Saturday, November 13, 2021: Gwen told me she was going to Costco to pick up a prescription this afternoon. I decided to go with her to get a hot dog. Once we arrived I had talked myself into a strawberry sundae rather than the hot dog. Gwen quickly completed her purchase and joined me at the table where I was enjoying my sundae. She mentioned a counter top oven which she saw was on sale. This was a combination bake, broil, toast, air fryer, roast, warm and dehydrate unit. We have a convection oven but it has never worked well so Gwen has been talking about this sort of oven for months. I was concerned about how much space it would take on our counter top but it seems to fit well. The first thing we tried was the air fryer function to cook Tater Tots. They turned out very tasty with a crispy outer shell and soft middle. I'm looking forward to more of these. They were ready to eat in 15 minutes. Click both photos for more views.

Thursday, November 11, 2021: My only way to use my laptop is by sitting in the passenger chair with a keyboard in my lap and the laptop sitting on the flip-up tray attached to the chair. I finally decided that needs to change. A portable keyboard tray would be the ticket. Click the photo to see my design. I need the keyboard to be at the right height or it would be uncomfortable to type. So I dropped the tray lower into my lap.

The keyboard tray is supported by the passenger chair arms. Additionally, there is a nice little platform for my mouse on the right. There is a similar platform on the left to lay my phone when I must copy photos to the laptop from the phone.

I don't plan to continue using the flip-up table to hold the laptop. It is too difficult to get out of the chair because the power cord must be disconnected and I must push out of the chair to the left around the table. To solve that problem I have ordered a laptop stand which will support the laptop separately from the chair. The feet of the stand will slide under the chair to support the laptop much closer than it is when sitting on the table. I guess I don't need a bigger monitor after all, just move this one closer.

Click this photo for another view.

Tuesday, November 9, 2021: Not much happening today so after my hour Zwift ride and a nice Chinese lunch with Gwen, I set up my tiny train. I purchased this little train years ago for less than $10. Click the link for a short video.

Monday, November 8, 2021: After a trip to Roseburg to pick up my new glasses I chose to bake some biscuits. This was my first time in a very long time of biscuit baking, but I just had the urge.

After taking Abby for a run in the storage area I drove by a neighbor and learned she wanted to move her new fence in a couple of places. This was a fence we have been considering to contain Abby so I was interested in how it was put together. I volunteered to move the few panels.

My neighbor has a dog about the size of Abby and this fence has been working to keep Fairbanks inside. I have my doubts that it would contain Abby, however. I'm afraid Abby would find a weak spot and push her way through. It took about two hours to complete this project. My neighbor is happy.

Sunday, November 7, 2021: Exactly the same routine today as yesterday. Three football games following a Zwift ride with Glen, Joe and Ben.

Today, of course, was NFL. I didn't watch ANY of the games in their entirety and I took a break from football to watch a documentary concerning the solar system.

It was an unusual NFL day with the better teams such as the Cowboys, Packers, Saints, Raiders and potentially the Rams getting beat today.

Saturday, November 6, 2021: The day began with an early morning Zwift ride with Glen plus sons Joe and Ben. I struggled with connection issues for some unknown reason but still able to complete 3/4 of the ride.

The rest of the day was college football ending with Oregon at Washington Huskys. Oregon seems to have a one man football team with Travis Dye, at least in the rain.

Oregon won.

Tuesday, November 2, 2021: I have a project in mind so Abby and I drove to the lumber store in Roseburg to pick up some wood.

Before I can start any new projects, however, I need to fix the shop light over my work table. The current shop light stopped working. It could be the fluorescent bulbs or a ballast, I don't know. But I was anxious to change my shop light to an LED fixture.

What I bought was a four foot sheet of light which offers even more illumination than the original shop light.

Click the photo for a view of the 1 foot x 4 foot sheet of light.

After completing the light replacement, I did a Zwift ride with Glen.

Sunday, October 31, 2021: I tried two bike rides today. I got 6 miles into the first one when it got rained out. I still rode 13 miles. The second one was under the gazebo on Zwift so the weather did not matter. Glen and my son, Ben joined me for a 45 minute ride. In between bike rides I got to see three football games. The last one was Sunday night football with Cowboys and Vikings. A good game with the score tied twice. Cowboys won in the last 45 seconds.

Saturday, October 30, 2021: Gwen and I met her daughter Lesa and partner, Jeff plus Gwen's son David and partner, Brook at the
Oregon Vortex. The Vortex is 2 hours driving time south of us in Sutherlin. The Vortex is a one acre plot of land which seems to do strange things to height. Depending upon your location in the Vortex your height seems to change compared to the person next to you.

The evidence is in these two photos. This is only one example among the many we did while visiting the Vortex. I did not move from the center of the board. Only Dave and the boy moved.

After our Vortex visit, we all went to Grants Pass for lunch before we each drove in different directions to get home.

We are wearing winter rain gear due to the rain storm this morning.

Saturday - Thursday, October 16 - 21, 2021: My final days in Reno included several weekend projects for Joe and more playing with the grandkids. Joe has a dog door in his bathroom and now a dog gate to keep Casey in the bathroom when Dad is at work.

Both Joe and Ben purchased Wahoo Kickr bicycle trainers so we can "ride together" on Zwift. Since they are new to Zwift they are just learning all the techniques as I did last winter.

My flight home from Reno took me first to Las Vegas for a connecting flight back to Eugene, Oregon. I was not comfortable wearing an N95 mask for 7 hours but discovered a method to remove the mask while at the airport. I got a McDonalds drink and a private location to sit.

My flight arrived in Eugene just as a storm was approaching so our Boeing 737 bounced around on the descent through the clouds.

Click the photos for more views.

Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, October 13 - 15, 2021: I'm spending time with my daughter Mindy and her husband, Scott and playing with Elise and Lucy. Both the girls ride their bicycles very well. It won't be long until they will pass me. Here is a video of the action. It is time for Halloween decoration. Lucy grabbed the skeleton and began dancing with it. The skeleton finally ended up in the swing in the front yard. Lucy likes to climb trees so I found her in one of the park trees.

Lucy and Elise get a craft box each month from me. It happened that Elise got her box while I was playing with her. We worked at assembly of her project, a bird cape and mask. This was after building block castles.

Finally, Scott and Mindy have a mouse invasion. Scott has two live mouse traps. While I was visiting, mouse number 3 and 4 were captured. We took them over to the opposite side of the park to let them go. Today, I learned they are on mouse number 11 and 12.

Tuesday, October 5, 2021: A long drive from Reno, Nevada to Windsor, California to spend four days at the Worldmark Resort. This is a special place the kids like to visit because of the large swimming pool and warm temperatures. Click the photo above to see the pool.

After a brief rest period the kids headed to the basketball courts and then to the swimming pool.

Son Ben has planned on ribs tonight so those will need to go onto the barbeque soon.

It is going to be a busy four days in Windsor.

Monday, October 4, 2021: A nice flight on a Boeing 737-700 from Eugene, Oregon to Reno, Nevada. I was surprised at how nice the airport was in Eugene since Eugene is a fairly small town. Click the above photo to see a panorama of the interior of the Eugene airport.

My flight from Eugene took me to Oakland, California where I had to change planes. The Eugene plane landed at 5:40 pm and it took the passengers in front of me at least ten minutes to disembark. My Oakland to Reno flight boarded at 6 pm on the other side of the Oakland airport so I had to scramble to get to gate 4.

Flying time from Eugene to Oakland was 1 hour plus 7 minutes. Flying time from Oakland to Reno was only 31 minutes. However, I left Sutherlin for Eugene at 12:15 pm and arrived in Reno at 7:30 pm for a total of 7 hours and 15 minutes. I could have driven the same distance in 7 hours. Still, I have learned a new airline will begin flying direct to Reno from Eugene beginning November 1 for only $49. I understand you must pedal the whole time so it's a good thing I'm in shape.

This night I slept in grandson Noah's bed with Star Wars sheets and dog Luna slept with me.

Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, September 19 - 21, 2021: My sister, Dorana and her partner, Robin, are visiting from California. While here they are taking advantage of zero sales tax to pick up a couple of paddle boards. Dorana is familiar with the sport and proficient at paddling while Robin has never been on a paddle board.

I took them to the Plat I Reservoir to try their new paddle boards. Dorana hopped right on, stood up and paddled around the lake. Robin, on the other hand, did exactly what I would have done, on hands and knees at first then short periods of standing before falling into the warm water. Each time Robin stood, he got a little better. I'm sure it won't be long until he will also be proficient. Click on all the above photos for another view.

On their last day, I convinced Dorana to visit Costco with me. She does not have a membership and since she is from California, everything in Oregon is 8% cheaper since we have no sale tax. I was sure she would find dozens of items to take back to California with her. We walked every isle and she admired many items but only one went into our basket, a package of two toilet bowl brushes. Apparently, along with toilet paper, toilet bowl brushes are in short supply in California.

We enjoyed their visit and the meals and stories we shared. Dorana is a fan of Canine Companions. While visiting I introduced her to Jill and Fairbanks. Jill is a Canine Companion trainer here in our park. Abby has participated in Jill's classes. We had a good walk and talk in the back forty with Abby and Fairbanks.

Wednesday, September 15, 2021: This has been a work day. I was going to start this day by covering the side carpet in our stairwell with the leftover vinyl flooring. But it turned out it would not finish well. Our problem is Abby's fur clings to this carpet making it a mess much of the time. I used a special attachment on my vacuum cleaner and got off all the fur. I plan to find some anti-static spray for the carpet hoping it will eliminate the fur clinging.

Next, the rubber on one of the step is coming loose so I used wall molding cement to glue it back in place. I currently have a brick holding the rubber in place while the glue dries.

Next, I used our little "Green Machine" to shampoo the little bit of carpet we still have in the bedroom. It is work on hands and knees but there is such little carpet it doesn't take more than an hour.

Next, we need to reduce the amount of "crap" we are storing. I have taken a perfectly good vacuum cleaner and perfectly good wool throw rug to the donation center. We have no need for the vacuum any longer and Abby wants to pull the wool rug apart. Today, I pulled out our Amish side table made specifically for RVs. We have had it for more than ten years but have not had room for it in the last couple of RVs. It is time to sell it. It is hand made by the Amish of solid cherry. Stands only 19" tall but expands to 28" tall with a 18 x 36" top. It is a wonderful piece of furniture but we have no room for it so time to stop storing it. I took part of the afternoon to make a postcard size ad to place on the mailroom wall. Click the photo to see the table expanded.

I trimmed our Weeping Willow tree. I am training it to grow tall to provide shade for our artificial grass area. I have been waiting to do the trimming because I wanted as many leaves as possible to provide for more growth.

My next job will be to empty out the storage looking for more items to eliminate.

Friday, September 10, 2021: Gwen's daughter, Lesa came to Medford today to do some shopping so we drove to Medford for a day visit. Medford is about a two hour drive so four hours roundtrip. Lesa's first stop was the Budget Building Supply in White City to order some kitchen cabinets. When I lived in the area 15 years ago I would often visit this store. It is a unique building supply specializing in hundreds of molding shapes, decorative glass, unique hardwoods, wooden shapes and pieces and hard-to-find lumber. This is not a building supply where you could buy the lumber and materials to build a house. Instead, it is for the creative woodworker or crafts person to find the pieces and parts for a creative design. I found parts here, for example, to add to the wooden toys I like to design and build. Today I saw some rectangular pieces of glass with designs melted into the glass. It would make a wonderful cabinet door for a small cabinet if I knew someone who might want such a cabinet. Click the photos for more views.

Wednesday, August 25, 2021: Abby has a pathway to the top of the rock wall. I would prefer she not walk through the new planter so I built a bridge for her. Now I just need to get her to use it. So far she will have nothing to do with it.

Tuesday, August 24, 2021: I chose to finish the planter project today. The castle walls are completed and gaps filled.

I purchased 4 cubic feet of steer manure, spread it over the clay and turned it into the clay soil.

I purchased 18 cubic feet of "Raised Bed Soil" which was just the right amount to fill the space I had.

I transplanted the mint which is on the left of the planter.

I bought three flowering plants resistant to Deer. They all have 6 weeks to get established before we leave to go south. I gave each plenty of water and intend to keep them well watered. There is plenty of space for next spring's plants and vegetables.

Look closely and you can see the rebar I pounded into the ground through the center of the castle blocks. Here is another view of the finished project.

Monday, August 23, 2021: I started a new project today. The soil here is an awful clay, hard as a brick when dry and sticky as peanut butter when wet. I tried growing vegetables this summer but only my Mint thrived in this soil. I have been wanting to create a row of flowers and vegetables up against the rock wall. Glen introduced me to "Castle Block" to hold two by six boards for a low wall. The plan is to move rocks to fill the gaps in the rock wall then fill the area between our Castle Block wall and the rocks with descent dirt for vegetables and flowers. I realize it is late in the season to be thinking of adding plants and we are leaving for Arizona in six weeks but I wanted to get this project started so it would be ready for planting next spring when we return. I hope to successfully transplant the Mint which has done so well but everything else will be turned into mulch. I still have at least another day to finish the basic work on this project.

Click the photo for another view.

Sunday, August 15, 2021: Dave, Brook, Gwen and I had a good waffle breakfast with eggs. After our hearty breakfast we took the two dogs, Abby and Maizie on a 2 mile hike through the coastal forest on the Oregon Coast Trail. We ended up on a remote beach with no other hikers or dogs so both got to run the beach.

It was windy but the water was surprisingly calm. The hike through the forest is very pleasant. 500 to 800 year old Spruce trees shade the whole area. It is fun to imagine what it was like before the Europeans arrived. The forest was cool and calm while the beach was windy and warm in the direct sunlight.

Both dogs enjoyed their hike. Click both photos for another view.

Saturday, August 14, 2021: This was a day with Brook and David, Gwen's son. First breakfast at their home then a quick visit to the Pirate Festival in the Harbor Marina area.

Take a look at the Festival photos. There is an explosion of COVID-19 cases in the state of Oregon and specifically in Curry County (that's THIS county) and Douglas County, our county. 98% are the unvaccinated. When you view the festival photos, how many masks do you see in this crowd? I walked Abby through the festival with my mask on. It felt creepy because you KNOW this crowd is a super spreader of the virus. We have also gotten word that five unvaccinated members in our park have tested positive for the virus.

After the quick festival visit we took Abby for a hike through Azalea park. It is a well maintained Brookings park within walking distance of the Elks Lodge where we are parked.

We ended the day with Wild River Pizza, a popular pizza restaurant in Brookings. We took the pizza home to Dave and Brook's house.

Click the photos for more views.

Friday, August 13, 2021: After another 34 mile bike ride east on the North Bank Chetco River Road I took Abby to the McVay Beach. It has a dog park as well as a rocky, not sandy, beach.

Abby doesn't like dog parks. There were no other dogs in this dog park but she still knew what it was. She was very cautious and nervous inside and brightened up as soon as we came out of the park.

I took her to this beach because it is a bunch of little pebbles, not sand so she wouldn't get covered in sand when we walked the beach.

This was a foggy day where viability would change by the minute. It is actually forecast to rain later tonight but that chance is pretty slim.

The purple and tan plant washed up on the beach is a type of seaweed. I picked up the purple leaf and it felt like a leaf of silicone.

Click these two photos for more views.

Wednesday, August 4, 2021: I had a list of five stores to visit in Roseburg today and Costco was one of those. Today was the first day of the next Costco sale cycle and I had several items I wanted to get. Apparently so did everyone else. The lines at every cashier were longer than I've ever seen them at our Roseburg Costco. I'll admit to buying multiple packages of the sale items, maybe others were doing that too. There were two firemen directly in front of me. Their cart was full of cases of bottled water, bottled Gatorade, plus 20 packages of insulated drinking containers (40 containers). They were obviously headed to the fire lines. We had a lightening storm pass through a couple nights ago and the newspaper says 20 new fires were started. Their bill was $500. Today was our first day of bad smoke in the valley even though we have had wildfires for more than a month.

My other stores were the upholsterer who finished the new sides for the golf cart. Also the recycle center to turn in a bag of bottles. I shopped at Safeway to get the almond milk we like. Finally, I picked up a few "castle wall garden blocks" from Lowe's to test out a planter idea.

Friday, July 23, 2021: I scored a treasure today at the in-park yard sale. I almost missed the treasure. I drove Abby and myself to the sale, walked both sides of the street finding nothing to buy. I hoped back into the golf cart with Abby and began to drive away when a stand-alone fan caught my eye. Gwen and I had just purchased such a fan at Costco for $40. I began to think it would be good to have two fans. I was also thinking a fan would be nice when I ride my bicycle trainer. When my buddy, Glen, rides his trainer he has THREE fans blowing on him. This fan came with misters intended to connect to the fan housing and blow water mist for cooling. I tried that but found it was too messy. I ended up mounting the misters to the top of the gazebo where the water wets the windbreaker and has a cooling effect. For $6, this is a treasure. Click both photos for more views.

Wednesday, July 21, 2021: This is the annual meeting week at the Timber Valley SKP RV Park. Much happens this week to organize the committees, volunteers and board officers this week.

There are also many fun activities where participants enjoy the competition and games. One of those activities is a golf cart race. It is not a traditional race between participants. In this case a two person team is in each cart. The driver is blind folded. The blind folded driver must follow the directions of the team mate to negotiate a set course. The best time wins the trophy. Click the photo to see all the participants.

Monday, July 12, 2021: I found this today on one of my regular bike riding routes. It must have happen recently but I've not found any reports about this even on the Facebook page of the Fair Oaks Rural Fire Department located only a mile from this location. Click the photo to see a side view.

Due to the materials used to make RVs, once a fire starts the RV goes up like a match. This RV appears to be older and poorly (cheaply) built. Even the best RVs are fire traps.

All RVs have at least two escape windows. We have one in the living room (not sure why we wouldn't use the door). We have a second one in the bedroom. The window is about 8 feet off the ground. We have an escape ladder next to the window. However, neither of us are anxious to test it. We would have very little time to get the window propped open, connect the ladder, get Gwen out the window, get Abby out the window followed by me. It would be tough for 70 year olds and next to impossible for 80 year olds. I do have a large fire extinguisher next to the bed but the fire would have to be caught early. I hope no one was injured in this fire.

Friday, July 9, 2021: This is the first day of the Roseburg Lavender Festival located 8 miles into the country west of Roseburg. There were two dozen booths with Lavender and other crafts or agricultural products. Gwen purchased a large bunch of Lavender. She plans to hang and dry them. The fragrance filled the car as we drove home. It was a hot day so the most popular booth was selling shaved ice. The ice dishes were artistically done. Click both photos for more views.

Friday, July 2, 2021: Before I get into this story let me explain why these two photos are a little fuzzy. The short answer is the terrible camera which is part of the Samsung S20 phone. Trusting Samsung, I paid nearly $1500 for the phone about a year ago. The camera has never been right. It has gone back to Samsung for repair which did nothing. When taking a photo, all you can do is HOPE it will be in focus, much of the time it is not. I am VERY SORRY I purchased this phone and highly encourage anyone looking for a new phone to explore all brands other than Samsung.

I pressure washed the golf cart today to get it ready for the golf cart parade on July 4th. Gwen plans to decorate the cart and drive with Abby in the parade while I join with Glen and Erik on a long drive to eastern Oregon for a short bicycle tour. I also removed the side curtains because they need to be replaced. The shop which made the curtains is still in business in Roseburg. I took the old curtains to them. They will duplicate the curtains. These side curtains are really needed for winter driving.

Monday, June 28, 2021: I really want some shade at the front of the shed. My friend, Glen, installed a retractable awning at his house which I really liked so decided to get one for our shed. When I pulled all the parts out of the box, I thought, "a two day job". But surprisingly, it only took a couple hours to get it mounted today. The "Chinese English" instructions were little help and often confusing. Somehow, I figured it all out the first time and with Gwen's help, got it mounted today. Click both photos for additional views.

Sunday, June 13, 2021: This was a wet travel day from Chimacum, Washington to Sutherlin, Oregon. We don't usually drive this far or this long (10 hours) in a day but it was raining the whole drive and we both anxious to get back to home base.

We did make a stop in Portland at IKEA, just for fun. We bought a few items and got an idea for shoe storage near the door. I'll be making that soon.

We also had lunch at the IDEA cafe. An interesting experience. Apparently their Swedish Meat Balls are popular and recommended by friends so we both had to try them. I didn't understand the attraction. I DID enjoy the cold brew coffee drink, however. The traffic going out of Portland was very heavy but the traffic returning to Portland was incredible. It was backed up to Albany (60 miles). We arrived in early evening.

Saturday, June 12, 2021: Gwen and I visit the Sequim Farmers and Artisans Market. This morning was one of the first with clear, warm skies. That made visiting this outdoor market more enjoyable. Sequim is a 30 minute drive on a very busy Route 101. There were lots of quality items but we bought nothing. We will be taking Route 101 south tomorrow to join with Route I-5 south. We have decided to cut our travel time a few days short since rain is in the forecast. Click this photo and the next photo a second time to see a panorama of the market.

After the market, we visited Costco for a few food items. We were careful to buy only food since Washington charges a sales tax on everything except food. We will be back in sales tax free Oregon tomorrow.

Wednesday, June 9, 2021: The three of us took a ferry to Whidbey Island today just to take a look around the island. Back in 1970 I applied to the Whidbey Island School District for a teaching position strait out of UC Davis Graduate School. I never heard back from them or the nine other Washington State school districts I applied to. Our first stop was Coupeville and learned nearly every business was closed on Wednesday. We really had no intention to walk into stores anyway. Our second stop was Oak Harbor, to the north. I DID visit a bike shop in Oak Harbor. We walked historic old town but did not visit any store. Third stop was Deception Pass, at least the bridge over Deception Pass. We walked the bridge for the views and I took a short video to show the fast Tidal Current coming through the pass. We bought sandwiches for lunch and ate them in an Oak Harbor City Park. With the few minutes we had left before our return ferry, we drove to Langley on the southern end of the island. It had a cute historic district and several restaurants which looked busy. Click this photos for more views.

Saturday, June 5, 2021: A drive from Ellensburg of 1 hour 15 minutes brought us to the picturesque German style town of Leavenworth, Washington. Many friends had recommended that we visit.

In the 1960s the town was a dying timber industry town. It was at that time several town members visited Solvang, California, another Bavarian themed west coast town. The idea caught on and now the entire town has adopted a Bavarian theme with festivals and events happening year around.

Today was a busy day in Leavenworth with lines of customers waiting to be seated at one of the many restaurants in town. I believe there are more restaurants than shops in this little town. I think the motels and hotels may out number the restaurants. Apparently, the popular thing to do is stay the night and walk the town looking for good food or baked goods. I counted at least six bakeries. We walked Abby through town as did many other dog owners. This was Abby's first time to be in such a large crowd and to see so many other dogs. She did well and was welcome in many of the town stores.

I found nothing to buy. I wanted a baked pretzel but the line was too long. Gwen found a couple of small items and some fabric at a quilt store on the way out of town.

The weather was threatening rain in mid-afternoon but only developed a few small showers.

Click the photos for more views.

Thursday, June 3, 2021: Abby and I hiked the Pulaski Tunnel Trail from Wallace, Idaho. Ed Pulaski was a forest service ranger during the terrible 1910 forest fires burning the Idaho/Montana border. He and his 45 man firefighting crew were trapped in the "Big Blowup" and would have died. Ed led his crew to a mine shaft up the ravine were Abby and I hiked today.

Abby enjoyed every part of today's hike except for the hot weather. She has not learned to lay in the water to cool off but has learned to wade, drink and splash in the water.

This is a popular trail in Wallace. As you hike the trail, signs tell the story of the Pulaski Crew and of the 1910 forest fire.

Two years after the fire, Ed Pulaski invented the Pulaski firefighting tool still in use today. It is called the "Pulaski". Click on the photos for more views.

Tuesday, June 1, 2021: This was a travel from Hayden to Cataldo, Idaho. It puts us within a 45 minute drive to the Trail of the Hiawatha Trailhead.

We arrived a 1 pm with enough time to do a dry run so we know where we are going tomorrow. The online instructions left us with many questions hence the dry run today. The access is along the most beautiful Interstate 90 drive between Idaho and Montana. Our trailhead is actually in Montana.

We are to pick up our passes, lunches, light for Gwen, shuttle pass for Gwen at the Lookout Pass Ski Lodge then drive another five miles to exit 5 to access the trailhead. The online instruction did not mention the 2 mile, very dusty, access road to the trailhead. I guess we should have figured since the entire Hiawatha trail is gravel. We drove to the trailhead and explored, asked a few questions and got excited. We will try to arrive early.

Friday, May 28, 2021: I went shopping today for sun sleeves. They aren't easy to find so I ended up visiting three bike shops, and one fly fishing store. I found what I was looking for at the first bike shop but they wanted $40. You can get sun sleeves online for $20 but delivery time is too long. The sun sleeves are used to block UV rays on arms. At my age and the amount of sun I get when bicycle riding increases the danger of skin cancer. The sun sleeves will give them the protection they haven't had.

The next bike shop had no sun sleeves so recommended I visit a fishing store. Hence the fly fishing shop. They didn't have sun sleeves either.

The final bike shop had sleeves at a price I was willing to pay.

While driving around Coeur d'Alene I found a popup clothing store in a renovated Airstream that reminded me of the 1956 Airstream my grandparents bought to tour the USA. Click the photos to see what else I found.

Tuesday, May 25, 2021: This was a travel day north to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. This is our second time on this road. The first time we were pulling a 36 foot fifth wheel in clear, dry weather. Today it was raining and we are driving a 41 foot motorhome pulling a Subaru Forester for a total length of 55 feet. The warning signs at the top of the grade excluded vehicles over 60 feet in length.

This is some of the most beautiful area in Oregon also the most rugged. These mountains pass through Oregon, Washington and Idaho.

We continued north along the Idaho, Washington border to Coeur d'Alene where we parked at the Elks Club RV park. It's a nice, quiet park just north of Coeur d'Alene in Hayden, Idaho. For $25/night you get a grassy place to park, water and 50 amps of power.

While shopping, I found my favorite Umpqua ice cream from Roseburg, Oregon in the store. And it was on sale.

Gwen made and narrated a video of a portion of our drive on Highway 3. Once we got to the bottom we had to climb back out with similar road conditions.

Click these photos for more views.

Saturday, May 22, 2021: We decided on a drive toward Hells Canyon Overlook expecting to be stopped by snow. Instead the road was clear with very little snow.

We ended up driving all the way to the overlook. The Snake River is at the bottom of the canyon but we could not see the river from the overlook. It is about 4000 feet below us. During the summer months it can be very warm here, more than 100 each day.

I made a short video of the Hells Canyon Overlook area.

Click these photos for more views.

Friday, May 21, 2021: The west shore of Wallowa Lake is the only shoreline with homes on the water. The access to these homes is a narrow road leaving the northeast side of the town of Joseph. There are no signs, I found the access by looking at satellite views on Google. Trouthaven Cabins seemed to be the only tourist space and property with the best views. It looks to be a very comfortable spot in the summer months. I imagine most of this shore property to be second homes for Oregon and Washington residents.

We continued our drive into Enterprise, the county seat for Wallowa County. Gwen wanted to visit a Quilt Shop she spotted. After the quilt shop we took a short drive around town looking for a lunch location. We decided on Friends Restaurant in downtown Enterprise. We both enjoyed our meals and the comfort of the restaurant. We returned to Joseph where Gwen found a jigsaw puzzle for rainy day entertainment. We both took Abby for a run in the city park where we were alone on the wet turf. Click these photos for more views.

Thursday, May 20, 2021: Our first full day at the Wallowa Lake State Park.

This was a wet, cold day with light snow this morning but getting to a high of 42 by early afternoon. Returning to snow later in the afternoon.

This made for a perfect day to visit the picturesque village of Joseph. Joseph is a village of artists of all kinds. You can find their work for sale in many of the stores.

There are two arts that I believe are made outstanding in Joseph. The first is the bronze factory producing some of the finest bronze statues. These are commissioned from all over Oregon and shipped world wide.

The second is the Joseph Fly Shop. They sell some of the finest fly fishing equipment and supplies. But for me, what makes them famous are the handmade flies of all sorts but especially to attract the fish locally.

I did find a unique pet shop with all sorts of dog and cat toys and treats plus specialty human food which changes each week. So it is a pet shop cafe. Click all the photos for more views.

Wednesday, May 19, 2021: This was a travel day from the Clyde Holliday State Park to the Wallowa Lake State Park near Joseph, Oregon. Joseph is in the far northeastern corner of Oregon. This is Nez Perce country where the famous Chief Joseph roamed. The town of Joseph is named for Chief Joseph.

All this area is incredibly beautiful but slow driving with good two lane roads with many 30 mph turns. Our drive took 2 hours from John Day to Baker City, then another 2 hours from Baker City to Joseph.

Rain was forecast for the day but it held off long enough for us to get parked and set up. Low temperatures tonight are near freezing.

We do have an Internet connection, slow but it works. When we made reservations months ago, this was the last space available for our size rig. However, I guess those who planned to fill the park have been scared off by the weather forecast because there are many empty camping sites which would fit us. Rain is forecast for the next two days but we will still enjoy every minute. Click all the photos for more views.

Monday, May 17, 2021: There is a wonderful path along the John Day River. It is appropriately called the Riverside Trail. We have walked it many times here at the Clyde Holliday State Park.

The river has a pretty good current so Abby tests the water then something will make her uneasy and she will jump out.

I created a short video to give you the idea of the river current and the wonderful weather today.

Here is another short video to show how nice the Hiker/Biker Camp is in this park. Good news should I decide to do the Old West Scenic Bikeway.

Sunday, May 16, 2021: This was a travel day from Bend to the Clyde Holliday Oregon State Park. It is located one mile from Mt. Vernon (town) and 7 miles from John Day. It is a first come first served (no reservations) park situated right on the John Day River. It is a secret Oregon treasure in our opinions. It is our first time to be here and we are surprised at the huge, private, well maintained sites. We are surrounded by thick lawn on both sides of the motorhome. We have a 50 amp power connection plus water with a dump station nearby. This park is right on the "Wild West Scenic Bikeway" so I'm hoping we return again this summer so I can ride the route.

The drive here took longer than expected. Once we left Prineville and entered the mountains, the two lane road began to serpentine through the gorges, often with 25 mph turns and vanishing shoulders. It would be a fun ride on a motorcycle but several steep climbs for a bicycle and very little shoulder. The road follows Rock Creek through the gorges until it meets the John Day River. The John Day River is on its way to meet the Columbia River. This area is pretty isolated with winding two lane roads with Ontario and Baker City to the east and Redmond to the west. The nearest Costco (my measure for remoteness) is 3 hours away. Click the photos for more views.

Saturday, May 15, 2021: We visited with friends who live in Bend this morning. After our visit we took Abby for a walk in Pioneer Park which borders the Deschutes River in downtown Bend, Oregon.

The Pioneer Park is one of the oldest parks in Bend and very popular. It is also one of the most scenic with residence and condos surrounding the park. It also has river trails on both sides of the river. The trail is paved in Pioneer Park but becomes gravel beyond the park boundaries.

The Deschutes River is a main waterway in central Oregon known for its fishing, rafting and kayaking.

We walked about a mile of the shore line. Click both photos for more views.

Tuesday, April 17, 2021: We had a long drive today to Portland, Oregon and back, about 7 hours driving time round trip. While in Portland, we took a walk along the Willamette River (correct pronunciation of Willamette as it relates to the Oregon wine region is “Will-AM-it” as in “It's Will-AM-it, damit!”) with Abby. There are huge, high rise apartments all around and many of those in apartments have dogs. This is the area the dog walkers come. There is also a dog park with a security gate. I watched another dog owner enter and learned the code by watching him punch it in. Abby is NOT a fan of dog parks unless she is the only dog or all the other dogs are small. I was surprised to see so many big dogs since you would expect "apartment size dogs". There are also several doggie day care facilities in the area. Click the photos for more views.

Sunday, April 25, 2021: The area of our patio next to the steps leading to the shed floods in the rain. I have drain pipe under the blocks along the patio reaching to the ditch. But I didn't have enough drain pipe at the time to reach under the steps. I found just the drain pipe needed and connected the new pipe to the existing pipe. This will keep the area from flooding. Click the photo to see the steps nearly replaced.

Monday, April 19, 2021: While Glen and I visited Bend, Oregon we found a nice place to have lunch at the Boneyard Pub.

I had Nachos while Glen had chicken sandwich with fries. All was very good. Glen shared some of his beer tasting but I didn't find anything I liked better than the Two Shy brewery in Roseburg. Click the logo to see our meals.

We ate on the patio where most brought their dogs. Rio was traveling with us. Rio met Griffey at the next table. Click the photo to see Griffey. He is seven months old and very calm compared to Abby. Griffey is half Golden Retriever and half Labrador Retriever. Everyone who walked by Griffey wanted to say hello!

Sunday, April 11, 2021: Sunday is my day to cook. I decided to do some real work and found a recipe in Forks Over Knives, a vegan place to find recipes. This recipe was for a Pumpkin Alfredo Casserole. I worked about two hours assembling all the ingredients. I knew it was going to be a large dish but I'm figuring on leftovers. It turned out pretty bland and Gwen calls it. Salt helped and Gwen suggested other spices which might help.

I may try making dinner from scratch some other time but not soon. I think I will depend upon Costco to make the dinner when it's my turn. I'm not giving up on myself but believe I will try something a little easier next time.

Saturday, April 10, 2021: Remember the fifth wheel I cleaned up for Paige? Paige is the daughter of my friend Glen. Glen and I worked today at installing a new refrigerator. The new refrigerator is a residential model, not an RV model. This one will be much better than an RV model, more reliable and larger capacity. It fit perfectly where the old refrigerator was installed. This refrigerator would not fit through the door but it did fit through the emergency exit window in the living area.

While Glen worked at preparing the space for the new refrigerator, I used my air compressor to blow out the hot water heater and furnace. The pilot light can be undependable if it is not blown out occasionally.

Once the refrigerator was installed, Glen took me to one of his favorite restaurants, Two Shy Brewery in Roseburg. We enjoyed some great sandwiches. Click the photo for our time in the restaurant.

Monday, April 5, 2021: A wonderful weather day so I rode 25 miles before meeting Gwen and Abby for a hike to Chetco Point Park.

This park is on the ocean side of downtown Brookings. It is a peninsula surrounded by volcanic rock and the Pacific Ocean.

There is a dog park leading into Chetco Point Park. We took Abby to the gate but she did not want to go in even though the other dogs were smaller. Just too many dogs in the dog park.

It was very windy on the point, we were lucky to not lose a hat.

Click the photos for more scenic views.