Summer in the Oregon Woods

Hi, welcome back to our story. Our last episode concluded on Friday, July 26^th, when we arrived at the Rogue River State Park in Gold Hill, Oregon. This park is about halfway between Medford and Grants Pass in South Central Oregon. We arrived to very smokey conditions because of a large wildfire burning about 50 miles North. Saturday was a stay at home day, but we did get a few things done. Since this park is in the forest getting satellite signal can be problematic sometimes. We have stayed in this park at least ten times over the years and know a few of the full hookup sites that have satellite signal with the rooftop dish. However, when I made these reservations none of those sites were available for the entire two week period we wanted. I picked out another spot which, based on Google Earth photos and some guess work, I thought might give us signal. I didn't bank on the tree next to the site growing over the intervening time between when the aerial photo was taken and today. As a result we couldn't get the roof top antenna to connect. We probably could have pulled far enough forward to miss the now fairly large tree, but then we wouldn't have anywhere to park the car. I didn't try to do the outside dish yesterday but set it up this morning and managed to get it locked onto the satellite within five minutes. Yea! It is only standard definition TV instead of HD, but hey, it works. Other than that we stayed in the coach, out of the smoke and haze, and just relaxed for a day. With all the travel and Vernon's death it has been a tough week, so we needed a down day.

Sunday, July 28^th, we left the coach after lunch and drove into Medford, about 20 miles east of the park. We stopped at Fred Meyers to do some shopping. For those not familiar with Fred Meyers, it is a major chain store in the Northeast United States and a subsidiary of the Kroger company. It is similar in concept to a Super Walmart in that each Fred store has both grocery and general merchandise. We have found that they tend to be a little higher priced than Walmart, but the selection is better. After Fred we stopped at a Walgreen's to pick up some face masks for when the smoke gets really bad. After that we headed back to the coach and stayed in for the rest of the day. For dinner we did some nice New York steaks on the BBQ, along with some sauteed sea scallops and sweet potatoes. It was as wonderful as it sounds.

Monday, July 29^th, we left the coach about 1:00 and drove to Grants Pass to do our laundry. We had about three weeks worth of clothes to do, but we were finished and back at the coach by cocktail hour. We spent the remainder of the day in the coach. We had our left over steak for dinner. Tuesday we left the coach a little before 11:00 a.m. and headed towards Medford with a plan of driving to Crater Lake National Park, which is about 70 miles Northeast. We needed to stop at Costco for fuel and a bank for some cash before heading out. Unfortunately, the Costco was not where it used to be, and where the GPS in the car thought it was. It took a while to find it and we finally decided to just forgo Crater Lake for today and go to the movies instead. We had planned to go to the movies in the next day or so anyway and have plenty of time to get to Crater Lake while we are here. We got into the noon showing of Once Upon A Time in Hollywood starring Brad Pitt and Leonardo DeCaprio. It was a typical Quentin Tarantino movie with lots of layers and very interesting organization. The film was set in late 60's Hollywood and centered around a mediocre TV actor (DeCaprio) and his stunt man buddy (Pitt) trying to break into movies. They lived in the Hollywood Hills on Cielo Drive, next door to the house rented by Roman Polanski and Sharon Tate. Of course, we all know how that story ends.....or do we. Without putting in any spoilers lets just say this movie presents an alternative history in a very entertaining and complex way. Jackie was not overwhelmed by the film, I thought it was very good. I like the whole alternative universe way of looking at things. After the movie we stopped at a Bi Mart store, which we haven't seen since last year, and shopped a little. We then headed back to the coach and stayed in the rest of the day.

Wednesday, July 31^st, we went out about 1:00 for a late lunch in nearby Rogue River. We went to a Mexican restaurant called Tarasco, which was highly rated on Yelp. The food and service were both outstanding and we had a great meal. After lunch we did some geocaching in the area, getting four new finds in an hour or so. After caching we went back to the coach and stayed in the rest of the day. Thursday we once again left the coach about 10:30 and headed towards Crater Lake, about a 90 minute drive. We have been here twice before, once in 2005 and then again in 2016. When we came up here three years ago we wanted to have lunch at the Crater Lake Lodge, a beautiful old stone and wood hotel on the rim of the lake. However, they had a very large party and we couldn't get in. This time the park was much less crowded and we got right into the dining room. We didn't have a window seat, but could still see some of the wonderful sights outside the building. The food and service were both excellent. Jackie had a huge Cobb salad and I had a pasta dish. Both of us sprung for the crab addition to our dishes. It was not a cheap lunch, but then they have to haul everything up to 7,000 feet a hundred miles from the nearest city. After lunch we took some pictures, went to the Rim Village, a few hundred yards from the Lodge, visited the gift shop and then drove a portion of the 33 mile road around the lake.

The lake was formed about 7,700 years ago when a massive eruption of an ancient, 12,000 foot volcano caused the top to collapse, forming the bowl shape seen today. Like most volcanic crater lakes, the water comes only from rain and melting snow, making it one of the cleanest lakes in the world. The deepest part of the lake is just short of 2,000 feet, making it the deepest lake in the United States and seventh in the world for depth. The park was founded in 1902 and encompasses over 183 thousand acres. The lake itself is about 20 square miles in size. It is by far the prettiest lake I have ever seen. After touring the park we headed back to the coach, getting home just before 5:00. On the way back we stopped along the way and picked up a couple of geocaches. We stayed in for the rest of the evening.

Friday, August 2^nd, we left the coach after lunch and drove to Grants Pass to run some errands. The first stop was to get the car washed. Since we have been on the road, and then in the smoke and ash for a while, it was pretty dirty. After the car wash we went to Walmart for some supplies. We then went back to the coach and stayed in the rest of the day. Saturday we left the coach about 11:30 and drove to Ashland, Oregon, about 30 miles Southeast of the park. Ashland is a small University town of about 22,000 population. It is home to Southern Oregon University, a well know liberal arts college. They host one of the better known annual Shakespeare festivals in the country. It has a lot of cute shops on the main street and a weekend arts and crafts festival downtown. We always try to get to Ashland at least once each time we stop in the Medford area. The town is very busy on the weekends, but we managed to find a spot in one of the city parking lots, then walked to the central plaza area of downtown. We stopped and had lunch at a place called Louie's Bar and Grill. The food and service were great. After lunch we walked through the arts and crafts fair, which was not too large, then walked down the main street. We went into a number of the shops and just enjoyed the warm afternoon. We finally made it to the Elks Lodge, which is still in their original 1909 building in the middle of downtown Ashland. We also try to visit this Elks anytime we are in the area. It is now the only Elks in the area, as the Medford Elks closed up and was abolished two years ago and the Grants Pass Elks sold their building last year and now only have meetings in the local American Legion hall. We had a couple of drinks, played a little on the slot machines, which are legal in Oregon and owned by the State lottery. After our visit we stopped and got a geocache in town, then headed back to the coach. We stayed in the rest of the evening.

Sunday, August 4^th, we had a stay at home day. Didn't even have a Sunday paper as a 40 mile round trip for a newspaper seems kind of silly. Just had a quiet, relaxing day. Monday we left after lunch and drove into Medford for some shopping. Jackie wanted to go to some of the craft stores for a project she is working on. We went to Hobby Lobby and another independent craft store, but she didn't find what she was looking for. We also did some geocaching, getting four new finds and one DNF before we decided it was a little too hot and humid to cache more. We drove back to the coach and relaxed with the TV for the rest of the evening.

Tuesday, August 6^th, we left the coach about noon and drove to Grants Pass to have lunch with some friends. We went to Shari's, which is a large, coffee shop chain in the Western U.S. We met with Russ and Nellie Reichert, who are fellow geocachers that we met eight or nine years ago in Quartzsite, Arizona while we were geocaching. They are a little older than us and have a house here in Grants Pass, however, they spend their summers volunteering at various Federal and State campgrounds. This year they are hosting at a remote horse camp between Medford and Klamath Falls, Oregon. When we called them last week they said they had to come to town today for a doctor's appointment and would like to meet us for lunch. We last saw them in February at the big geocaching event in Yuma, Arizona. We had a nice lunch and some nice catch-up conversations. After lunch we stopped so Jackie could get a haircut and we also did a couple of geocaches in Grants Pass. We made a stop at Fred Meyers for a couple of things, then went back to the coach. We stayed in with the TV for the rest of the evening.

Wednesday, August 7^th, we had originally planned on going to the Oregon Caves National Monument, which is about 60 miles Southwest of the park. However, after looking at their website we discovered that the cave tours were rated strenuous, with areas where you have to duck down to less than four feet and also a lot of steep stairs. We decided that Jackie was not up to that challenge, so we didn't go. We went out after lunch to do some geocaching in the area. In a couple of hours we had four new finds and one DNF for the day. We went back to the coach and spent the rest of the day and evening at home. Thursday the 8^th was our last day here in Gold Hill. We had a stay at home day. I spent some time taking down stuff and putting stuff away in preparation for travel tomorrow. Today also would have been my mother's 93^rd birthday.

Friday, August 9^th, was a travel day. We were packed up and rolling out of the Valley of the Rogue State Park about 10:00, heading north on Interstate 5. We are headed 155 miles to Coburg, Oregon, just north of Eugene. Coburg happens to be where the headquarters for the old Monaco Corporation were located. The factory was in Junction City, about ten miles west. We arrived at the Eugene Kamping World RV park about 1:00, got checked in and parked. After we got set up and had lunch we took a quick drive, less than a mile, to what had been the Monaco Service Center in Coburg. It is now owned by REV Corporation, which has many subsidiary companies, including all the Fleetwood RV products and all the Monaco products. They still have a parts counter and I needed a switch for the parking brake in the coach. We tried to get it fixed in Las Vegas this spring when we went to the Monaco International rally, but the service guy they sent to the coach was a duffuss and never did find the right part. The guy at the counter today listened to what I said I needed, walked to the back and got it. After our visit there we went back to the coach and relaxed the rest of the evening.

Saturday, August 10^th, we left the coach after lunch and drove to the south side of Eugene to Northwest RV Supply. This is a huge, one of a kind RV store. Up until 2008, when the economy went in the dumper, hundreds of RVs, both motorhomes and towables, were built in the small towns around Eugene. Monaco, Country Coach, Beaver and several smaller brands all had factories in the area. They all went bankrupt. Northwest Supply bought out a lot of the smaller parts and supplies when the companies were sold off, so they have many, many new parts for older coaches in the building. We always like to go there when we are in the area just to look around. I did find a never used Monaco screen door that appears to be the same size and type as ours. Ours is falling apart and the door was welded together, not bolted, so it can't be fixed without a machine shop. We bought a few small parts and asked the guy in the store to put the screen door aside until I could get home and measure our door. If it was the same size, I would come back in two weeks, when we pass through Eugene again, and buy it. It was $199, a bargain in my mind. After we left the store we got a couple geocaches, three new finds and one DNF, then headed back to the coach. I checked our screen door and it is exactly the same size. Yea! We spent the rest of the day in the coach.

Sunday was a travel day. We left Coburg about 10:00, heading 115 miles Northwest, to the Oregon Coast, a small town called Neskowin. The first 50 miles were freeway, but when we turned West at Salem, we were on State roads. The roads were good, just two lane for the most part and a fair amount of traffic. Nonetheless, we made it to the Neskowin Creek RV Resort about 12:30, got checked in and parked. This is an RPI membership resort and we are here for two weeks for $15 a night for full hookup 50 amp. Yea! We spent a few hours setting up and spent the rest of the day resting.

Monday, August 12^th, we left the coach after lunch and drove into Lincoln City, which is about ten miles south of the resort on Highway 101. We did a little exploring and geocaching, getting seven new finds fairly quickly. We have spent quite a few summers in Oregon over the years, but the last time we spent any amount of time in Lincoln City was back in '06 or '07. At that time we visited the Elks Lodge here, but today we noticed that the building which had housed the Elks was now a restaurant and the Elks website did not show a lodge in Lincoln City. After our exploring and caching we stopped at Safeway for a few things, then headed back to the coach. This RV resort is a fairly large, private membership resort which is situated in a large meadow between Highway 101, which also has a small creek running along side of it, and a several hundred foot high wooded hill. On the other side of the hill is the Pacific Ocean. It's an OK park, which we can get into because of our RPI membership, with lots of grass. And, we have noticed, lots of rabbits. There are bunnies everywhere. These are not the normal, dirty brown wild cotton tail bunnies, these are semi-feral domestic rabbits. You can walk past or even right up to most of them and they don't run, but they are skittish enough that you can't touch them. We brought out some carrots and some of them would eat the carrot while you held it in your hand. There are clearly multiple generations, with some really big adults and some very small juveniles. On my morning walk I counted well over 60 and I am sure I missed a bunch. The predominant color seems to be black, but there are some beige ones, and a number of black and white, but I haven't seen an all white one yet. It's kind of fun watching them hop around the coach and nibble grass and the cat enjoys watching them too.

Tuesday, August 13^th, we left the coach and drove north on Highway 101 to explore Neskowin and Pacific City, both small coastal towns just north of the resort. Neskowin was very small and Pacific City was only slightly larger. Both were primarily residential communities with lots of beach houses, some small cabins, some really big homes. We also did some geocaching, getting six new finds and no DNFs for the afternoon. After our exploration we went back to the coach and relaxed for the rest of the evening. Wednesday we left the coach about 11:30 and drove north to Tillamook, Oregon for the day. Tillamook is famous for it's cheese and we like to visit the cheese factory and the Blue Heron Cheese Company store. Our first stop was the Pacific Restaurant for lunch. It is in downtown, so parking can be an issue, but we found a spot the second time around the block. The food was OK, not the best, not the worst, but the place had some issues. Lots of stuff lying around making it look cluttered and unsanitary. Also a very limited menu and somewhat pricey. Probably wouldn't go back again. After lunch we went to the two cheese factories and bought some cheeses. They have remodeled the Tillamook Cheese factory. They still have the self guided tour, which we didn't take because we have done it several times before, but they took out the big gift shop and put in a cafeteria. They still have the food store and a limited selection of tee shirts and hats. Interesting thing was at both the Blue Heron and the Tillamook store we got front row parking because they have electric car slots, complete with chargers. We weren't in the stores long enough to get any real charge, a couple of free miles, but the close parking was cool. Yea Green! We then went to the Tillamook Country smoker which is famous for their jerkey and meat sticks. We bought a bunch of stuff there too. On the way back to the RV park we did a few geocaches, getting four new finds and no DNFs. After we got back to the coach we just sat outside with cocktails for a while, feeding the bunnies carrots, then went in and spent the rest of the night with the TV.

Thursday, August 15^th, we left the coach after lunch and drove into Lincoln City to do our laundry. This took most of the afternoon and after we were finished we went back to the coach. We stayed in for the rest of the day. Friday was a stay at home day. We got some chores done and relaxed for the entire day. We ended the day with a nice steak on the BBQ along with some sea scallops. Yum!  One interesting thing we have seen at this RV Resort is this nicely restored 1968 Ultravan Class A motor home.  After seeing this I did a little research and learned that there were only about 330 of these made, from 1964 to 1969.  They were all powered by Chevrolet Corvair engines with Chevrolet PowerGlide automatic transmissions.

We are now about three weeks since our last episode was published. We will be here in Neskowin for another week before starting back south into California. Until next time, keep in mind the words of Mark Twain. “Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow.” See ya soon.