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Tuesday, September 19, 2023: It was a struggle but we got Gwee's eBike onto the roof of the Forester.  My bike is not nearly as heavy as Gwen's bike. We normally carry the bikes on the bitch rack but we must tow the trailer so hitch rack is not available. We are ready to roll south after parking the motorhome in storage. We are visiting relatives in Klamath Falls, Oregon then in Reno, Nevada. We expect to arrive in Tucson on Saturday, September 30. We are unsure of any Internet access while traveling and after arriving it may take a day or two to get WiFi again. This may be the last post until the first week of October.



Saturday, September 16, 2023: We have some items to keep cool during our drive to the south. I watched several videos describing methods to extend the cooling properties of a typical ice chest. One of those methods was to double insulate the ice chest. Yesterday while putting our garbage into the park dumpster I noticed four sheets of one inch Styrofoam and immediately had the vision to use it to double insulate our ice chest. I cut pieces to fit and now believe this will extend the life of the items in the ice chest. 





Thursday, September 14, 2023: We are nearly ready to move to sunny Tucson next week.  I continued to clean the lot, trim our Willow tree, move the external propane tank to the shed and drain the fresh water tank.  I also got out the instruction manual to learn if there was anything I hadn't thought of for long term storage. I finished the day by watching the Vikings get beat by the Eagles.




Wednesday, September 13, 2023: The park manager served me with a notice that the trailer must be off our lot NOW! Apparently we have been breaking a rule all summer with the trailer on our lot empty but once I began loading and covering with a tarp, the manager has HAD ENOUGH! "Get that trailer off the lot NOW!"  Fortunately I have a friend with 60 acres who will store the trailer for me until next week when we begin our move.  Click the photo for the view the trailer has now.

After the trailer move, I took Abby for a swim and hike along the Plat I reservoir. She has learned to really enjoy swimming.  Click her photo showing how she dried after each swim.




Thursday,  September 7, 2023: I spent all day getting the trailer ready for a test tow. I'm concerned if the Forester can tow this, accelerate and brake since this trailer has no brakes.  The Forester has a tow rating of 1,500 lbs but I have no idea how much this trailer weighs and not sure I want to know. I made sure the trailer is loaded heavy up front. I once loaded a trailer this size incorrectly years ago.  I topped a hill and started down on the other side and the trailer began to bounce violently from side to side. The trailer was off the pavement, hitting on one side then flying off the pavement again hitting the other side. The only thing that saved me was the climb on the next hill.  I was able to accelerate out of the violent action then stop to reload the trailer heavy up front. This trailer towed just fine behind the Forester. I drove rural roads so I could brake hard and test climbing on the steeper hills.  I noticed the springs on the trailer are compressed halfway and allow the trailer to lean on a sharp turn but not uncontrolled. I've also noticed my hitch rise is too tall so I will replace it with a much smaller rise. I am pleased with how the trailer tows, how the tie downs work and how the load rides.  I have 16 tie downs with at least six internal which can't be seen.  Click the photo to see the trailer connected to the Forester.





Tuesday, August 29, 2023: The SPCA in Tucson offers this pet training through the month of October.  We are expecting snakes to be active a few of the months we are in Tucson. For example, the month of October, late March, April and May. We have enrolled Abby in this pet training on October 10. Of course, we hope to never come across these unnoticed but we don't want to take the chance.




Monday, August 28, 2023: The story in our part of Oregon for the past week has been the amount of wildfire smoke. We are the red and blue dot on the left photo. The colored circles with numbers are the AQI (Air Quality Index) where anything above 100 is unhealthy and the higher the number the more unhealthy. We have been above 100 for a week. Sacramento, where my sister lives is 45 will Tucson is 25. There are multiple agencies fighting our fires. Of course the people living near the fires have had to evacuate so we have little to complain about. 




Saturday, August 26, 2023: On this smokey day I chose to use my new McDonald's mobile APP to order a "Big Breakfast with Pancakes" for Gwen, Abby and me.  The regular price for this breakfast is $6.70 each.  It's a real bargain for eggs, biscuit, sausage, potato, and (3) pancakes. However, I had a one day coupon for a 20% discount. Gwen and I had breakfast for $11 and I shared a pancake with Abby. I ordered the breakfast from home but the order was not given to the cooks until I arrived at the drive thru. In the photo, Abby and I are waiting at the mobile order parking location.



Thursday, August 24, 2023: Gwen's son David was on his way to Klamath Falls today.  We caught him at breakfast time at our favorite place in Glide, The Atom Coffee Shop. We enjoyed an hour of food, drink and conversation.  Dave is an Oregon State Park Ranger. We learned more about his on the job duties and where he hopes this job will take him. Dave drove on to Klamath Falls while we returned to Roseburg Costco for gas then home.





Saturday, August 19, 2023: It has been a long time since Gwen and I walked historic Roseburg. This morning we celebrated  with Glen and Kenny Lee for their anniversary at a downtown restaurant. After breakfast we walked Jackson Street, the historic part of Roseburg. I saw a couple of stores which are new to me and might be worth a visit. One is a coffee shop I have never visited and would certainly like to give them a try.



Thursday, August 17, 2023:  This is a photo of the old Highway 99 bridge over the North Umpqua River. Interstate 5, with two bridges is on the other side of this bridge. In 1958, when I was in sixth grade, my parents moved from Oregon City, Oregon to Ontario, California (southern California). They would have crossed this bridge on the way south because Interstate 5 was not built until 1960. In my view, we had moved from heaven to hell. Not just because of the hellish environment in southern California but because of the change in culture. I left a beloved sixth grade teacher in Oregon City and joined an unruly sixth grade class in Ontario where students were extremely disrespectful.  I did, however, get my first job as a paperboy. Now I understand that the Ontario paper took advantage of us paperboys by making us not only deliver the papers but to collect the monthly subscription price from each customer. I sometimes had to return multiple times to collect from those customers. I do remember falling in love with the daughter of one of my customers but never quite got around to asking her name.





Wednesday, August 16, 2023:  We stopped by the Winchester Dam on the North Umpqua River to view the repair work. It is located between Sutherlin and Roseburg so only 7 miles from us. This dam was built in 1890 originally used to generate power but a few years ago the dam was given to the upstream residents who are on the shore of the resulting reservoir.  The repair will cost 3 million dollars and take three weeks. The reservoir will be filled again before the end of August. Of course the dam itself and the repair is controversial but has received the proper approval from both state and federal authorities. Click the photo to see where to fish.






Sunday, August 13, 2023: We finished this project by noon today since it was forecast to be 102 today.  The blocks I made yesterday worked perfectly to fit the canopy feet.  The canopy is now lifted two feet and gives plenty of clearance for the RV.  Glen had to dig out the side of the hill a bit to fit the blocks perfectly.  Click each photo for more views. Here is a very short video of SOJO using the canopy for the first time.




Saturday, August 12, 2023: I drive to Glen's house this morning to help with a canopy to cover his new Class B RV. After erecting the canopy we realized it needed to be taller. I recall a canopy I owned many years ago and raised with pier blocks. That's what I suggested to Glen. Here we are at Home Depot where Glen found eight pier blocks. They are 8" tall and he wants to raise the canopy 24". He also bought some 4 x 6" pillars to attach to the pier blocks.  As it turned out, the canopy feet were slightly too large so I made blocks to expand the posts. Hopefully this project will be finished tomorrow. I have loaded the car with the blocks and a pick to level the ground under the pier blocks. Click both photos for additional photos.





Thursday, August 10, 2023: One of my jobs with the Umpqua Velo Club is to deliver a Vineyard Tour poster to the Sutherlin Visitor Center. Fortunately, my friend Rick, is a volunteer at the visitor center. I brought the poster to him this morning and he immediately placed it right behind the welcome desk.  Thank you Rick.





Wednesday, August 9, 2023: Today is the monthly Umpqua Velo meeting day. As it happened, our local newspaper, News Review in Roseburg has published a nice article about our annual ride which always happens during the Labor Day weekend. The planning meeting went well and everyone has their assignment for the Vineyard Tour. Click the photos to enlarge.






Tuesday, August 8, 2023: My neighbors, Don and Irene requested a step be added to their fifth wheel. They provided the board while I did the cutting and finishing. It looks like a real simple project which it was. This simple project, however, required me using my table saw, band saw, router and sander to complete. I finished with lacquer which I had purchased at a yard sale. It was my first time to use lacquer rather than polyurethane.  I like the lacquer, it dried very quickly leaving a nice semi-gloss finish.





Thursday, August 3, 2023:  I have been watching the weather news about El Nino returning and what it may mean for the southwest since we will be in Tucson all winter.  I watched this video.  Ryan Hall has 1.5 million subscribers and recommended the RadarOmega APP to watch weather systems. So I downloaded the APP which is very sophisticated and complicated. I got to the point I began looking for weather systems around the west coast and found a wet system over Klamath Falls, Oregon, the photo on the left. I sent Lesa a text because she is in Klamath Falls. She confirmed clouds but no rain. Only a few minutes and the storm had passed. It's an expensive APP so I need to learn how to use it quickly. I'm anxious to watch the storms approaching Tucson. Last week Tucson had a monsoon nearly every day, but none today.





Wednesday, August 2, 2023: I have begun getting things ready for transport to Tucson. Months ago I purchased a roll of plastic wrapping material, the kind used to wrap pallets.  I intend to wrap about everything before we pack it. I have started with my Wahoo Kickr bicycle trainer on the left and the bicycle I bought dedicated to the Kickr on the right. I have been using Alexa to make a list of all the things we need to take south and shouldn't forget. I started going through the list looking for the items I could get ready now. We have a 32" Roku TV we need to take for Gwen's sewing room. I wanted to find a box for it so I posted a 4 x 6" card in the mailroom asking if anyone had a 32" TV box I could have. Within a day one of our neighbors answered with a box. It fit perfectly so the TV is packed and ready. I look at the list I've made and all the stuff I've already gathered and wonder if it will all fit into our little trailer. I will learn the answer in mid-September.




Monday, July 31, 2023: While visiting Lesa in Klamath Falls; she showed me how to make my own coffee creamer. I followed her recipe. I haven't tried it yet because I'm still using the store bought creamer. I do my best to get plant based creamer with no dairy but lately have been purchasing whatever is on sale because creamer has become so expensive. Hence the switch to homemade creamer. Lesa has a nice pour spout so I ordered one from Temu a competitor to Amazon. They are obviously a Chinese company (everything comes from China). They claim to ship from California but that's only after the shipment arrives from China. I've learned I must read the description of items very carefully when ordering from Temu. The photos are deceiving. For example I ordered 920 steel washers for $10.  But it turns out 3/4 of them are so tiny they are unusable. My mistake. So far the pour spout seems good. It screws onto a wide mouth quart jar and does no leak. We will learn how long it lasts. I did try the homemade coffee creamer at Lesa's house so hope mine is just as good. 





Sunday, July 30, 2023: My neighbor has had a desire for a class B RV for several months. He first purchased a 2000 Pleasure-Way which is a large van. He took it for a short trip deciding it was too small. I noticed it for sale, mentioned to my friend Glen and he bought it. Only a few weeks went by and my neighbor bought the Concourse above.  The Concourse is still the size of a large van but slightly larger than the Pleasure-Way and certainly feels roomier inside. It also has dually rear wheels making it more stable when driving. He took the Concourse for a three week trip to Canada and back. After returning he told me he had mixed feelings and planned to keep both his Class C and the Concourse.  He was looking to replace the Class C with something smaller. He always travels south during the winter months. Now he has decided he could not spend the winter in something so small and will travel in the Class C instead. The Concourse is for sale. 




Saturday, July 29, 2023: For six weeks during the summer, the city of Sutherlin has music concerts in the Central Park. This happens on Thursday evening. This is only the second year of these concerts so the music provided is usually pretty low key. However, this last Thursday Diamond Rio came to town. The crowd was expected to be six to ten times larger than usual. The city made strict parking rules and shut down all the streets surrounding the park including the main street in town.  The crowd and band did not disappoint. Here is a link to drone footage before the concert began.  Unfortunately the link is from Facebook so you are unlikely able to see it if you don't have a Facebook account.




Friday, July 28, 2023: Every year Gwen and I participate in the Timber Valley Golf Cart Races. The rules are, one driver and one navigator in the cart. The driver is blindfolded and must pass around construction cones by following the instructions from the navigator. We had some near misses with blackberry bushes and several hits on the construction cones. Gwen and I did the course twice. The first time with me driving and Gwen navigating. My time was good enough for third place. Gwen drove with me navigating on the second run. She had a good enough time to place second.  Click both photos for more views. I also created a short video of the event.






Thursday, July 27, 2023:  This morning, Gwen got up early to take a tour of the forest trail along the southern edge of the park. The trail is in the wooded area a little more than 1.1 miles long. It was built entirely by park member Bob. Bob was today's tour leader and told of the history and features of the trail. It is a trail that Abby enjoys everyday!




Wednesday, July 26, 2023: Day two of the annual park celebration is the beginning of the games and tours. I took a tour of the garden club vegetable garden.  It has only been growing for a couple months but it has exploded with growth and vegetables. If you click on that photo you will see the golf chipping game where members compete to chip a golf ball closest to the flag. The photo on the right shows the men's pool winners. You can tell how much fun they had by their smiles. :-)


Tuesday, July 25, 2023: Once each year the Timber Valley SKP park celebrates the formation of this CoOp park with four days of fun and games. To begin this annual event the members have a meeting to hear reports of the park and committees.  This morning was the beginning of the four days of celebration. We listened to nearly 3 hours of reports then all had lunch together fixed by member volunteers. After lunch was a member meeting to vote on a few proposals. Click the photo for a panorama of the group.







Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday: July 21-24, 2023:  We take a long weekend to visit Gwen's daughter, Lesa in Klamath Falls. While there we took several sightseeing trips. I also got the chance to do a gravel ride with the Honey Badger group in the mountains nearby. Click on all photos and view this short video of my ride on Sunday.



Thursday,  July 20, 2023: Exploring our own backyard. It has taken a couple months to finally get to flowering.  These are located up against the rocks that were dumped at the back of our lot.  We are slowely figuring out ways to cover the ugly rocks.  Click the photos for more views.





Sunday, July 16, 2023:  Our city of Sutherlin is sponsoring a "Throwdown", in the Central Park. Apparently it is a contest between 30 Barbecue vendors for the best tasting meat.  In addition, there is a corn hole contest with 15 Corn Hole courts so many teams are competing. These have been two very hot days with a "heat advisory" but it did not stop the crowds. I rode my bike through twice but did not stop to watch any of the action. The biggest attraction was the alligator getting barbecued. Click both photos for more views. 




Saturday, July 15, 2023: It you recall, I built steps and deck for one of Gwen's friends a couple weeks ago. They wanted to pay me but I suggested they take us to dinner instead. They chose one of the better Roseburg restaurants, The Parrot House. This evening they had a live band on the patio but we ate inside for the air conditioning. We learned that the kitchen is upstairs so food must be carried downstairs and dirty dishes go upstairs. I suggested dinner so we could get to know each other better. We had a good time exchanging stories. Click the photos for more views. 






Friday, July 7, 2023:  Once a year and for three days, Roseburg has a Lavender festival. Gwen likes to pick out a bunch of Lavender to bring home for the fine odor it produces. This festival has grown from only a few vendors to many vendors of all sorts of crafts and farm items. Click each photo for more views. Here is a video as I walked through the festival with Abby.  Everyone wanted to pet her.





Thursday, July 6, 2023: It has been hot in Sutherlin so Gwen suggested we travel an hour to the coast to cool off. We found a nice cool beach, 35 degrees cooler than Sutherlin so we had to put on our winter clothes again. Here is a video to show the day.




Wednesday, July 5, 2023: After the parade yesterday Gwen and I drove to Roseburg for a Fourth party at Erik's house. Erik is one of my riding buddies but he is multi-talented and part of the "Face for Radio" Band. We enjoyed lots of food and visiting with friends. Plus we were treated to Face for Radio. Here is a short video of the fun times. 




Tuesday, July 4, 2023: It is a tradition in the Timber Valley SKP RV Park to have a golf cart parade on Independence Day.  We participate when we are in the park. This year, our neighbor, Art, gave us 19 flags to decorate our cart. I made a stand for them. Abby likes to participate too. Most of the cart drivers threw candy to those watching the parade. We tossed dog treats (pet treats for those with a cat) instead of candy.  Here is a video for you to see the participation this year.  Click each photo for another view.






Monday, July 3, 2023: The desck and steps project was completed today. Now I must decorate the golf cart for tomorrow's Independence Day golf cart parade in our park. 






Sunday, July 2, 2023: Still working on a neighbor's deck. She originally wanted only the deck extension but after seeing the new deck decided she wanted everything torn off and replaced with the non-wood decking material which was given to her. The step screws would not give way so I had to use my cutoff saw to remove the screw heads then pop the boards off the screws. Then used the cutoff saw to remove all screws.  I will continue on the project tomorrow and believe it will be done. Click on all photos for more views.




Saturday, June 24, 2023: Once each year the Umpqua Valley Arts Association has a craft and art show. This was the day Gwen and I chose to visit the show. We knew we would not be buying anything because we have no space in Sutherlin to put anything and our little trailer will be plenty full in September when we move to Tucson for the winter. However, we like to see what people are doing and perhaps get some ideas for crafts we might make ourselves. Neither of us found anything but I did enjoy seeing some of the woodworking displays. Click the photos for more views.







Thursday, June 15, 2023: While riding my Oakland loop today I noticed the gate was open to Operation Tiny Home so I rode onto the lot. I was offered a tour and accepted.  Operation Tiny Home is a nonprofit building and donating tiny homes to veterans in need of a home.  I saw at least four units in different stages of construction. I've often wondered the difference of a tiny home compared to an RV since they both have about the same square foot of living space. During the tour I saw that a tiny home is built with fir 2 x 4s, sheet rock, house siding, peak roof with shingles, regular house appliances with no consideration to weight. This is all unlike a recreational vehicle which is built to move around easily.  Click the first photo to visit the Operation Tiny Home Webpage. Click the other photos for more views.




Wednesday, June 14, 2023: Gwen and I chose to have a picnic at Ford's Pond while we were waiting for the stain on our steps to dry.

Ford's pond is under development over the last few years.  It began with a dirt path around the lake.  That was improved to asphalt around 2/3 of the lake.  Then a new parking lot and trailhead was created on the east end. Picnic tables were added. Now they are working on adding a playground and other structures.

Click the photos for more views.




Saturday, June 10, 2023: The garage sale day went pretty well. What you see in the photo is all we have left to donate to St. Vincent de Paul.  We are keeping only two items which did not sell, an expensive tripod and an unworn wet suit. I'll sell both of those either on eBay or Facebook. We sold more than $200 of miscellaneous items. Assuming we sold for 5 cents on the dollar, we sold about $4,000 worth of stuff we cleaned out of our shed.  I assume most of the 30 lots in the sale did the same as we did because we were very busy with buyers most of the morning.




Friday, June 9, 2023: My medical provider has built a new facility in Sutherlin. It opened this week. I switched my primary physician so I could attend the new location. It is a 13 million dollar building so the medical business must be good. I'm really liking my new physician.

The rest of my day was setting up for tomorrow's yard sale and driving around looking at the other 29 yard sales in the park. Click both photos for other views. 






Thursday, June 8, 2023: My day began with a visit to the chiropractor looking for help with back and leg pain. Don't ask, I have mixed feelings about chiropractors. The rest of the day I searched through all our storage locations looking for stuff to include in a yard sale to happen on Saturday. Over 30 lots in our park are participating in the city wide yard sale.  I made sure it got advertised on the local Facebook pages. We now have at least 6 storage bins which are empty. Yes, yard sales are awful because the seller usually has many unsold items which must be stored again. However, in this case, most of the our items will be donated rather than stored again.  Tomorrow I get set up then sneak around to find treasures on the other yards.




Friday, June 2, 2023:  Gwen and I could not resist the "Barn Sale" which happens only occasionally in Roseburg. This is the type of sale with a huge inventory of unique items. Unfortunately the shopper, IMHO, must have something in mind before shopping at this particular sale.  A creative craft artist could turn much of this junk into useful art. Here is the "treasure" I found. I don't have an original idea of what I will do with the knobs, some sort of hat rack is what I'm thinking of. Click the photos for more views.





Tuesday, May 30, 2023: This has been a busy day finding materials for projects. I started with a used building materials store on the south side of Roseburg, I was looking for 1/4" plywood and 1/2" plywood, they had neither. I drove to the UPS store to return a monitor adapter to Amazon.  My next store was the Home Depot where I found bolts, pine boards and 1/4" plywood but not the 1/2" plywood. So I drove to Lowes, across the street from Home Deport. They had no 1/2" plywood either.  I gave up on materials and went to Costco with a short list of items. When I returned home I received the right adapter for my laptop. The story of the external monitor, I have no room in the motorhome for an external monitor but I will have when we are in Tucson in the winter months.  First, I purchased a monitor at an estate sale for $5 knowing it might not work. It didn't have a power cord and it accepted only a VGA cord (analog while my new laptop puts out a digital signal). I purchased a power cord and VGA adapter to fit my laptop from Amazon. It actually worked, the external monitor came on and displayed my laptop monitor. However, it was so fuzzy, nothing could be read. I returned the two cords to Amazon. I advertised the monitor on Facebook and sold it for $5, the same I had paid for it. I then bought a digital monitor from Costco for $94. However, I still needed an adapter since my laptop had no HDMI port (a huge mistake on my part, I should have never purchased a laptop without an HDMI port). Amazon had a USB to HDMI adapter advertised to operate an external monitor. That adapter arrived today. After downloading the driver twice, it worked. Now I will have an external monitor in Tucson. I already use an external keyboard and mouse so the laptop will be used only as the processor.  I have packed the new monitor back in it's box for transportation to Tucson.





Saturday, May 27, 2023: If you remember, my friend Wendell sold his Pleasure Way to my other friends Glen and Kenny Lee a couple weeks ago.  Wendell wanted something with a larger bed.  Today I got a tour of has new Concourse, also a Class B RV but a bit larger and more comfortable.  It is a 2001 model and exceptionally clean inside and out.  It also has a great deal of cabin storage although Wendell says the outside storage is limited. Click on both photos for another view.




Tuesday, May 23, 2023: The states of Oregon, Washington and Idaho have a chain store company called "BiMart". BiMart is a membership store where the fee is only $5 for a lifetime membership. Every Tuesday BiMart has a drawing of membership numbers for prizes ranging from candy bars to TVs. When we think of it we always check our membership numbers on Tuesday for some sort of prize. I happened to remember today. I checked my number, no luck. I happen to have Gwen's number written on the back of my membership card so I checked for her number. Surprise, her number was listed for one of the four larger prizes and she could have the choice of any of the four. That's when I learned that Gwen wanted a cooler.  One of the prizes was an Igloo 62 quart cooler with wheels and a retractable handle, a really nice cooler. This was a really nice prize, thank you, BiMart.






Monday, May 22, 2023: Gwen and I spent this special day with my sister Dorana plus her partner, Robin and Labrador, Gracie. We started the morning in her new Honda Touring Hybrid riding in the backseat with Abby and Gracie. We stopped at our favorite coffee and breakfast location in Glide, Oregon, The Atom.  Once we all had coffee and something to eat we hiked a mile to the Susan Creek Falls. After that hike we stopped in "Dry Creek Store" for something to drink.  Then we drove another 12 miles to Toketee Falls, a very popular falls on the North Umpqua River.  We finished our day together at McMinnemens Restaurant in Roseburg.  We were outside, at the tables on the sidewalk so the dogs could be with us. By the time we finished it was pretty cold.  Dorana, Robin and Gracie are moving on north tomorrow to eventually end up on Whidbey Island in Washington for an extended vacation. Click the photos for three more views.






Saturday, May 20, 2023: My day began by helping Bob set up a registration area for an Umpqua Velo event at Cooper Creek reservoir. It involved mountain biking a new trail around the lake. Once I finished I picked up Gwen for a trip to Oakland. Once each year Oakland has a city wide yard sale. We haven't been able to visit for years. It is usually a very big event. We walked the streets with Abby in tow.  Gwen found two treasures. Click the last photo to see the $10 picture which will hang on our bedroom wall in Tucson. The second treasure is a hand painted bowl she got for $1. Click all the photos for more views.



Friday, May 19, 2023:My day began with a visit from Tom who lives in Glide, about 25 miles distant. Tom was following up on my advertising of the Yamaha eBike. It did not take him long to recognize the value and Tom paid full price and hauled the bike back to Glide.

Gwen and I chose to visit a nearby estate sale next where she found $18 worth of treasures. I found a free standing coat rack which I took apart and stuffed into a plastic bag. My intention is to take it to Arizona because the entrance to our park model is all glass, so no place for coat hooks.

A second item I found is a computer monitor. I'm unsure it will work since it is an analog monitor and did not have a power cord. I only paid $5 for it plus ordered the power cord and computer adapter from Amazon for $22. If it works, great. If not, I'll return the cords to Amazon and toss the monitor. Costco has one for $94 which might work but it too will require an adapter cable. I don't have room for a monitor in the motorhome but will have room in Tucson.






Thursday, May 18, 2023: I spent much of the day digging through all our storage areas looking for stuff we no longer use. I would like to sell on Facebook or Craigslist the bigger items. I would sell the more specialized stuff on eBay. The city of Sutherlin is having a city wide garage sale on June 10 and at least 20 spaces in our park including us, are joining that sale day to get rid of all the little stuff.  The photo shows Gwen's kayak which has been used very little. Since I sold my kayak last year, Gwen hasn't searched for another kayak partner and is ready to give up her boat. Click the kayak to see a backpack I'm selling. This is just two of the many items I've located to get rid of.



Wednesday, May 17, 2023: Eleven years ago when Gwen and I became members of Timber Valley SKP RV park I found a new doctor at the Evergreen Family Medicine in Roseburg.  Last year, Evergreen began building a new medical building in Sutherlin which will make it much closer for me. Today, Dr. Tim, the founder of Evergreen 45 years ago, visited our clubhouse to explain what services will be available in the new Sutherlin building beginning June 2. I had already anticipated the switch from Roseburg to Sutherlin and had made my annual physical appointment to happen in Sutherlin on June 9. It was nice to hear from Dr. Tim what would be happening in the new 13 million dollar building. Dr. Tim is expecting this new building will service not only Sutherlin but all of north Douglas County including Yoncalla, Drain, Elton and Rice Hill. Click the photo to enlarge.




Tuesday, May 16, 2023: Gwen was on her way to "Sit and Sew" this morning when the Golf Cart stopped in the middle of the street.  I couldn't save her right away so we pushed the cart under a tree and left it until this afternoon. We towed the cart back to our lot. I tested each battery (there are six) first. I found one battery only registered 4 volts and should be 6 volts.  I removed that battery and took it with me to Costco to avoid the "core charge". All old batteries must be returned or you are charged $15.  I also bought battery cleaning spray plus battery corrosion prevention spray. All the batteries have been cleaned. I'll finish the installation of the new battery tomorrow. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this fixes the problem. Yes, all batteries should be replaced but that would cost another $550 so I'll try this instead.






Monday, May 15, 2023:  My friend, Wendell, from across the street purchased a class B RV, fixed it all up and took it for his first trip last week. After returning he told me he was selling it because he didn't like the bed. My friends Glen and Kenny Lee have been looking for just the right RV for several years so I sent them the photos of what Wendell wanted to sell.  They liked what they saw, took it for a drive and tonight returned to buy it.  Since Glen and I do a lot of traveling for bike rides, I expect to enjoy the new RV too.  I hope Kenny Lee enjoys her new RV as much as I will enjoy it.





Friday, May 12, 2023: Every Friday there is often a guest speaker in our clubhouse. I do my best to go to the meetings when the speaker is of interest to me.  The city of Sutherlin seems to be unique among the cities in Oregon and maybe in the USA. The city is dealing with the homeless problem straight on by removing the barriers which keep the "houseless" (Sutherlin's name for homeless) in a desperate situation. The city has provided a designated camping area. Seven churches and half a dozen non-profits plus Oregon state services have formed a coalition to meet the needs of those without housing. The president of the local ADAPT nonprofit spoke of  Hastings Village, the name of the houseless area. The purpose of the village is to meet the needs of the residents of the village to get them back into permanent housing and self supporting. The village is organized with duties for the residents as well as rules which must be followed. Also present at today's meeting is the lady who created the Hasting's Village Facebook page where announcements and information is posted. I have been following that page along with 200 other residents in Sutherlin. Often the page posts the immediate needs of the village. All help provided is volunteer help. This village began 1.5 years ago and has become a model for other cities.




Saturday, May 6, 2023: After one of my road rides Gwen and I decided to take a drive into Roseburg to explore some secondhand furniture stores. Gwen happened to notice a neon pink sign advertising an estate sale with an address. The address turned out to be across town making us think it was a mistake but we continued.  It wasn't a mistake. The estate had some very fine furniture and other items. We had been looking for a cabinet I could remodel into a cabinet to hide a TV using an electronic lift. Gwen was the first to spot this cabinet in an upstairs bedroom while I was downstairs talking to the estate owner. I learned, since the sale was ending in 15 minutes, all furniture was half price. At this time Gwen signaled for me to come upstairs where she showed me the cabinet marketed $85.  When I told her it was half price, she sat on the cabinet saying "this is ours, go tell the ladies".  I did as she told me and the ladies gave me a "SOLD" sticker.

Now we had to figure out how we would get it home.  I knew we could use the trailer but it would be 45 minutes round trip to go get it. The ladies told me they would be at the sale at least another hour. We hoped into the car and ran home for the trailer. We got back in plenty of time because others were also loading furniture. A second problem was the intermittent rain but I had a nice tarp to wrap the cabinet. Click the photo to see the cabinet loaded onto the trailer. My plan is to modify this cabinet to have a hidden chamber in the back for the TV which is already in Tucson. The TV will be mounted to a remote controlled lift. When we want to watch the TV, we lift it out of the cabinet. When not watching, the TV will be hidden inside the cabinet. I'm thinking we might modify the cabinet in other ways too such as a white wash.



Thursday, May 4, 2023: Knowing I would need to do some metal cutting when renovating the trailer I purchased this corded cutoff saw at Harbor Freight for less than $20. I can't believe how much I have used it since the purchase.  The chain in the photo is a 3,000 lb test trailer safety chain which I needed to cut because it was too long. It took only 30 seconds and could have been less time had I been more aggressive. This chain is a lot heavier than most chains used to secure our bicycles. Having said that, obviously, it doesn't matter how heavy the chain, this saw can cut it.  Of course cutoff saws are also made cordless, no power cord needed. On the right is a wheel lock on the trailer. I purchased a wheel lock rather than a ball lock because I know thieves are not deterred by ball locks, they simply haul the trailer off using the safety chain.  After the purchase of the wheel lock I realized the thief needs only to bring his own wheel, take off the locked wheel and away he goes. So I used the cable lock to connect the wheel lock to the trailer chassis.  It would take the cutoff saw only seconds to cut through the cable or for that matter through the wheel lock.  I know of no method to secure property against a determined thief. As the saying goes, "my security methods only keep the honest person honest".




Monday, May 1, 2023: The final step was to add hinges to the tailgate. I painted over the bolts with flat black paint. I may come back over with gloss paint, I haven't decided. This project is complete except for DMV registration which will happen on Thursday.






Sunday, April 30, 2023: I'm getting down to all the small things to finish. The plan is the load the trailer then cover the load. Everything must be tied down securely so I have installed cargo loops to connect the tie-down straps. There are enough for five straps, three across and two front to back. The center photo shows the 2" ball coupler. It is a very old style. This style has a locking mechanism to keep the coupler from unthreading which would release the ball. The locking mechanism on this coupler is missing. I have improvised by threading a lock nut onto the tightening knob. It will never accidentally unthread this way. I still need to install the tailgate hinges but can't do that until tomorrow.  I decided to connect the trailer for a test run. The lights work perfectly and the coupler works perfectly. What didn't work was the new safety chain. It is a total of four feet long with a hook on each end. I figured 2 feet for each side would be enough but I was wrong, it was short. I disconnected one side to make the other side longer. I will learn on Thursday if a single safety chain is acceptable. The trailer towed perfectly at freeway speeds. I would like to test with a full load and may get that chance since several of my friends are already finding things they need to move using my trailer.  Click each photo for more views.






Saturday, April 29, 2023: After my bike ride this morning I spent the day doing something special for the trailer. I saw this yesterday on another trailer which gave me the idea. I need a place to keep trailer accessories handy. Someplace for the hydraulic jack, tie down straps, a few tools and a can of "Tire Fix" since I don't have a spare. Click the photos to see the progression of this project.






Thursday, April 27, 2023: Another full day to renovate the utility trailer. All sidewalls and floor has been painted. All metal parts have been painted a second time. The old lights have been removed and new lights installed. Once the paint was dry I began to assemble. Everything went back together easily. The only step left is to install tailgate hinges and the tie-down loops. I need lots of bolts so that project will wait until my next trip to Roseburg. Click the photos for more views.




Wednesday, April 26, 2023:  My trailer renovation continued today. My first thought was the upper shackle bolt support must be cut off and replaced. I drove to the Great Northern Trailer Manufacturing company where I got the new axle. We discussed all the options and finally convinced me to try to drill the rusted shackle bolt out of the support. I began with a small 1/16" bit for the first hole. I then switched up 1/32" to the next size bit. I did this over and over until the last six bits. I jumped only 1/64" larger each bit for the last six bits. It took 3.5 hours to finally get to the last 1/2" bit.  Click the left photo to see the old bolt gone from the upper support. The right photo shows the shackle and bolts assembled and painted. Behind that photo (click the photo) is me starting to paint the side boards.







Monday & Tuesday, April 24-25, 2023: These last two days I have been working on the trailer hoping to make it safe for a trip in the fall to Tucson.  I had a local trailer manufacturer replace the axle because the original axle was so old the bearing could not be packed. I still want to replace the shackle bolts. They easily came off the right side so I replaced and greased these nice new bolts.  The left side, however, has not be so easy. The top shackle bolt is so badly rusted it is frozen inside the tube. I have been soaking with a penetrating oil which claims to "free rusted parts".  I will keep at it tomorrow hoping to finally get it free. Click all three photos for more views.




Sunday, April 23, 2023: The rain has returned today. While we were in Arizona for the winter a new fast food restaurant moved into Roseburg. IN-N-OUT Burger seems to be a very popular restaurant. There is always a line and the parking lot is always full.  We had tried IN-N-OUT Burger years ago and couldn't see the attraction.  We were there at an odd time, 2 pm which should have been a slow time but there were a dozen cars waiting and the parking lot was nearly full. I took about 15 minutes for our food to arrive. I ordered #2 of 3 combination choices. It was a cheese burger, fries plus a drink for $7.85. If I had ordered my favorite at Carl's Jr it would have been an Angus burger with fries and a drink for $11. So maybe the low price is the crowd draw. The Carl's Jr. meal would have been far better. The IN-N-Out Burger was surprisingly good for the price.

It was presented well, included a tomato, lettuce, and special sauce. The fries, however, were surprisingly bad since they say the potatoes are cut and fried on premises. These tasted more like potato powder than freshly fried real potatoes. Perhaps I'm use to seasoned fries. So we are still baffled at the popularity of this restaurant. There must have been 30 employees working and they all seem well organized. The inside was exceptionally clean. So maybe a combination of the low price, organization and cleanliness keep customers returning. Click the photos for more views.


Thursday, April 20, 2023: It's another rainy day in Oregon. Fortunately Catherine (Cat), the current owner of the property we purchased in Tucson, has sent us some photos of the desert just behind our park model. The left photo was taken at dusk. Cat told us of all the solar lights she had installed but we have never seen them working. The path on the right in that photo leads deeper into the desert and the nearby Pantano Wash.  The photo on the right is of the Mesquite Tree which was nothing but branches when we visited in March.  Cat had told us how it would leaf out and create wonderful shade to sit under to enjoy the desert and do some reading. She sent the photo to show exactly what she meant. Thank you, Cat, for the photos.  I've been following the Tucson weather. No rain with daytime temperatures between mid-70s to mid-90s. Night time temperatures between mid-40s to mid-50s. So even with warm daytime temperatures, the nights are cool.



Friday, April 14, 2023:  Today was the first clear day we have had since arriving in Oregon. I took advantage of the clear weather to begin getting the trailer ready for some changes. I first thought it only needed paint but after looking at the under carriage, I plan to replace shackle bolts and add additional "U" bolts to the axle where it connects to the leaf springs.  In a previous life I had experience with shackles breaking and with a wheel separating from the trailer due to dry bearings. I will have the bearings packed after I complete my work. Today, I removed the side and back panels to make it easier to paint. I'm away all day tomorrow and the rain is returning on Sunday then everyday next week so this project will be on hold until the rain stops again.





Wednesday, April 12, 2023: When we became members of Timber Valley ten years ago there were several organized events which we both could enjoy organized by  2 or 3 individuals. As time went by those events faded away. That's one of the reasons we enjoyed Rincon Country West in Tucson. There were lots of organized events which we could participate. Now we have returned to Timber Valley and found ONE individual who likes


to cook, Chef Dennis. He has organized several meals before and after our arrival. One of those was the Easter day brunch. Today it was soup and sandwich. The meal included fresh tomato soup (not from a can) with fresh baked bread for a toasted cheese sandwich. This was followed by a fresh baked chocolate chip muffin with cream cheese frosting. The fee for the meal was $3. Chef Dennis gets help from the garden club which also benefits in a small way toward their gardening activities.  Chef Dennis is leaving Timber Valley for a month to visit friends. I'm guessing the whole park will miss him.




Monday, April 10, 2023: In the fall when we travel to Tucson for the winter we will not be taking the motorhome. We need a method to transport much more than what we can carry in our Subaru. I checked U-Haul and learned a rental trailer would cost more than $700. I began a search for suitable trailers to buy.  I learned the ideal trailers sold for $2000-$4000. I found this one for $600. The seller says he "rebuilt" it, packed the wheel bearings, added new tires. On my inspection it is going to need more than paint to be sure it will make the trip to Tucson without trouble.




Sunday, April 9, 2023: When we were in Tucson at Rincon Country West every two week the woodshop gang would fix breakfast as a fundraiser and charge $6 per plate. Today, the Garden Club at Timber Valley SKP Park fixed a wonderful breakfast charging only $5 per plate.  Chef Dennis is in charge of the kitchen but he had plenty of help from the Garden Club. This was a very popular meal with most everyone in the park participating one way or the other.

The club also did a 50/50 raffle. Gwen did not buy tickets but I did. While I was on Zwift in the shed, Joan delivered the winning pot to Gwen. Yes, we won $90 from the 50/50 raffle. Click both photos for more views.




Wednesday, April 5, 2023: The first Wednesday of the month is the Umpqua Velo meeting night. We are discussing future ride routes, how to support the youth mountain bike team, special ride events and even mentioned the 2023 Vineyard Tour which will happen in September. When in Tucson I joined the Cactus Cycle Club and went on two of their rides. I feel much more comfortable with the UVC. The Oregon folks will talk to me while no one spoke to me from the CCC. I made sure I talked with the new folks at this meeting.


 


Saturday, April 1, 2023: A traveling day from Sparks, Nevada to Sutherlin, Oregon.  This was our longest travel day but we were doing our best to dodge the storms. We were lucky to get to see Mount Lassen as highway 44 meets highway 89. As we drove further on highway 89 toward McCloud, California we enter a small storm cell which lasted about 30 miles. Once we reached Interstate 5 the weather began to clear giving us dry roads all the way to Sutherlin.

 
 
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