Adventures in Oregon

06/10/05 - Back to Oregon
Yesterday we took mom to lunch, said our goodbyes, and drove back to Williams, where we had dinner and spent the night.

Today we were just about to get to Red Bluff (Map) when we got a call from someone interested in adopting Bliss. We had decided a few weeks ago that we didn't want any more puppies, and that four dogs was probably one too many. So we put an ad up on Craigslist.org but didn't get very many responses. So it was a big surprise to not only get a call, but to have the person be willing to drive from Novato (in the North San Francisco Bay area) to Red Bluff to see and adopt our beloved Bliss.

So we pulled into the next rest stop, put out the slides, put up the DataStorm antenna, started the generator so we could have air conditioning, and cooled our heels for about three hours while Steve traveled to us. It took about half an hour for Bliss to warm up to him and he to her, but ultimately the two left together, very happily I think.

Tonight we arrived very late at the Medford Oaks RV Park. It seems to be a beautiful park, but not particularly well set up for big rigs.

View of the Rouge River from the front of our coach

06/12/05 - Rogue River
Yesterday we moved the coach to a very lovely spot at the Rogue River RV Park. We are within twenty feet of the river and have found Shady Cove (Map) to be a pretty cool little town.

Today we are working on a new version of Vacation Rental Tracker Plus. My wife is helping with the testing and I'm working one several new features for the software.

06/15/05 - Crater Lake
Today we took a break from the software development and drove up to Crater Lake. It was not the most beautiful day, but the drive was most fun and the photos came out OK. Our first stop was the Natural Bridge area, and then on to the Rogue Gorge . The Rogue River runs through a narrow channel in lava rocks, caves and tubes in this area, and the rushing waters are fantastic.

Next we stopped at a snowy wide spot in the road and let the dogs out to run in the snowy field. We didn't see anything wrong with this, but a ranger came along and told us that it was against the rules.

Crater Lake from the South looking North

Then there was the magnificent Crater Lake. I always love coming here, especially when there is snow on the ground. However I've never come in the middle of winter. Still, even in June, there was quite a bit of snow today.

Crater Lake from the Rim Village looking North at Wizard Island

Another thing I find very interesting, especially contrasted with the snow and deep blue Crater Lake, are the dead trees, bleached by wind and weather for many years.

Crater Lake from the West looking at Wizard Island

These photos are actually several photos stiched together. Here is another photo I took on our drive around the western rim of the lake.

Crater Lake from the North looking South

Heading South along Route 230 we stopped again at the Natural Bridges area to take these photos of the Rogue River as it begins its journey down the Gorge .

We saw some beautiful white Dogwood bushes, an interesting old tree stump , and many other beautiful trees.

As we traveled back to Shady Cove we stopped at Stewart State Park where we had camped (in a tent, with a car pulling a u-Haul trailer to carry all of our gear) for a week, many years ago.

06/18/05 - Newmar International Rally
A few days ago we sold the first of our four puppies to someone who lives and works at the Rogue River RV Park. So we showed up at the Newmar rally today with three more puppies to sell.

We were supposed to get here by 4pm but we didn't actually arrive until about 4:30. We weren't alone however. There were two people in line in front of us and quickly several others behind us, all staring at a locked gate and wondering what to do. Eventually, within about half an hour, someone came to usher us in to the Oregon State Fairgrounds in Salem.

International and Newmar Director Flags

As luck would have it, because we have a handicapped parking placard, we were directed to park in the front row, next to the dining hall. Other people had to park several hundred yards away, so we felt very fortunate.

We were amazed at the variety of models that Newmar has produced over the years, and also the variety of tow vehicles. There was even one rig pulling a Hummer.

06/21/05 - New Friends and Knowledge
Last night we went to the opening ceremonies, which was actually pretty boring, but as we left we met a couple roughly our age, who we became good friends with. They came over and we chatted for a couple of hours. Tonight they will join us for dinner at our coach.

Today we attended several very informative seminars. One on servicing our Spartan chassis, another on cleaning the RV, one on leveling jacks and finally one all about selecting and maintaining our six truck tires.

A short distance from us is a row of the Regional Directors coaches. They looked very official with their assorted flags flying.

Beautiful Mural on Back of Coach

Some coaches have beautiful scenes painted on their end caps, such as this one.

06/22/05 - A Craft Show
We have found several things to buy at the rally, including some cleaning supplies, a tire pressure monitoring system, a new outdoor rug and privacy screen, and covers for our front windows, which will help keep the coach cool when the sun is shining brightly.

This afternoon we participated in a craft show. We had one of about twenty table set up for rally attendees to show off their arts and crafts. I showed some of my photography and Dayadevi some of her paintings. My wife sold a few items, but nobody has the wall space in their coaches for a matted photo, so I wasn't too surprised that I didn't sell anything.

Our Coach with New Window Covers

We did sell another one of our puppies today though. Here is a picture of our coach with our new window coverings.

06/24/05 - End of International Rally
Today was the last day of the rally. Our new friends, Tom and Cindy, invited us over for dinner last night, and we had a good time talking and comparing coaches. Tonight we all ate in the dining hall and then watched the evening entertainer Johnny Counterfeit, who is a very good impersonator/singer/comedian.

It was good to meet some new friends, get some more information about our coach and the company that built it, and to purchase some products to improve our coach living experience. But I don't think rallies are really our style, so it may be a while before we do another one.

One of the most impressive parts of the rally was the fact that Newmar closed it's Service department and brought their entire staff out from Indiana with about ten new coaches. So everyone who needed it, including us, got to speak with a factory representative and have their concerns addressed. In our case, we were referred to several dealers who were on hand to work on their individual components of the coach. One thing which we have had a problem with since we accepted delivery is a squeak in the floor near the bathroom which is steadily becoming worse. We have been told by two different dealers that this is a problem the factory would need to fix.

International Newmar Rally in Salem Oregon 2005

I think there are about 800 Newmar coaches and fifth wheels here, from all over the US and Canada. Here is an aerial view of the gathering. The red circle shows our Dutch Star.

06/25/05 - Back to Carlton
Last night we drove back to Carlton for a few days. Today I released the new version of Vacation Rental Tracker I have been working on for a couple of months. It felt very good to finish it finally. This evening we went out to dinner in McMinnville and I took some photos of this very cool old Porsche 356 Speedster 1600cc Super .

06/28/05 - Olingers
When we were at the Newmar Rally, the Service Manager made an appointment for us to get our floor squeak fixed at Olinger Travel Homes in Hillsboro. So we drove it up there last night and camped in their driveway. In addition to fixing the floor I also wanted them to check out the ceiling, to make sure there was no mold from the water leak we experienced a month or so ago.

It has also been about a month since we moved my mom and Dayadevi broke her ankle. So we decided to go to a local Kaiser and have it checked out. We have never transferred our Kaiser membership to Oregon, so we didn't really know where to go. They have many facilities in the Portland area, so we chose one at random. After getting the whole story from us, they decided we needed to be seen elsewhere, and made an appointment for us for tomorrow.

When we got back to Olinger's they had the floor squeak fixed, but claimed there was no problem with the ceiling after removing one of the panels. I was convinced I smelled a musty, mildew smell, so they agreed to hire an environmental specialist to come in and test for any molds in the coach, the day after tomorrow.

06/30/05 - Environmental Test and Mt. Hood
Yesterday morning we got up, after camping in Olinger's driveway again, and went to Dayadevi's Kaiser appointment. They xrayed her ankle again and said that it was healing well, but wanted her to use a lighter support for another week or two.

Mt. Hood

So we decided to spend the rest of the day exploring Mt. Hood, where we had never been before. We had a great time, taking photos, doing a bit of hiking, and eating at the Timberline Lodge.

This morning, after another night in Olinger's driveway, we left to go shopping, with instructions for them to call us as soon as the environmental tester arrived. Just after lunch we got a call that he was finished and ready to leave. We happened to be only a mile or two from them at the time, so we did get to meet the fellow, and hear that he had thoroughly checked out the coach and found no sign of mold or mildew.

Being somewhat reassured and free to leave we headed for eastern Oregon, on the first leg of our journey back to Ohio, where Dayadevi has some art related things to do, and I have a sister and niece to visit.

So we headed down I5 and then took Oregon Rt. 22 as far as Detroit Lake , where we are dry camping for the night. This is the first night in a long time where we have had no TV reception. It was a little unnerving (in the sense that it was very unusual) and relaxing (because we are just talking and listening to some beautiful music instead) at the same time.