2013 summer trip nl #7

7/30/2019 2013 Summer Trip NL #7

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T s g , g . O g s YOU ’ s & s .

A Travel Newsletter Issue #5: June 30- July 13, 2013

Elk herd near Fern Canyon, Oregon

Day 88: Sunday, June 30 We ate and packed up quickly in order to get to Holy Cross Lutheran Church (photo left)

by their 9:30 service. We were so efficient that we would have arrived 45 minutes early, so… Chris decided to make ashort stop at the Mazda dealership to again look at the 2014 Mazda6 sedan, though he wants a station wagon (yet tobe imported) with a diesel engine (yet to be imported). Driving just two blocks we arrived at Holy Cross at 9AM andspoke with several very cordial members and Pastor Wally. We were surprised to see that Holy Cross is in the “callprocess” to replace their retired pastor; Pastor Wally is an interim minister. The folks at Holy Cross were very friendlyand welcoming! Don, a member & old car enthusiast, told us of a museum in Brooks, OR.

We drove 8 miles north of Salem on I-5 and found Brooks, OR at Exit 263 (35mi. south of Portland, OR). What wefound was not just a car museum, but SEVERAL museums on one 40+acre site! Antique Powerland (3995Brooklake Rd. NE) is a complex of museums operated by several independent groups. Not all museums may be openon the same days as they appear to be hosted by club volunteers. Shows also occur on the grounds at various timesduring the year and draw up to 40,000 visitors on some occasions. Museums & venues include: Northwest Vintage

Car & Motorcycle Mus., Antique Caterpillar Machinery Mus., steam traction engineslarge engines, saw mill, Antique Powerland Museum displays, 2-building PacificNorthwest Truck Mus., trolley rides, 1930s Texaco gas station, fire apparatus &engines, and several others. Consult the following websites for exact dates, times,fees, etc.: antiquepowerland.com pacificnwtruckmuseum.organtiquecaterpillarmuseum.com We were surprised when we realized we had beenthere well over two hours! Rather than have lunch we ended up eating supper ataround 4PM.

The drive to Champoeg State Park (sham-POO-ee) was less than a half-hour from themuseums. After setting up we toured Campground “A” and met several campers. It wassurprising to find one Aliner and one Chalet (both a-frame folding trailers) camped hereWe did our spiel on wind kits. This park has many scheduled activities by rangers.We’re looking forward to attending some of them. 1= Sally by stationary engine; 2=Sally is dwarfed by tanker truck w/ tanker trailer ( see orange line her height); 3= 1,006wrenches hung on wall; 4= Chris tries to push 2/3rd-scale Freightliner truck – it actually runs!

Day 98: Monday, July 1 I made pancakes this AM and Sally enjoyed her usual favorite: mint chocolate chip pancakes! Ten o’clock found us trekkingalong with Janet Land, a summer park ranger, as she led a group on a hikelooking at the environs of the Oregon white oak tree and its effect upon, andinteraction with, this area. Janet did a fabulous presentation that was very

interesting and fun. We have found that you gain a tremendous insight intowhat’s around you when you attend ranger hikes & narrations.

From the hike we went back to camp and got our packed lunch and hiked atrail to the Visitors Center where we watched a video about the history of thisregion. We left still wanting to see more but a 1PM tour of the heritage townlocation took priority. The hike was only a few miles but the daytime tempsare hovering in the high 90s; some folks insist it hit over 100ºF yesterday (?).

Arriving early at the tour’s trailhead we ate our packed lunch while enjoyingthe natural scenery. Suddenly Ranger Janet arrived (Ranger Dan wasscheduled but something came up) so we knew we’d get a superb tour with Janet, which occurred as wewalked amongst recent sign posts and took a glimpse into the most populous city in the Oregon Territory inthe 1840s. During a nighttime flood the town literally washed away and the town never grew again. There had been hopes to make it the territorial

S a l l y & C h r i s ’ 2 0 1 3 S u m m e r T r i p

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(L) Janet points to white oak gall created by bug bite. The bite causes aswelling knot to form, then harden, protecting the larvae inside. Waspeats a tiny hole to get out when ready.(R) View of gall close-up

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capitol, though the honor finally went to Portland. The park erected street signs to note theoriginal locations of lots in the town in the mid-1800s (#1 at left). Our hike back to thecampground was a bit more hospitable as we had shade almost the entire trek.

A relaxing hour inside our air conditioned trailer got us rejuvenated, but we still drove back tothe Visitors Center where we enjoyed the excellence of their historic displays. The Center hasan assortment of videos on nature and historic topics, so we chose a half-hour video about thesteamboats of the local rivers. Just as the movie ended the volunteer in charge announced thatthey were closing; they had waited until we finished the movie. These folks at Champoeg have

been VERY accommodating to us in every way; this is a great park with a great staff. Thanksguys, for making us feel so special! From there we drove about 4 miles to the other end of the park to enjoy some ice cream at the Butteville Store,the oldest continuously operating store in Oregon, established in 1863, and celebrating its 150th anniversary this year. On the way from the store westopped to observe hop plants (for beer) growing in a field near the road (#2 above). This makes sense as Oregon grows a lot of wheat, too. Wow,those hop plants grow HIGH ! !

Day 90: Tuesday, July 2 Due to a numbering oddity on our personally developed POI: points of interest list, we found that the venue we had planned to visit today does not exist in this section of Oregon but rather far to the east. Fortunately a campground neighbor mentioned the Evergreen Air &Space Museum in nearby McMinnville. An internet search revealed a rather high admission of around$28/adult, $24 for seniors. What the heck. Blow the kids college fund! (Wait… they’re all through college.)

At the desk we discovered AAA membership got us an additional $4 discount each. Glad we asked;nice surprise! Arriving at 10:30AM we found this complex of three large structures to be huge. We dida bit of exploring before beginning the 11AM docent-led tour, which lasted about an hour. Dwayne wasan excellent guide and shared a lot of interesting details. Included in admission was access to thebelly of the famous 1940s, Howard Hughes Spruce Goose (#3 at left). Again, Dwayne shared much

information that was new to us even though Chris had seen the Spruce Goose in Long Beach, CA inthe 1980s. [This plane defies belief as to its size; photos don’t do justice. You can park a B-17 bomberunder its rear wing and still have space.] Following the tour we explored the aircraft museum on our

own reading signage, watching movies, etc. The docent tour helped us locate interesting displays we might not have noticed on our own, such as theshooting down of Admiral Yamamoto, the WWII Japanese military leader who planned & coordinated theattack on Pearl Harbor.

At 2PM we walked to the next building to watch a 3-D wide-screen movie on aircraft used in naturaldisasters, with a focus on the earthquakes on Haiti. The video was exceptionally well done, though Sallygets ‘seasick’ from these movies. By 3PM we were ready for lunch, which we ate in one of their two diningareas, the one in the Space Museum building (#4 right). Ross gave us some deep insights into the role of the Blackhawk spy plane while we wandered around reading displays. In what felt like minutes theyannounced that the museum complex was closing in 15 minutes; it was almost 5PM! Walking to the far side of the complex we entered the Wave & Wings building, an indoor water park with a 747 aircraft on theroof from which tubular slides allow bathers to slide down about 4-5 stories into the pool at the end. They’re

starting construction on a lodge to be completed in 2014 but the foundation wasn’t even visible yet. We leftsurprised this is not listed as a Gem SIte by AAA. In our minds it ranks as a ‘must-see’ attraction.

Day 91: Wednesday, July 3 Again we say “Farewell” to a now-favorite location – Champoeg State Park hasgiven us fond memories: good campground with an efficient & friendly staff, good camping neighbors like Dave &Lois, and Todd & Susan, and plenty of things to do. Driving north we saw Mt. Hood, Mt. St. Helens, and Mt.Rainier from the interstate – all of them snow-capped. Columbia River Camping Resort is our home for the nextfive nights. Located one block from the Columbia River on the Oregon-Washington border, it is a largecampground with parallel parking and grass strips in between, very neat & tidy, though in such locations you oftendon’t see your neighbors much. This is big-rig country so most stay indoors and travel to & from day-tripdestinations, or stay here the summer. (right: unique, small trailer of Todd & Susan’s)

Driving over the Columbia River we entered Vancouver, WA. Surprise! Vancouver, WA is hundreds of miles from Vancouver, British Columbia! Weenjoyed lunch, did some thrift store browsing & shopping, and test drove a new VW Jetta diesel Sportwagon. Niiiiice! Back in Portland, OR our camphad a table of free items campers were disposing of, so we picked up a kabob basket for use when campfire cooking. We also discovered that thefireworks tomorrow will be on the river near our campground, so we’ve have a good viewing location.

The weather the last 2 days has dropped from the sweltering high-90s to a more comfortable 80s with cool nights. Cool enough to use our electricheater. With our campground in the flight plan of the Portland Airport we get serenaded by theplanes, though it’s not too objectionable except in early morning (though Chris could sleep throughatomic bomb testing!). Skipping breakfast we drove along the Columbia River Gorge on theWashington (state) side. About half the time the drive allowed us to see the Gorge or the river. Oufirst major stop of the day was to tour the Bonneville Dam & Power Plant. We also observed thefish ladders that allow the salmon to swim up-river to spawn. The Visitor Center of the dam has aviewing window where you can glimpse the fish, mainly large salmon, swimming upstream throughmurky water against the current. We then took the bridge from Washington to Oregon. When wewent to pay the toll ($1) the attendant said the driver of the car ahead of us paid our toll. How nice

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Day 92: Thursday, July 4 HAPP Y BIRTHDA Y U.S.A.

5=Columbia Gorge, Washington side 6= fish ladders

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We bought tickets to ride the Cascades Locks sternwheeler and tooka two-hour tour of the Columbia River with an interesting narrationgiven over the speaker system. Wind surfers and kite surfers dottedthe river giving us a spectacular show. After our cruise we stopped in aPortland suburb for frozen yogurt, and then drove back to ourcampsite, showering, and then taking our camping chairs and walkingto the sidewalk outside the campground to observe the traditional 4thof July fireworks, which were being executed across the ColumbiaRiver in Washington state. Just as we were going to bed Sally

squealed and pointed ! ? ! A frog was on her wall above the foot her bed. It must have crawled (hopped) in when we walked in. I ‘dispatched’ the

frog in quick order and set him loose outside to frolic another day. Just goes to show that our little trailer has all the same “creature” comforts as ourhome in Florida!

Day 93: Friday, July 5 The Oregon Historical Museum rightly earned its AAA status as a GemSite. Located in downtown Portland, parking is bymeter, which is not thrifty ($1.60/hr), nor easy to find sometimes. Payment is via a pay station by coin or credit card with a receipt given that youplace on your windshield. Lucky for us we had a site directly across from the front door. Also, many streets in Portland are a bit narrow, so pulling &parking an RV downtown is certainly not advisable. With three floors of changing exhibits we found ourselves busy for 2.5 hours. And the exhibitshad a contemporary flare to many of them, like the 50s soda fountain with remote juke box controllers where youselected a current political issue in Oregon and then listened to the voices & images of Oregonians as they explainedtheir polar opinions on that topic. Commerce, old & new, was shown in exhibits. And a private collection of historicalmanuscripts about several US presidents was on temporary display. Though not of spellbinding interest to us, theexhibit was well done with several touch screens where the documents could be viewed in large scale. Press abutton and a voice, in accent of the times, read the document. The touch screen had several other options, too. (3=tent similar to type used by Lewis & Clark as they discovered route to Oregon area.)

We drove east in Portland for lunch, stopped at a huge Goodwill & browsed, then drove back downtown to theOregon Leather Company. Chris had purchased some leather here with which he made his last pencil pouch (4 yrs.ago). We scoured their barrels of leather pieces and bought a very nice piece of Italian leather, two special needles, and some linen thread. Chriswill be able to make several pouches from this purchase. By now it was 5PM so we picked up a prescription from Walgreens and drove back tocamp for relaxation, showers, devotion, reading, and sleep. We completed another day of adventure on the road.

Day 94: Saturday, July 6 Our plans put us at the Portland city Art Museum downtown. We read about a bicycle exhibit and felt it might be worthseeing and, if not, we would look for another venue. On the way Chris stopped at Oregon Leather, where we were yesterday, to buy some rivets forreinforcing leather. He had purchased some there a few years ago. Well, he left with the rivets and two magnetic “snaps”. Several minutes later wewere parked a half-block from the art museum. (Parking can be a pain here – spaces are sometimes hard to find and you pay the meter.) We hadfree passage to the museum this weekend. One of our credit cards gives free entrance to selected museums the first weekend of each month. Weplanned to stay for a half-hour and see what it was like. The bicycle exhibit was terrific, so we added two more hours to the meter and explored bothbuildings and all four floors of each. We drove a few miles to a lunch spot then back toward our campsite, stopping at the Stark’s Vacuum CleanerCompany in Portland to tour their Vacuum Cleaner Museum. The museum, a narrow room with many vacuum cleaners from the early 1900s to the1970s or so was really quite neat, though it sucked. Wait… no… it really was nice! The staff was very nice and even answered Chris’ questionsabout factors influencingv a c u u m c l e a n e r selection. Upon arrivingat our camper we spentabout an hour planningour travels for the nextweek.

Day 95: Sunday, July 7 We began our Sunday with worship at Memorial Lutheran Church in Vancouver, WA, just over the river from Portland.From there we ate lunch in Jentzen Beach, and then drove to Portland’s Japanese Gardens for a tour. Once there we realized we had toured herebefore (we hadn’t put a “BT” for “Been There” on our POI: Points Of Interest sheet). Richard, a volunteer guide who had lived in Japan, gave a verygood tour with many details about the features and history of Japanese Gardens. His talk was fascinating. Following the tour we wandered throughthe gardens again to see specific areas of interest, then walked to the adjacent Rose Gardens looking & sniffing the blooms. By then it was 5PM and

we were ready to head back to camp, but we stopped forsome quiescently solidified dairy products (OK, ice creamand a milk shake) at Rose’s Ice Cream shoppingPortland. This is another “try-to-visit” location as theymake their own ice cream. Chris says this is the

1 21=wind surfers do stunts near tour boat 2= Cascade Locks paddlewheeler tour boat

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4= forty unique bicycles at Art Museum show thediversity of designs; 5= Sally is always intrigued by thedetail of lace in “Masters”-type paintings. Look at the fine lines in oil paint! 6= statue of everyday guy - amazing detail! 7= old vacuum in Stark’s Vacuum Cleaner Museum in Portland, OR. Chris’ mom used the same, exact model vacuum cleaner when Chris was a kid. Wow, talk about deja vu!

8= Japanese gardens have 3 elements: first rocks, then plants,& water (represented by gravel !). 9= Sally walks on 8-bridgewalk, a special symbol in Japan. 10= Millions of roses in thePortland Rose Garden and hundreds of people enjoying them.

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Part 3 – A) The criteria WE used in selecting a trailer andB) WHY we selected the trailer we did.

Each purchase of an RV reflects the wants, needs & philosophy of the buyer – his or her personalapproach to traveling & accommodations on the road. Some folks want to experience the same level of

comfort they enjoy at home, so they purchase an RV that provides this. Others want to mingle with those traveling with them and/or be active while moving down the highway, so a motorized RV is a requirement because you can’t legally be in a trailer while it’s beingtowed; a Class A, B or C or truck-camper will meet their needs. (In Parts One & Two I forgot to mention pick-up truck-based truckcampers are another option. These are getting bigger accommodations via slide-outs, so they are changing to meet people’s needs,too.) Others enjoy camping at a more minimal level and choose a tear-drop trailer or tent trailer. Low in cost, they have less creature

comforts compared to others but still provide very ample shelter from the elements, plus come with a lower price tag and lower operating expenses. And there are many other RVs that fall in between those mentioned. There is surely an RV that will meet your basic desires and then some.

How did we select our RV? The following reflects our preferences and will probably be different than yours, but our criteria servesas an example of the planning process we used in selecting an RV. You may find this exercise useful as a method you can use inselecting an RV that will meet your individual needs.

Early in our marriage we found we enjoyed traveling as a mutual experience. Being in college, with a minimal income, weexperienced “camping” in the back of Sally’s dad’s borrowed station wagon. Though a bit crude & cramped, this form of “camping”

wasn’t unheard of during the 1960s & 70s. This experience was repeated when Chris camped with our sons at a park near our homein our family station wagon. Later we spent our vacations driving north during Christmas break to visit our families in the Northeastfor the Holidays. Our 1200-mile drive north was made in 24-27 hours with each parent driving a 3-6 hour segment with a son as co-pilot. The rear of our 1978 full-size GMC van had a king-size mattress for those on the sleep shift, plus a bench seat for riding, and

bucket seats up front for the driver and his/her co-pilot. Later, when our boys were in college, we drove our daughter to church camp inNorth Carolina. During that week Sally & I would camp in various locations in the Appalachians, then pick her up at the end of the week

and drive back to Florida. I mention our trips only to help you to recall your previous camping / travel experiences, both good andotherwise. What kinds of traveling & camping experiences have you had? Which did you enjoy ? Which did you not?

These excursions, and other trips overseas, put the “traveling bug” into our nervous systems. As we approached retirement we decidedthat we wanted to continue our traveling as a major part of our senior years. Taking careful inventory of our likes, preferences, finances,past experiences, etc., we developed a list of factors to consider to address our goal of travel. First, we prefer to do a lot of travel rather than a few “big” trips; we’d be willing to travel in more spartan accommodations and experience more locations more often than have lesstrips in more luxurious living conditions. Again, this was, and remains, our preference. Keeping with our “thrifty” approach to life, we alsowanted to minimize all expenses: food, housing, initial investment, and continuing repair, maintenance & operating outlays. This would fitour retirement budget. Having camped in our regular van, we wanted more stand-up room for changing clothes, and (slightly) more spacefor sleeping, reading, etc. when inclement weather was outdoors. A trailer seemed to fit the bill, so we began looking at camping trailers.

Also, with a strong desire to see many places, we realized we’d have to drive a lot. A tall travel trailer might be hard to pull in winds. Itwould also require a heavier, more powerful tow vehicle. Again, we didn’t want another, additional vehicle to maintain. Perusingmagazines, we came upon folding trailers. The fabric, tent-type models seemed adequate, but the inconvenience of having to dry the tentfabric of moisture or learn to live with resulting mold or mildew wasn’t inspiring. Then we discovered folding, hard-sided travel trailers thatreplaced the tent fabric with hard, thin plastic panels. This was a step up, but not by much. Plus, these campers were waning in popularitydue to plastic panel breakage due to aging & wear. Was there anything similar but better? We then discovered folding, A-wall campers.These simple trailers had enough space for our needs, towed easily, & seemed rugged. Their multi-layer, solid walls were better insulatedthat fabric or plastic-wall folding trailers, and these units could be pulled by smaller vehicles. This meant we could use a compact familycar without the need of a big vehicle just for pulling our trailer. Simultaneously, I was investigating the world of economical diesel cars.These seemed a natural pairing.

A year before retirement we bought a VW diesel station wagon capable of towing a lightweight trailer. (Make sure you know the correct,safe towing weight limit of your vehicle!) After installing a tow hitch we visited several RV dealerships and finally found a used unit thatcould be “test towed”. Pulling it for about 2-3 miles at highway speeds we now knew we had found our traveling mode. Subsequentshopping for several months located a used, local Aliner for sale. I was enthused by the idea; Sally was not sold quite yet. We explored itcarefully for over an hour. Leaving the seller’s home we knew there was another buyer on her way there. Driving away to attend another engagement, we spoke about whether this was the type of RV we wanted. We got less than two miles away when Sally said, “Call backand make an offer. Now!” Since then we’ve been committed owners of two folding, A-frame trailers for ten years.

What do we specifically like about them? They are simple. We can fix & maintain them ourselves. They are roomy (to us!). They pull easily.Sally can drive our rig. With our diesel pull-car we have plenty of torque, so going up mountains is not a problem, though we may have toslow down to 45MPH in the Rockies and other steep slopes. It sets up quickly and easily. Sally can raise the roof & walls in less than 30 seconds, especially when it’s raining. I do the power cord, stabilizers, etc. We’re totally set up in less than 5 minutes. That’s fast! We haveall the interior accommodations we need: refrigerator, stove, sink, air conditioning, electric heat, microwave, twin beds w/ residentialmattresses (rather than thin foam cushions), many windows, adequate storage inside and cargo spaces outside via cargo doors. A comboshower/toilet is optional but uses valuable space inside. It’s easy to trailer, can be backed up without much trouble, parks in conventionalparking lots where there are two spaces end-to-end. It can be parallel-parked along a curb (though backing in can be a trick). Its initial costis reasonable, especially if purchased used. But the best part is the fuel economy – we get between 24-32 miles-per-gallon towing, andon occasion have gotten as high as 35MPG. This bodes well with us as we fun-travel 3,000-15,000 miles per year.

What are your “needs”, your “wants”, and, more importantly, your travel plans? Over the course of this 3-part series we have mentionedself-contained motorhomes and travel trailers. There are literally hundreds, if not thousands of designs & floor plans available. We hopethis will move you toward your goal of travel and whether RVing fits that need. Maybe you have the desire to be a Happy Camper!

S e l e c t i n g t h e R i g h t T r a i l e r &

Pull-Vehicle

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smooothest ice cream he has ever eaten! (See why by reading our “Dining experiences worth repeating” section of this newsletter.)

Day 96: Monday, July 8 Today was basically a ‘driving day’, going from Portland back to the western coast of Oregon. Portland was a good basefor launching trips along the Columbia RIver and to venues in Portland itself. Our campground was very neat & clean, with well-groomed lots. Aswith many private RV parks catering to big rigs, the owners rarely come out. A few will linger & talk a bit. Many remain indoors and watch their ‘bigscreen’ TVs with several thousand channels. And that’s fine if that’s your goal. As Bill Kerola, a friend and owner of Kerola Campers says, “With bigrigs it’s pull-in, plug-in & stay-in”. We prefer to mingle among the ‘natives’ campers and swap stories, hear of their adventures on the road, and createnew friendships. We had been in the Tillamook region years before but decided we wanted to return and see some new scenery in that area, so…

Along the route we took a potty break and stopped at the Welcome Center for the Tillamook State Forest. What we found was a superior centerwith excellent displays, a terrific movie about the devastating fires that hit the forest in 6-year cycles from the early 1930s ‘til the middle 50’s. A

digital system allowed you to select from six short, 2-minute videos detailing aspects of the fires and subsequent reforestation. We also enjoyed ahalf-hour ranger-led tour of a forest observation tower, learning their historic use and phase-out. This was a neat, worthwhile place to stop!

Back on the road, we made a drop at the Tillamook Post Office, had lunch at Pizza Hut, then set up at Big Spruce RV Park in Netarts, OR. An olderpark, its accommodations are clean & neat, making the half-price Passport America rate even more enjoyable ($13 per night!). A park resident, ‘T-

Shirt Mike’ hit it off well with Chris and we hadseveral conversations during the afternoon. Anairbrush artist by trade, he gave Chris a watercolorpainting he had done in the 1990s. Chris appreciatedgetting such a gift from a fellow artist. We finishedour day with a walk along the shore a block from BigSpruce. “I think the next few days are going to befun!” Chris remarked before retiring for the night.

Day 97: Tuesday, July 9 Weather

in coastal Oregon is interesting.We’ve learned not to take forecastsat face value. Our goal today was

to visit the Three Capes: Cape Meares, Lookout Cape, & Cape Kiwanda. These coastal regions are visited for their beauty,beaches, and some for surfing. We didn’t make it to Cape Meares because the road fell down the mountain, so you have to takean alternate route. The day’s temp was supposed to be 73ºF but it never got close by the sea. A cold front in the Pacific had ahuge cloud bank riding the beaches but never getting far inland.

On our late afternoon drive back to camp Sally spotted Munson Creek Falls (right) on our tourist map, so we drove down the dirtroad when we saw the sign. We have often remarked that we never expect to see a soul in these remote areas. Then you arriveand find the parking lot full. That wasn’t the case this time as only one other car was there when we arrived and another additionalcar when we left. The road was twisty & narrow but the drive gave us a beautiful view of a very tall falls. There was no signage for exact details but Munson Creek Falls had to be 100-125 ft. high, at least.

Day 98: Wednesday, July 10 This was our last day in the Tillamook area, so we planned to see some of the sights we had missed thus far, andmaybe visit one or two we had seen on previous trips. We drove up the coastal 2-lane road to Oceanside, Oregon, a small summer cottage communitywith a pretty beach. From there we drove further north to Cape Meares State Park where we toured the old, refurbished lighthouse. The remainder ofthe loop road had been damaged and was barricaded but we chose to walk up the road for about a half-mile to observe the damage. We had been toldthere was a fissure across half the road and that even bicycles were not allowed on this route. This turned out to be an interesting hike. We discoveredan older road closer to the cliffs (we’re now up 300’ to 500’ above the beach) that had crumbled and slid partway down the cliffside. A new road hadbeen built about 50 yards inland and this was the road that was damaged. Over the half-mile walk we saw many cracks in the asphalt and on even onesection the top layer of paving must have crumbled and washed away leaving an older layer beneath it now exposed. A ‘local’ said she doubted thecounty would fix the road. First, it was too costly. Maybe several hundred thousand to a million to reinforce the hillside to prevent the problem fromrecurring. Second, there are no homes along that stretch of road, so folks living beyond the missing highway could take the other section of the loop toget to their destination. It would add about 10 miles to their journey. This was really an interesting “learning experience”.

Driving back on our route we drove to Tillamook for lunch, then toured one of the local cheese-making dairies where we enjoyed a self-guiding tour. Itwas loaded with several hundred tourists watching cheese making, sampling cheese tidbits, and eating the ice cream made at the same dairy. We alsovisited a thrift store and another cheese shop that had samples of cheeses, jams, jellies, berry sauces, chip dips and wines (but there was a charge for

wine tasting). A stop at a sausage-making shop found that they made sausage only on Mondays. We ended our day driving the other half of the looproad and seeing the end of Cape Meares and the small seaside communities in that area. It was very windy all day. Not a good day to set up nor takedown a folding trailer. We’ll see what’s ‘blowin’ tomorrow when we go to pack up and move on to the Columbia River where it meets the Pacific ocean.

1= We met this fellow at the Forest Welcome Center. Could figure if he was topless’ or ‘bear-chested’?2= Sally uses an Osborne Firefinder to locate a forest fire. 3= Night settles into Netarts Cove. Beautiful!

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4= Old road on left behind arrows, new road on right. 5= New road has many breaks in pavement due to land shift. 6= Section of road closed; ground gave way and

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7 8triangular sectiondropped down. 7=Old road (already closed) had dropped 5-6 ft.years ago. Line isedge of drop. 8=Sally “reflecting” onthe lighthouse lens.

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Day 99: Thursday, July 11 Today was a driving day, though only about 50-60 miles in length. Still, somehow wetook several hours to drive from Netarts, Oregon to Tillamook, OR, to

Astoria, OR, and finally to Chinook, Washington. We stopped at a few thriftstores and a fantastic Habitat For Humanity in Bay City (north of Tillamook),plus several coastal viewpoints for photographs (#1). The bridge from

Astoria, OR to the southern edge of Washington state is amazing. It rises atwhat appears to be a steep angle to allow tall ocean ships to passunderneath, then drops down again to continue its 4.5-mile span across the

wild Columbia River. Arriving at Rivers End (#2) campground we were very pleased with the cordiality &happiness of the staff. We immediately felt this was going to be a fun location.

We began our day expecting to spend the morning at the

(AAA GemSite) Maritime Museum in Astoria, OR, then go to view the Sandcastle Contests overthe bridge in Washington (state). Driving south from our site in Rivers End Campground in ChinookWA we headed over the 4.5-mile Astoria-Megler Bridge (at left) that connects Oregon andWashington. The two-year project (ends summer 2015) to repaint the entire bridge is underway andtraffic is narrowed to one lane with flagmen (& women) alternating which lane goes when.Surprisingly, traffic moves very well with only a minor delay. HUGE tarps are hung over the fullheight of the bridge’s superstructure to catch the old lead-based paint chips so they don’t fall intothe Columbia River or travel to the Pacific Ocean. Why the worry? Do you want to eat the seafoodthat ate the lead paint?! (3 = The yellow arrow at the far left in the bridge photo indicates the endof the bridge where it touches Washington state. This end is Astoria, OR. This is a L-O-N-G bridge!)

Arriving at the Maritime Museum at 10:30AM we got a double-discount for being “seniors” andhaving AAA membership. The price dropped from $10, to $9, then $8. We left for lunch at 2PMhaving been thoroughly enthused by the quality of the exhibits. Had a very nice lunch on the river’s

edge, then went back to the museum around 3:30. We saw an electric trolley car with a diesel engine-powered electrical generator mounted on a

railcar attached to the front. This provided power to the trolley without the need of overhead wires. For $1 each passengers take a full-length rideand listen to an excellent narration. Two dollars gives you the option of off-&-on all-day riding, but you could continue to stay on more than one back-and-forth, which is what we elected to do. The “motorman” driving the trolley switched places with the narrator at the end of one loop, so we heardtwo different stories. This was excellent, peaceful, relaxing entertainment. At the end of two trips we got off in downtown Astoria to find it was already5:30! We took a leisurely stroll back to our car while window-browsing. We both felt this had been one of our better days of relaxation.

Back at camp many fellow travelers were engaged in conversation around the camp office with salami, cheese, crackers and such provided. We’venoticed that many campers seem to have been here prior years and the cordiality of the owners encourages returns. We met Bruce & Nicola fromNew Zealand along with a dozen more nice, friendly folks. The grounds and facilities are very clean, so we’d recommend Rivers End RV as adestination. Plus, our row of trailers ends at the bay adjacent to the Pacific Ocean. What a beautiful view.

Day 100: Fr iday, July 12 It’s our “100-Days-On-The-Road” Celebration

Dining experiences worth repeating…

A dining location rates well with us if we say we’d go there again. Here are some places that fit that criteria: Roses Ice Cream, Portland, OR: 5011 NE 42nd Ave Portland, OR 97218, (503) 256-3333 Great ice cream & milk shakes, very reasonable for theexcellent quality. Homemade using 14% butterfat cream. Smooooooth & creamy. (Let’s not bring up that nasty 4-letter word… ‘diet’!) A Portland favoritesince 1950. Riverview Buffet, 77 11th Street, on the waterfront in downtown Astoria, OR. Buffet of typical Oriental food, baked salmon, friedshrimp, Oriental desserts, ice cream, 2 soups, small salad bar, sushi bar. Though the selection was somewhat limited, the price was very good(seniors $7.95 plus $1.75 beverage) and everything we ate tasted very good! Most tables are by big windows that provide water’s edge view of theColumbia River and ship traffic. This was an unusual find, at a great location, great view, good service, & good food at a very reasonable price.

(photos left to right) 4 = We walked past the renovated ‘Liberty Theatre’ in downtown Astoria, OR. Still a very lovely building. 5 = Actual, retired 44-foot Coast Guard rescueboat in action scene inside Maritime Museum. 6 = Sally stands in bridge of salvaged WWII ship inside museum. 7 = This is a bridge used in pilot ships that drive barges up& down the Columbia River. Video screen has actual captain show you how to operatea ‘push’ tugboat, how to cable barges together and to the tug, then navigating thecurrents of the Columbia River. VERY interesting!

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Trivia Question: Canadian geese usually are seen flying in a “V” formation. This allows the lead goose to break theformation through the wind more easily. But have younoticed one side of the “V” is longer than the other? Why?

(Find the answer on the last page of this newsletter.)

7/30/2019 2013 Summer Trip NL #7


Campers are innovators. What have YOU made?

RV rallies are always interesting to me. You get to see the innovations of fellow campers. Usually a problem or challenge surfaces, the brain cellsshift into high gear, and an novel solution is born. For example, the folding table in our trailer lays on the floor while traveling, but it slides around& bumps cabinets. Plus Sally had to crawl over it to load freshly purchase items in the refrigerator when the walls are down. I used 2 spare “S”hooks, 2 flat washers, and 2 spare bungee cords to construct a solution. Our model Aliner has metal corner reinforcement plates. I temporarilyremoved the lowest screw from the plate, then took the “S” hook and closed it into a figure-8. I inserted the screw through a small flat washer,then installed the 8-hook by replacing the screw through one hole of the 8-hook into its previous hole. This gave me another hole to which Iinserted one end of the bungee cord. I bent that hook closed to made it more permanent. I repeated the construction on the other end of the bed.

Now I lay the table atop my bed and place a blanket behind it to save the walls from scrapes. This process ‘anchors’ the table in place by lacingthe bungee cord over parts of the table top & legs. What innovation have you developed that has made your camping better? Please send your ideas to us so that we may share them with fellow campers! Send your innovation to… [email protected] Thank you in advance for your ideas. 1= Connection made to lowest screw on reinforcement bracket; 2- “S”-hook closed into figure-8, washer helps hold in

place; 3= loop bungee over & under legs & top to keep table securely in place.

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Trivia Question: Canadian geese usually are seen flying in a “V” formation. This allows the lead goose to break the formation through the wind easier; he/she acts like the nose-cone of a plane, making the group of geese more streamline. As the lead goose tires, he/she flies back into theformation to be relieved by another goose. In many cases you have noticed that one side of the “V” formation is longer than the other. Why? Because there are more geese on that side! (The V-formation info is true! The other answer is based on mathematical observation.)

Photos you may find interesting…

(above) 747 sits on roof of water park at Evergreen Air & SpaceMuseum. Water slides start in plane and swoooooshes down to pools at the end of your ride. No parachute required.

(right) Howard Hughes “Spruce Goose” was designed during WWII but wasn’t finished until after the war. It was designed to fly 800 troops overseas to avoid submarines sinking transport ships.

(below) Outside view of 2 of the three-building complex that forms the Evergreen Air & Space Museum. Notice 747 decorating the lawn. Plan to spend several hours here!

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

2013 summer trip nl #7

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