Coastal Travels

Leaving our Eagle Point friends, Brent & Kathy, was hard. They had been so good to us. But the open road called. Two nights in Brookings on the Oregon coast were restful and enhanced by staying next to ORPS friends, Laney & Joanne Westbrook. Their Prevost was just a tiny bit larger than our trailer. Today began our journey through the redwoods of coastal California. A quiet walk through the Stout Grove in the Jedediah Smith State Park was just a preview of the sights that await us further south on Hwy 101 the next few days. We only traveled a few miles today, but I am happy to report ... no truck issues.

Lake of the Woods & the White City UBER

The truck repair meant that Don missed the excursion to Lake of the Woods with Mike & Sue Sullivan. He missed out on an incredible day on a pristine Oregon lake with friends. We met Mike & Sue last winter in ORPS and they made the mistake of saying, “stop by and see us when you are in Oregon.” What incredible hosts! Their cabin sits on the shore of Lake of the Woods, barely visible from the water. Joining us were John & Debby Jensen with their peddle kayak’s. Tons of fun. Then, Kathy & Sue decided on a tube ride with Mike driving the boat. My one regret of the day was not having the video running when Sue was trying to get in the tube and flipped Kathy WAY up in the air and into the water. Priceless, but lost to posterity. We could have made a fortune on “America’s Funniest Videos.” I can’t thank Sue & Mike enough for sharing their lake experience with us. Loved it! All I have to say about the evening after the lake, is “Who needs UBER when you have Kathy?” She drove us all around town for various errands, not the least of which was checking on the truck in White City! Thanks, Kathy!

Crater Lake Tour

One could get used to Medford, actually Eagle Point. After Kathy's scones & fruit for breakfast’, Brent took us up to Crater Lake, pointing out all the sights along the way. The only thing I can say about this national park is that words cannot express the beauty of it. Wow, incredible, spectacular … after about the 10th time of saying these things, I just gave up and pictures don’t do it justice. It was wonderful having someone who knows the area and all the good spots too. Brent was a first class tour guide! OK, that was the good part of the day. Coming out of the Kortus driveway, Don again noticed we had transmission problems. So off to Baxter Auto Parts in White City. They couldn’t do the repair Don wanted, but the guy there knew a guy who knew a guy who could. So this guy and his buddies showed up at the Baxter parking lot and fixed it. Of course, while waiting for the fixit guys, Don noticed airbags he wanted for the truck. (There’s always something!) So before leaving, he arranged for the guys who work out of their garage (see picture) to put the airbag on tomorrow. Seriously, you can’t make this stuff up.

Slow start ... GREAT finish!

Pulling out of our Florence campground – Bob & Shari Johnson, be glad you were out of town – Don noticed something wrong with the transmission. Checking, he discovered we had no transmission fluid in the system. Not a good situation if one is crossing the coastal range to Medford. So he tightened a few things, added fluid and we were off again! I love traveling with a mechanic. The GREAT part of the day was seeing our jeeping friends from Palm Springs. Brent & Kathy Kortus, Ed & Carin Jolly, Laney & Joanne Westbrook. Dinner in the extraordinary town of Ashland was wonderful. We did a short walking tour of the town after dinner, seeing highlights such as the Shakespeare theater and Lithia Park. A low light I might mention was Ed Jolly’s suggestion that I take the famous water at the park. Bad Ed!!! Sorry no pictures of that crew, we were having too much fun!

Oregon Coast doesn't disappoint.

I would like to nominate the drive from Lincoln City to Florence, OR, as one of the most beautiful in the WORLD. We made terrible time because we had to pull of at every turnout. Simply spectacular. We found a lovely campground right on the Oregon dunes. We did wish we had our trusty Suzuki to explore, but settled for a short walk at sunset.

West Olympic & Oregon Coast

Leaving the Knebes was hard, but they do have a life without us. We took our time driving the western side of Olympic National Park. What a gem of a national park. We were able to take a walk in the rain forest and drive by pristine lakes. Wonderful day. Today we spent on the Oregon coast. Spectacular sights, including a visit to the Lewis & Clark fort at the end of their trek to the Pacific, Fort Clatsop. Of course what is a day without challenges? As we are driving over the Astoria bridge, we drive over something and puncture a trailer tire. I am now more thankful than ever that Don insisted that our trailer have a dual axle. No damage to the rim or the trailer. We are going to need to drive into the Portland area to get the tire replaced. But at least we can. Spending the night in Tillamook. Already bought some cheese at the factory and watched the sun set on the Pacific Ocean after a scrumptious dinner by the seaside. How can we be upset?

Knebes Campground

One of the reasons we wanted to head west with our truck and trailer was to meet up with some of our Palm Springs winter friends. We were able to spend a few days with Paul & Dana in Colorado, and now we are on the Olympic Peninsula with some more of our Outdoor Resorts Palm Springs neighbors, Bill & Carol Knebes. Although they are both Wisconsin Badgers, they have lived in Port Angeles for over 30 years. Incredible hosts! A secluded driveway provided a perfect campsite. The site came with gourmet meals, sightseeing rides through the town & Olympic NP. So many other amenities at this place that I don't have time to mention here. We may have to book a reservation here next year.

Columbia River Gorge - Wow!

Driving west along the Columbia River is spectacular. What a magnificent highway west for Lewis & Clark - not bad scenery for us. We also did the scenic loop around Mt. Hood. The pictures certainly don't do it justice. On our way back to our campground near Portland, we happened upon the Western Antique Aeroplane & Automobile Museum in Hood River, Oregon. With literally hundreds of cars, planes & motorcycles to look at, you shouldn't be surprised to hear that they had to turn out the lights and start locking the doors to get rid of us. Don even found our next camping vehicle.

And then the truck got really, really bad!

Leaving Bonneville Monday morning, we were hoping to get the Columbia River Gorge area. Instead, as the day heated up and the hills got higher, the truck began to refuse the command to continue. In fact, we were barely able to limp into a small Idaho town just off the freeway - Mountain Home. And for three days, it was our Mountain Home. We were lucky to find one of the nicest RV parks we have ever been in, and it was staffed by the nicest people. After a restless night, Don did what he always does - plunged right into solving this problem. I did laundry and he drove around town searching for parts to implement his newest plan. One of the places he stopped was Bastida's Junk Yard and Auto Repair. Frank not only had the part he told Don he could come over and use his shop to work on the truck. What a guy! We like these Idaho folks. So we were able to get back on the road today. On the way to a campground on the Columbia River we stopped at the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center. Right up the alley of a former history teacher! :)

Bonneville Speedweek

Not only did we get to wax nostalgic about our Bonneville years, we got to see Dick & Carol Stewart's GRANDDAUGHTER get into the 200 MPH Club. She drove a pickup for an average speed of 224.212. What an accomplishment for such a young woman! So glad we got to see it happen.

Capitol Reef & Beyond - Not without trouble though!

From Ouray we headed west again. We both enjoy taking 2 lane highways and seeing small town America up close. We did experience trouble with the truck on the way across southern UT. When the weather is HOT and we are going up hills, the engine stops from lack of fuel. Don is baffled. Thousand Lakes RV park served as our home base so that we could spend a lazy day driving through Capitol Reef NP. Let's say, I was spending a lazy afternoon when Don decided to work on the fuel issue and the squeak we were having in the shocks. As he removed the right shock, it fell apart in his hands. Not good when you are 100+ miles from the nearest replacement shocks. Once the repair was completed we were able to get to the Bonneville Salt Flats to meet up with our friends and former crew members Ken & Marilyn Grimes.

Ouray & Friends

Meeting our ORPS friends, Paul & Dana, in Ouray was a highlight of our trip, and we were only in the first week! Renting a jeep for excursions off the beaten path was a super decision. Such fun. It was also amazing to meet an Otterbein alum - even though she wasn't even born when I graduated! Kolleen Raitz was there to hike - really hike. Another outstanding Otterbein product!