Another trip to a dealer

The reader starting at the most recent post is advised to ignore the first two sentences of Wednesday, November 21, 2007, i.e. We have just completed the latest repairs on our home, i.e. the BR slideout. Hopefully this one will take.

It did not take. Thus we return to our familiar routine of visiting yet another dealer service center, this one in Sacramento, once again to work on our BR slideout. (To save you more reading, the last dealer, in Eugene OR, took two runs at it. Some improvement, but still a problem.) Look for our forthcoming book, Tour of Excel Dealers on the West Coast.

We lost contact with the world for three days in Brookings OR at Harris Beach State Park. No web, no phone. This old park sits smack along the ocean, with mondo big rocks along the shoreline. Big waves crashing about them too. Denby running higgly piggly on the beach…he takes off when his pads hit sand.

But just north of the park, running day and night, is a saw mill. Crashing, beeping, trucks roaring. We couldn’t leave the BR windows open at night ‘cause of the noise. Just south of town is a pulp mill too. Ever smell the odor from a pulp mill? Yeah, you got it. Too bad. We successfully retrieved our many letters and packages from the post office and UPS. Works well so far.

Then, after a wonderful drive down the coast, we have spent an evening and full day in Eureka CA, our first stop in the Golden State. Nice liberal town, kinda like our prior hometown Olympia, WA. Many Victorian houses throughout the city. SUNSHINE! We like it. A food coop with three stores in such a small area! #1 cash crop in Humboldt County – marijuana. Kinda sets the tone here, we thinks.

But we must move on to Garberville, on schedule for repairs in Sacramento on December 4.

Bruce

Our first Escapees park

Indeed we arrived at Timber Valley RV Park , our first Escapees park, on Thanksgiving. And were made welcome that night at a Thanksgiving potluck.

This is a very nice community, with nice clean facilities and large spaces at inexpensive rates Taking up the Coop spirit, we pitched in to help with Xmas decorations. We donated some CDs and an espresso machine. But with sub-freezing weather for five nights now, we resume our journey southward tomorrow.

On to Brookings OR to get our mail, then south to Garberville. With any luck we’ll see 60 degree days in a week or so! We may even visit another Escapees park on the way through California.

California here we come (through).

Free again?

We have just completed the latest repairs on our home, i.e. the BR slideout. Hopefully this one will take. (Still need to fix, maybe replace the microwave oven, but that’s minor.)

If so, we are finally free to head south tomorrow on our own schedule. Well, first we must go back to the coast to Brookings OR to pick up our mail and other packages we sent there in the naïve expectation of reaching that burg directly from Reedsport.

No worries tho. We then motor down the coast, stopping for some number of days at the Redwood forests before turning inland to Sacramento CA and points south.

The Redwoods, specifically Garberville, holds some sentimental meaning to us, as the reader may recall from an earlier post. (No? Read on.) We rode down the coast on our Goldwing motorcycle six years ago, when we still had good spines. Reached Garberville and spent three days there among the giants before turning north back to Montesano WA. This current trip more or less retraces that route till Garberville. Then we move on to unexplored territory.

From Eugene, we will stop at an Escapee park for Thanksgiving and a few days afterwards, so we arrive at the Brookings state park after the weeked.

Glad tiding to all. Even the turkey, who fulfills his destiny.

Bruce

Eugene? Eugene!

Back in Eugene. Again again.

Why? Because we like it here? No. We've not really seen Eugene, unless you count a chiropractor, a trailer court, and the back of a shed next to a 24 hour fuel depot (I didn't want to publish that picture, hoping to forget it.) Running back and forth to stores and repairs. And back and forth to Olympia for the funeral. So, no, we've not seen Eugene.

We returned again again because the newly installed satellite dish failed. Therefore we're also giving the RV dealer one more shot at fixing the slideout. Hmmmmm.

Now the alert reader may recall that we sent several packages to the post office in Brookings, our former next stop. (Actually the alert reader would be delusional, because I didn't write that in this blog.) So we must return to the coast and pick up where we left after a few more days here.

In the mean time, OR weather forcast includes rain and rain, along with freezing temps. A lot like Olympia, which we left two months and again three weeks ago. Whereas Quartzite, AZ - sunny and 75.

No pictures. You know what water looks like.

RAIN!!!

Too much rain. Days long rain. Wind and rain.

STOP already!!!!!!

Sure, there's an upside. I ripped our 194 CDs to my hard drive, so we can get them out of here. No consolation.

We leave tomorrow for another state park, in Brookings, OR.

Weather forcast - rain.

Bruce

In Thrall again

Who says we don’t lead a normal life? We just subscribed to Netflix again, getting movies via General Delivery and download. And getting six other packages from Amazon and others at the post office at our next destination. And a DHL delivery right to our trailer (he didn’t drive a diesel truck tho.). Check the picture, since I wanted proof for my doubting reader.

That DHL package contained a new hard drive for Jenna’s laptop. Meaning hours of work for Bruce to install Win XP, upgrade to Vista, and install and upgrade all the programs on the old buzzing hard drive. Heck, what else does he have to do in the pouring rain (again). In addition to ripping the 250 or so CDs to his own hard drive so we can get rid of all those jewel cases of music. Poor guy (me). Still better than the best day workin’, you bethca.

But what for the title of this entry? We made an appointment with a new trailer repair place, this time in Sacramento, CA. Cause the last dealer in Eugene OR couldn’t fix the BR slide correctly. Meaning another appointment three weeks out. Meaning more waiting in a rainy OR coast CG or two. If not for this appointment, we’d probably flee from the coast and drive inland to the CA desert along our route to AZ.

Bruce

Blowin’ in the wind

See that nice picture from yesterday? Forget it. Big wind started at 6am and blew for 11 hours. Gusts to 60mph, occasional heavy rain thru constant showers. Good thing we fixed our leaky windows prior to this storm. 97 mph gust in Bellingham, not so far from our summer home in Concrete. We were cozy and warm throughout…typing, cooking, catching up on business.

Jenna’s computer hard drive has been buzzing for months now. I convinced Dell today to replace the hard drive. DHL will deliver a new one to our RV in a few days. Now this I hafta see, and maybe take a picture. Do they deliver pizza too? Maybe we can drive our diesel trucks together around the parking lot

I continue to correspond with our Mexican bound friend Gene (and Joyce) Shea (Hi Gene!) as we plan our trip South of the Border. I continue to contain my excitement…barely.

What will tomorrow bring?

Bruce

Settled

We have returned to the Pacific coast, at Winchester Bay, south of Reedsport, OR. At a beautiful county park between the ocean and the marina. We passed it by at first, mistaking it for a private resort! Some Rvers in Astoria told us about this place.

We paid for a full week. And later extended it a few more days, so we could leave on a Monday for a new park, rather than arrive on a Friday again.

Aaah, to park for a while, just hang out. Well, we still have plenty more stuff to go thru, paring down. Plus install the several items we bought at Camping World yesterday. Honestly, we only went there for one thing.

Still, we're here for a while. Till we decide to leave, actually.

Bruce

Free at Last!

Finally we have gone thru all our obligations for repairs and other business that keeps us here in Eugene and elsewhere. Finally we can begin the life of retired full-time Rvers, with no obligations and schedules. Finally!!

Tomorrow we return to the OR coast, starting with a county park in Reedsport that someone told us about. Tho it remains a mystery right now as I can't find mention of it on the Lane County web site..oh well. Then on to Harris Beach State Park and further south to the Redwoods.

We have since heard from another person traveling to Mexico after Quartzite. Looks likely that we will cross the border one way or another. Ole!

Bruce

Hurry up and ….

Still in Eugene, after returning from a week in Oly, partly waiting for the leaking windows to arrive. The RV dealer fixed most of our trailer. But not the most significant problem of the BR slide binding when we open it. He will try tomorrow afternoon, which means another full day here waiting.

Humbug to anyone who thinks that we sit around the campfire at night after a day relaxing in the lounge chair or by the pool. Except for last week's respite in Olympia, we’ve been packing up and moving almost every day for the past two weeks. Hopefully we’ll soon finish our fixups and spend time on something other than the trailer.

Today is the first day we’re using our automated satellite dish on the roof for internet service. Push a button…YES!

Bruce

Commerce redux

OK, so maybe not so bad. One day after I whine about trying to order my whiz bang ladder, I find it by chance in Fred Meyers. After numerous calls to hardware stores in two states along our route, I might point out…but I won’t. Life is good again. Doesn’t take much, does it?

I spent much time in the past few days making arrangements for my mother’s funeral. And additional processes wrapping up her financial and other affairs. Do you know that Social security takes back the entire month’s check when you die?!? Do they think that the family gets a refund on that month’s rent and food and medical care?

Son: My mother died this month, so I don’t expect to pay for the electricity she used for her iron lung and the DVD player.

Utility rep: Well certainly, Mr. Brod. And we’ll call the nursing home for you and make sure they don’t charge you either. Have a nice day...under the circumstances.

Who makes up these rules anyway? Remember that one earns a retirement pension. It’s not a welfare program.

I blame W. First the Iraq War, now this.

Bruce

Commerce OTR

Ahh, the full-timers life. Trying to get goods by mail when you don't know where you're going, let alone how long you'll stay there.

I want to buy a particular ladder to reach the top of the slides for cleaning. As well as particular Coleman camping chairs. If you want to judge a fulltimer, look at his chairs. Can't find either in stores. Can find them on Amazon.com .

But how do we take delivery? We don't know where we're going, other than we've never gone this way before. So how long will we stay whereever we're going when we don't know if we'll like it, whereever it is? Nor where to send whatever we want.

Last time I sent out an item, I spent hours on the phone with numerous people at Dell computers, trying to get them to send a package to a shipping store in Tillamook, OR. Only to have the store send it back because I didn't arrive earlier than I said I would. So that Dell could send it back to Tillamook where we had already left. So Tillamook could send it to Newport. Sighhh.

Maybe I could mount a stool on the roof in front of each slideout, so I could sit down when I climb up onto the roof.

Bruce

Hitch itch

Two days ago, the RV dealer called. New windows for our trailer did not arrive as planned. Hopefully in a few days. Thus they expect to finish the work on Tues, 11/6, a four day delay.

Plus we've not heard from the satellite dish on the roof installer, who did not finished the installation prior to our departure. So we don't know if we must plan to stay in Eugene for another day upon our return.

Gettin' hitch itch already. Wanna hit the road again. We had waited a month for this RV repair, waiting to get going and live the life without an itinerary.

Equanimity….

Bruce