tuesday morning it was drizzling heavily and everything was wet. That meant stowing the awning and table covers with water. Alice worked on the inside of the trailer while I gathered everything up outside. We didn't hurry but made it out down to the dump station by 10 am and out of the park by 10:15.
The trip down I-5 was no problem except for lots of trucks. There was occasional heavier showers but nothing to create road mist. As we turned off at the Kelso exit to cross the Columbia River and catch US-30 I told Alice she was the navigator and had to warn me of any upcoming turns. It was a real learning experience, especially since the road signs were not frequent of always clear. There were also a number of streets intersecting our path at odd angles. The drive through Kelso and Longview was slow with lots of starts and stops. We missed one turn but Alice quickly directed us back to the course.
We made it to the Lewis and Clark Bridge and continued across the river. It was much wider than it had been in the gorge. As soon as we reached US-30 on the other side we started to climb. It was almost 500 feet at about a 7% grade, but we just hung in the right lane and puttered along.
Once on the plateau we drove through forested lands on hills and valleys until we reconnected with the river. Then we drove at the base of the hills, rarely seeing the river, until we came into Astoria.The drive through Astoria was long and slow, but it was picturesque. As we passed the US-101 Bridge we connected with US-26 from somewhere and veered to the south to head down the coast of Oregon. We stopped near Warrenton at a Dairy Queen for lunch.
Returning to the road we continued down the coast. US-101 turned right leaving the scenic route recommended by Streets and we continued following the coast south. The road was reasonable but the land around was well-developed with many beach houses, small towns, and a railroad. However, it was fairly uncrowded all the way into Tillamook. There it slowed down.
I had planned on purchasing diesel in Tilamook but passed up what I thought were the higher priced service stations on the north side of town. Unfortunately, there was nothing on the south side, so we drove the rest of the way on what we had in the tank.
We continued on US-101 down the Nestucca River valley and turned off at Brooten Road to Pacific City and back north to the TTN Park. We checked in for three nights. It had been a 189 mile trip. That evening I worked on the music Deb had left with us and loaded some of it into the jukebox.
Wednesday morning we met a couple who informed us they were serving cinnamon rolls at the Family Lodge, so we walked up the hill for our sugar fix. We had a good talk with BJ and Dee, a full-timer couple who remembered the Judy's from Jojoba. Returning to the rig I started a quick read of The Protein Power Lifeplan by Michael and Mary Eades. Deb had recommended it highly, and I decided it was time to find out what all her enthusiasm was about.
The explanations and logic in the book matched well with my understanding of how the body used proteins, fats, and carbohydrates and filled in many details I had not known before. Alice and I talked about the plan and agreed we should give it a go. The goal for the first week was to limit carbs to 40 grams per day and have at least 102 grams of protein. Setting a target of 1,600 calories for both of us to lose weight put our fat consumption at 120 grams per day. In the following weeks we would increase carbs by 20 grams each week to a maximum of 120 grams per day while still keeping a cap on total calories.
All that meant getting into some detailed menu and recipe planning. I revised my Daily Menu spreadsheet to fit the new requirements and started checking our favorite recipes. Many still worked with some modification, but some never made it out of the gate. Late that afternoon we went into town to shop for some new groceries that would better match the plan than what we had in stock. We had a great chinook filet with broccoli and berries and yogurt (sweetened with Splenda) to kick off our new plan. However, the cinnamon roll that morning had blown the diet for the day. For the day we had each had 175 grams of carbs and 2,200 calories.
Thursday we ate our modified breakfast (2 oz cottage cheese, boiled egg, half a tomato, 2 oz ham, 12 almonds, 1 prune, 2 oz TJ). I eliminated the banana, a prune, 4 oz of tomato juice, and some of the almonds. I had to increase the ham and add a boiled egg to bring the protein up to plan. It still had too many carbs.
We decided we should stay at Pacific City to practice our new diet and let the habit sink in. We walked (another element of the plan) over to the Entry Station, added a couple of nights to our reservation, and went by the Adult Lodge to collect email. That evening we socialized with our neighbors, Dale and Lynn, and then shared supper with them. Alice and I stuck to our diet. It was midnight before we all realized the time had slipped away and headed off to bed.
Friday morning we had our new breakfast again and I checked on yesterday. We had done well, totaling only 1,765 calories, 34 carbs, and 109 proteins (all grams). Next I worked on updating the travelogue. There were two weeks of travels to catch up on. In the afternoon we walked down to the beach and let Wolf run about. He had a great time but came back smelling like stale seaweed. Then we went back to Pacific City to purchase diesel, buy some more groceries, and make phone calls.
Saturday I worked on this travelogue until
noon then fixed lunch. It began to spit a little rain. In the
afternoon we drove over to visit our friends, Burt and Margaret
Garnjost at their home on the Little Nestucca River. Returning
to camp I finished the last updates for the website and we drove
down to the Adult Center to collect email and post the updates
to the website.
Log Date: +1927: 030713: 43N23.0': 123W18.6': 132': Timber Valley SKP Coop, Sutherlin, OR
Sunday morning we awoke to the sound of light rain. I had done some prep for travel the night before, and the rain did not continue, so it was not too bad rigging for travel. By the time we pulled out, dumped the tanks, and hit the road, it was about 9:45 and the rain had stopped.
We drove through Pacific City on our way to the Little Nestucca River Road. It was a pleasant bypass of 10 miles along the river. I had forgotten, but that is the road of one-lane bridges. There was little traffic so there were no problems. We reached OR-22 and continued up to Sourgrass Summit and then down the South Yamhill River. Sounded almost like Appalachia.
We intersected OR-18 and the road improved. I had not realized I was tense with the winding road and almost went the wrong direction when the highways split three miles down the way. We turned south on OR-99W to avoid some of the Interstate. It was slower going through the small towns along the way but more picturesque. We stopped along the way to fix our lunch of roast beef and cheese rollups.
As we approached Eugene we caught the Beltline Highway and made it over to I-5 then continued south to the Sutherlin exit. As we drove through town to State Street we both remarked that the town seemed a lot more developed than it had been the last time. Turning south we shortly came to the entrance to the SKP Coop and pulled in. The office was closed so we pulled on down to boondock and found a nice spot to back in the trailer. The trip had been 185 miles.
After unhooking we took Wolf for a walk up to the clubhouse to find the Barb and Ron Karlosky's lot. We met Ron at the clubhouse and went to their rig for a long, delightful visit. Barb ordered a copy of Memphis 7.9 when I agreed to give her a receipt. We combined our food and had dinner at their place.
They came by the next morning to say goodbye as we were rigging up and I delivered the receipt in exchange for $20. I wish I had had a book to give to them.
We paid our $2.50 for boondocking on the way
out.
Log Date: +1928: 030714: 41N19.3': 122W19.4': ???': Hereford Hat Creek Campground, Hat Creek, CA
Returning to I-5 we continued south. There is a series of passes, all less than 2,000 feet, on the way to Medford. There I found a Pilot truck stop with a reasonable price on diesel and filled up. We then continued on I-5.
Coming down into the Shasta River valley where we had cellphone service Alice called Hereford Hat Creek Campground where we had stayed before and made reservations. She called Bob and Penny Fink to see about spending time at Tahoe Donner in Truckee. Bob suggested we stay at their new house and we agreed. We also called the home of our son Michael, reaching grandson Matt. He told us they were heading for Lake Tahoe the following week but did not know where. So if we were to see that family, we would have to do it on the fly.
Mt. Shasta was imposing as we drove past Mt. Shasta City. It was the first time we had not stopped to spend the night. A few miles beyond we turned east on US-89. I did not remember that there was a pass on the way over to McCloud, but we had to climb over the shoulder of Mt. Shasta. Slowly the highway looped around to head south and we made good speed until we neared Lake Britton. Then we ran into a long delay where they were doing some "highway rehabilitation." We passed Burney State Park, crossed US-299, and headed towards Lassen Park.
About 10 miles past the intersection I recognized the little store where we were to turn before I saw the sign. Otherwise, I would have missed the exit. We pulled in and registered, chosing a site that I hoped would allow me to set up the satellite antenna, and unhooked. Our trip had been 270 miles.
I was not so lucky. The trees in the park had grown even higher and the only place where I had a good look at the sky was in the middle of the site behind us, and then I could only see the 110 satellite. In addition, the ground was covered with red lava gravel and I kept getting small rocks in my sandals.
I finally just gave up on TV and went inside
to read Protein Power. That evening Alice and I talked about their
recommendations with respect to vitamins, supplements, and statins.
I need to talk with Dr. Wood when we return about whether to change
my lifestyle as much as the book recommends.
Log Date: +1929: 030715: 39N21.1': 120W11.7': 6,500': Alder Hill, Truckee, CA
Tuesday morning we rigged for travel and headed on south on US-89. It would be a day without Interstates.
At Old Station we turned east on CA-44 rather than follow the highway through Lassen Park and over the mountain. 28 miles later we turned south on CR-A21 which is a fine highway that connects to CA-36 near Westwood. We jogged over to CA-147 which is a much narrower winding highway down the east side of Lake Almanor and finally reconnected with US-89.
It brought back old memories to drive down Indian Creek and then back up Spanish Creek towards Quincy. We had spent many a weekend tromping around in those mountains back when trout fishing was good in the North Fork of the Feather River. Now the water looks just about as pretty, but I knew the fishing was not the same.
In Quincy I found a service station on the east side of town selling diesel for $1.599 after passing a couple of majors advertising it at $1.819. I filled then tank while Alice checked on a place to eat. The fellow suggested the Polka Dot a mile further east. It was a great suggestion. They had a wide selection of food (we ordered the fish combination and salad) and had a very pleasant yard with shaded tables next to a small creek. We tossed the french fries that came with the meal and had a very healthy lunch.
US-89 turned south off away from CA-70 at Blairsdon and we made our way through Graeagle. It has become a real tourist town with quaint little businesses lining the highway. The highway wound through valleys, meadows, and small mountains until we joined CA-49. At Sierraville we separated highways and continued south on CA-89. There was a small bit of highway construction, but we soon made it to the Truckee area.
We turned off on Alder Drive and started climbing Alder Hill towards Bob and Penny's place. We had to enter the code to get through the security gate and then continued the climb, coming at last to their driveway. Luckily they were there because I would have parked in the wrong place otherwise. After greetings all around Bob put us in a great level spot in front of their garage and we unhooked. We had driven 182 miles.
We began what would become a ten day sojourn in the Fink's driveway. It was a glorious place to be. Not only were our hosts exceptional, but the view was spectacular, the weather delightful, and the opportunities to rest refreshing.
However, the visit was not without its trauma. As I was setting up the rig Wolf (our 8 pound Pomeranian) and Chessie (their 120 pound Burmese Mountain Dog) were romping around the driveway and through the house. I heard a yelp and came around the corner to find Wolf laying out on the driveway, his eyes rolled back and his body quivering in a spasm. I don't know what had happened, but there was obviously something wrong. Bob ran inside to call their vet and we rushed down into Truckee with Wolf in my arms. He finally started breathing evenly and was calmer when we arrived at the vet's place. They immediately took him in to find out what had happened. After X-rays and a full checkover, the conclusion was that he had hurt his shoulder, possibly a dislocation, but now seemed okay. I figure Wolf tried to emulate Chessie and jumped off some platform onto uneven ground. In any case, he recovered over the next few days but appreciated the attention he received. He quickly learned that if he would lift his foot like it hurt he would get attention and maybe even a treat. What a dog!
We made contact with Wilmington TTN and found that they had my TTN card which I thought I had lost in the bushes. They made arrangements to send it to us.
Alice made arrangements to wash clothes in the Fink's facilities. I had a chance to update the webpage and we went into Reno to do some necessary shopping and get some propane. I also replaced the propane hose, got some new wiper blades for the truck, and took it by a JiffyLub for a lub job.
On Friday we started painting the door jams for Bob and Penny as partial payment for our chance to stay in their driveway. We also made arrangements to meet our son and daughter-in-law with their kids in Carson City the next week. I did some work on Broken River and we painted more door jams.
On Saturday Jane and Charlie Long came over to visit the Finks for supper. Bob used his new barbeque for the first time and we had a great dinner. We continued to enjoy the side of Alder Hill with a few storms going through, but for the most part it was delightful.
On Tuesday we headed for Carson City to see the kids. Along the way I noticed that the voltage meter was way, way down -- and dropping. For some reason we were not charging the battery and the voltage was dropping. When I got into Carson City I went by the Dodge place. I stopped in their driveway with the engine still running since if I turned it off the truck would not start. The service manager said he could not help me, and that he would have the truck towed if I turned the engine off. I was furious! I recommend that if you are in Carson City, DO NOT give any business to the Dodge dealership.
Finally, one of the other service techs suggested that I could call someone else in town. I called, but they were backed up and they suggested I take the truck to Napa Auto Parts. At least they had batteries and a charger. By that time Mike and family had arrived and we drove out east on US50 and found the Napa place and I finally turned the engine off. The voltmeter by that time was registering about 8 volts.
The people at Napa helped me pull the batteries and took them inside to try to charge them. We and the family went off for lunch and returned a couple hours later. The verdict was that the batteries had cratered with the low voltage, so I bought two new ones. The Napa people suggested I take the truck to the Texaco station on US395 since they were the only ones who had expertise in ignition systems for the newer trucks.
We made it to the Texaco station and made arrangements to leave the truck for repair. The initial indication was that there might be something wrong with the computer in the engine.
When I tried to find a rental car there was nothing in town, so Mike drove us all up to Reno where I finally found a rental car at the airport. We had a brief supper and then the kids headed home while we headed back up the hill to Truckee. It had not been a great visit with them.
Wednesday morning we drove back to Carson City. The mechanic said he could not fix the problem but had made an appointment for use with the Dodge dealer in Reno. He figured we had enough charge in the battery to make it there if I did not use power for anything else. Alice drove the rental car and I drove the truck.
We found the Dodge dealer and I pulled in and talked with the service manager. He asked, "Have you had the truck serviced recently?" I answered that I had had it done just the previous week. He popped the hood and lifted the fuse box cover. He pulled out a fuse and said, "This is your problem. When they unscrewed the oil filter they shorted the alternator hot lead to ground, blowing the alternator fuse." He said he had seen the same problem many times before. He told me to go into Parts and purchase a new fuse. I did and he helped put it back in. When I started the truck (there was still enough juice left to do that), the volt meter hung low and then came up to charging at 14 volts, just like it was supposed to.
Why the hell doesn't every Dodge service manager know of this problem? The guy in Carson City would not give me the time of day, and it cost me two days stress plus a car rental, two new batteries, a day of mechanic, and so on. The manager in Reno saved my ass. If you have a chance to go by and thank him for me, please do.
So we returned the rental car and had lunch.
The Finks had gone off to visit some friends in the Bay Area,
so we had the place to ourselves along with some final duties.
We finished up the painting chores, watered the plants, took out
the trash, and did our final washing. Our pleasant respite on
the side of Alder Hill had come to an end.
Log Date: +1940: 030726: 39N31.5': 119W46.6': ???': Lone Pine, CA
We hooked up and pulled out of the Fink's driveway about 9am Saturday morning. The weather was pleasant with a few clouds. We continued on Highway 89 across the new overpass east of Truckee to catch the road to North Shore. From there we went around the east side of Lake Tahoe to Highway 50 and then down to US395. Turning south we headed for Lone Pine.
The trip was 274 miles, a long pull but through some of the prettiest country in our land. There was little in the way of stress on the road and we made good time, especially after getting over the passes and dropping down into the Owens Valley.
Once again we stayed at our favorite RV park
to the south of Lone Pine and had a good rest.
Log Date: +1941: 030727: 39N31.5': 119W46.6': ???': Jojoba Hills SKP Resort, Aguanga, CA
Sunday morning we were up bright and early and back on the road. It was a 260 mile drive to Jojoba, but the traffic was not a problem. We arrived late afternoon and proceeded to unload and set things up. I started making plans for the coming period. I wanted to attend the writer's conferences that were available.
After exercising in the clubhouse the next morning we headed into town. I checked in at Weilert to see how the sale of the Alpenlite trailer was going -- not so well, so I agreed to drop the price to $6,500. After shopping for groceries we returned to Jojoba where I worked on the satellite connections to get everything working correctly.
On Tuesday I met with the folks from CoachCom about the proposed WiFi system. They indicated it would be here soon (I am updating this in March, 2004 and it is still not in!). We cleaned up the little Automate and the next day I went to the writer's group and did the jam session. We took the little Automate down to storage.
On the last day of July I spent time planning for our next trips and checking up on the status of things. Then the roof fell in. I received an email from booksurge.com saying they were missing the files I had sent to them for printing Memphis 7.9. After all this time, nothing had happened! I informed them that they would have the files by the beginning of the next workweek! I decided that since things had been delayed, I might as well do some clean up so they would have the best files available when they finally got around to printing the book.