Summer, 2013 at
Timber Valley
Sunday, October 27, 2013: The Hitchhiker trailer behind us is visiting the park and I noticed it has TEN solar panels. I said to Gwen, "Those folks either don't know what they are doing OR they are trying to power a refrigerator." Today we noticed them setting up to ride their TerraTrikes so I yelled down to them and asked them to ride up the hill so we could see their bikes. So we met Jay and Anita who are staying in the park for a month. Indeed, they not only power a refrigerator but also a freezer using their ten solar panels and ten batteries. We ended up talking (until it began to rain) about satellite Internet and the TerraTrikes. We also learned that Anita teaches online college courses as I do. They spend a lot of time in the south during the winter where they are able to use their solar panels for inexpensive camping (just like we do). Their RV refrigerator died so they replaced with a regular refrigerator (just like we did in our Cameo). Jay says it uses much less electricity than an RV refrigerator which allows them to power the refrigerator with solar. We plan to spend some more time with Jay and Anita before they leave. We've already learned of some cheap camping in Death Valley from them. Click the photo to get a close-up view of the TerraTrike.  |
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Thursday, September 12, 2013: The next item for Miss Scarlet is a nice set of pin stripes. Many of the Prius models we test drove had the pin strips already installed but Miss Scarlet came naked. I watched the YouTube videos of how to install pin stripes and feel confident that I could have easily done it myself and saved about $35 but Gwen refused to allow me to do it. I think she was thinking the pin stripes would be painted on. I don't know anyone who does that any more. Click the photo to see another view of Mark installing the pin stripes.
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Sunday, September 8, 2013: This has been the first football Sunday of the season. But we did much more today than watch football. Today was also the women's final at the US Open Tennis match so Gwen saw all of that match while I caught some of it. Serena Williams came away with the championship. Meanwhile, I went for a 20 mile bike ride with Glen this afternoon. When I returned I got to see most of the 49ers game as they beat the Packers. I'd like to see Eli Manning pull off a victory over the Cowboys but I'm posting this during the fourth quarter and it doesn't look good for the Giants.
Saturday, September 7, 2013: Today was a 30 mile bike ride followed by a drive to Roseburg in Miss Scarlet. During my drive I came across this unique RV. The sign in the window says, "Brutus from Belgium". This looks like one of those "go anywhere" RVs. He might have problems finds parts here in the states. Click the photo for an enlarged view.
Thursday, September 5, 2013: Today was "spa day" for Morgan. I tried to do a "before and after" photo. Tiffany is about to take a nervous Morgan into the bath booth. Morgan has been groomed many times but still acts reluctant for the first few minutes. We really like the Sutherlin Pet Grooming. This is Morgan's second time with them and they have done a very nice job grooming for a reasonable price. Click the photo for the "after" look. Look how nicely trimmed her paws are.
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Tuesday, September 3, 2013: This is a silly photo but just wanted to show what I've done with the wheels. The Prius comes with hub caps over the top of these nice alloy wheels which I don't like. When the hub caps are removed the alloy wheels need a center cap. I ordered the center caps and installed them today for a nice clean look. So this is the second change to Miss Scarlet.
Monday, September 2, 2013: After preparing and returning the Great Blue Heron Edition to storage it was time to watch some of the US Open Tennis matches. In mid-afternoon it was time for the Labor Day barbeque and picnic in Snoopy Meadow at Timber Valley park. The barbeque is a tradition at the park. The weather was cooler which made the picnic weather perfect. Click the photo to see covered picnic area.
Saturday, August 24, 2013: Finally! We've made it back to Lahne Farms. Miss Scarlet did her first off road driving to get us there. I kept telling Gwen to drive slowly, dirt was getting onto Miss Scarlet. Gwen is picking some Elberta peaches, the second item we grabbed, the first was fresh corn. Click the photo for a view of Miss Scarlet in the corn. Note the corn peaking through the back window of Miss Scarlet. We also got bell peppers, tomatoes, squash and fresh flowers. Miss Scarlet wasn't too dirty but I washed her when we got home anyway.
Thursday, August 22, 2013: Today was my first day to drive our new Prius. I picked a mountain road next to the North Umpqua River. It was also Morgan's first ride and she approved (click the photo to see her approval). Choosing the Prius was a tough decision, I felt like I was giving up the "fun-factor" but after driving today, I'm changing my mind. We made this purchase for the fuel mileage. Today, I drove 60 miles into the mountains, climbing all the way. We got 50.4 MPG climbing and 59.9 MPG returning. We did give up some features, like power front seats, in exchange for fuel mileage. I did find the purchase process interesting. We visited lots of different brands, then once we decided on the Prius, I negotiated with three local dealers. One was 12 miles distant while the other two were 64 miles distant. None of these dealers had this vehicle (or one like it) but they all were willing to get this one located at another dealer. All three provided the VIN number which turned out to be the same vehicle (this vehicle). So all were providing a price on the same vehicle. I could have called all Oregon dealers and found the dealer having this vehicle (likely, the Portland area) but chose not to. One dealer refused to negotiate lower than the dealer invoice. The closest dealer first quoted a price $350 above dealer invoice (following Costco pricing plus a transportation charge to retrieve the vehicle from the distant dealer), then reduced their price considerably while I negotiated. The third dealer had very competitive pricing, $1400 below dealer invoice for those on the lot and $1000 below dealer invoice for this vehicle. I wish I could have purchased from every dealer I visited. I liked all the cars I drove and liked all the salesmen with the exception of the Ford dealer who apparently didn't take my interest seriously. I'm anxious to put more driving time into this car. You'll be seeing more adventure and modification photos as we make this car our own. Note the black alloy wheels, I've removed the funky hub caps. We have no front license yet so I removed the "Kendall" sign. Oregon DMV will take 8 -10 weeks to deliver the plates is what I'm told, |
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Tuesday, August 20, 2013: Another beautiful day in Oregon. We drove to Eugene to test drive a Mazda 3 (Eugene is the closest Mazda dealer). The Mazda 3 was my best hope for a combination fun-factor and practical car and it pretty-much met my expectations. Gwen is driving, you can see the touch screen navigation to her right. This is an automatic but has manual shifting simply by sliding the shift lever to the left. Mileage is good with 39 highway and 28 city for an average of 32 MPG. When I did the research I learned the Mazda 3 will have a complete re-make in 2014 so we can't decide on this car until the 2014 models become available. The power seemed sluggish in "D", but was responsive when manually shifting. That's just like all the other cars we've tested in the "Segment C" category. The Mazda has a BOSE sound system and the salesman was playing country music, appreciated by Gwen, annoying to ME. There are economy indicators on all the cars we tested showing fuel consumption while driving, interesting. Of course, that's what this segment is all about, economy. There is a cute convertible MINI behind Gwen's photo which we found in Valley River Center (the main Eugene mall). It would have been fun to test drive but NOT a practical two seater. It actually got worse fuel mileage than the Mazda 3 even though it was half the size.  |
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Sunday, August 18, 2013: Today was a visit from our friends Alice and Rich from Grants Pass. They were returning to Grants Pass from visiting relatives north. We visited all morning and much of the afternoon before they left to shop at Roseburg Costco for the first time.
The photo is of the Prius color Gwen likes best. All the Toyota dealers are anxious to sell their Prius inventory but none have this color. One of the dealers is much more competitive with price. I've used Kelly Blue Book and Edmunds for a price guide and both are showing a "fair price" of $500 - $1000 below the dealer invoice. The Costco price is always $200 above the dealer invoice. The best price I've seen is $1300 below invoice, now we just have to find Gwen's color.
Saturday, August 17, 2013: Yesterday was a long day with some surprises. Since a front end repair to the truck several months ago, the steering has not been right. Some very subtle problems but enough so I've returned the truck to original repair shop then to two other shops. I ended at Gene's Brake and Alignment yesterday and would have a photo except my phone battery was dead (that's another sad story). When making the appointment at Gene's I was told a 2 - 3 hour wait. I delivered the truck at 7:30am, 30 minutes before the 8am appointment time. Then I took myself to breakfast and a walk in downtown Roseburg. By this time it was 2.5 hours later so I returned 
Friday, August 16, 2013: Wednesday is bingo night at the park and I rarely participate. Two days ago Gwen asked me to go with her so I played bingo for the first time in several months. It seems that every time I go, I win something and Wednesday was no exception. I hadn't come close all evening. My six cards had lost 8 games but finally hit on the "small picture frame" which gave me the pot of $21, the second largest pot of the evening. I put my winning dollars into Gwen's game stash to help support her "game habit". Click the photo to see my prize.
Thursday, August 15, 2013: I was with State Farm insurance from 1963 until 2009, 46 years. They wouldn't insure our fifth wheel if we actually lived in it so I decided to change insurance companies. We've been with AAA since but now we are back. State Farm is simply a better company. After my State Farm appointment this morning, off to Roseburg to visit Dr. Davol my urologist. His report was excellent. This afternoon, Ken and Delores, our across the street neighbors wanted to dine together in Roseburg so we were treated to a drive in Delores' Buick, a very nice riding vehicle. This is Thursday, right? So why is "Monday Night Football" on Thursday? Watching San Diego play at Chicago.
Wednesday, August 14, 2013: Today began with the Chapter 9 breakfast at Abby's Pizza downtown Sutherlin. The breakfast begins at 9am but if you arrive at 9am, you won't get a seat. We arrived at 8:25am and most seats were already taken. I had egg beaters, potatoes and biscuit plus coffee. After breakfast, Jack and I rode the Driver Valley loop, 30 miles to show Jack some new territory. After the ride, I noticed the rain-drain repair crew making some changes across the street. To finish off the evening, Gwen talked me into an evening of bingo. Between the two of us, our 12 cards lost 8 games in a row, then I hit on the "small picture frame" which got me $21. That winning money went into Gwen's game stash.
Tuesday, August 13, 2014: This was a day to make another adjustment to our refrigerator then it was Morgan's turn for her annual trip to the vet. Her report was good but she got a few vaccinations and is recovering from those. A few days ago I test drove a 2014 Ford Focus with a manual transmission. I have lots of experience in my Mother's 2012 Focus automatic but I wanted to see how the manual transmission compared. Of course the manual transmission added to the "fun factor". From what I could see, there are virtually no changes to the 2014 Focus over the 2012. It looks and feels like the very same car. I know the mileage figures my Mother gets with her car so know that the focus gets the gas mileage we are looking for. We still must look at several other vehicles before we can focus on one brand and model. I did enjoy the manual transmission and the electronic features of the Ford.
Sunday: August 11, 2013: Today was a day with friends at the first "Roseburg Open Streets" but I'll discuss that tomorrow. Today I'll tell about planning a new "house" for our water source. Every lot at Timber Valley has a water faucet to connect our RVs to a water source. Our "water house" needs to be replaced. I've found and saved enough roofing material to cover the "house" so now it's time to come up with a plan. One of my neighbors is in the process of building a new house. I took this photo to remember his plan. The styrofoam is insulation to protect the house from the cold during winter months.
Saturday: August 10, 2013: I spent much of the day with friends, Jack and Carole from Grants Pass. We visited our favorite restaurant, The Lighthouse Center Cafe and Bakery. Then back to finish a couple of projects. While walking around the park, I found this layout in Snoopy Meadow. I wasn't involved in any of this planning but recognized the layout as two horse shoe pits in progress. I think they should be further apart, I can imagine a horse shoe bouncing toward the opposite court.
Friday: August 9, 2013: Since AAA of Oregon won't help me replace the bear damaged tonneau cover, I have begun the repair of the cover. Fortunately the bear broke through the cover breaking the back half dozen panels which I've discarded. The cover itself was longer than I needed since I have my Transfer Flo fuel tank/storage area in the front of the pickup bed. What that means is much of the tonneau cover was rolled into the tonneau storage bin during the bear attack. So after eliminating the damaged sections, I pulled out the previously unused portion of the cover to again cover the entire pickup bed. Another half dozen panels were bent by the weight of the bear sitting on the cover so I climbed into the pickup bed and pushed up against the cover to take the bend out of those sections. Finally, the bear ripped off the leading steel edge but did not damage this steel piece. I've glued this to the cover and used pop-rivets to secure to the cover. I expect this to be back to its original condition when I'm finished. I'd love to have a new cover but found it too difficult to think of spending money to replace something which I got free. I honestly don't expect my "jury-rigging" to last forever but it should last until I'm more willing to spend the $1,000 it would take to replace this Pace-Edwards cover. 
Thursday: August 8, 2013: Gwen gave me a shopping list today because I needed to make a trip to Costco to get my tires rotated. That means I've put 7,000 miles on the truck in only a few months. We've got to slow down the accumulation of miles on the truck. I took an hour of the day to take a test ride in the Honda Civic EX. This one is a metallic brown which they call "coffee". It is available in automatic transmission only so I struggled with finding the "fun factor" when driving it. I consider the Honda to be "trustworthy" ... the industry calls it "reliability". The salesman says it's the most popular vehicle in this class and has the best "resale". The dashboard instruments are kind of strange and the view screen for consumer controls as well as the projection coming from the rearview camera is small. By "strange", I mean there are two levels of instruments. There is a huge tachometer dominating the entire lower instrument view. So what is the need for a tachometer with an automatic transmission, especially one which dominates the entire instrument panel? They needed to put the tachometer where the tiny view screen is located and make the view screen large as it is in the Dodge Dart. The seat was comfortable but the over-all feeling of performance and handling was "lack-luster", hence, difficult to find the "fun-factor". I do like the coffee color.
Wednesday, August 7, 2013: This morning I got a call from my claims agent from my current automobile insurance, AAA of Oregon. I've been with AAA for three years since leaving State Farm after forty years. I left State Farm because they would not insure my RV if I went to full-time travel. 
Well, three weeks ago I filed a claim with AAA of Oregon for my tonneau cover which was torn open by a bear in Mammoth Mountain. After filing the claim I got a call from the adjuster saying a damage estimate had to be completed and referred to another adjuster. The adjuster had to verify that the tonneau was permanently mounted, I was told. I did not hear from the final adjuster so made another call. Two days later I get a phone message telling me the claim was "disallowed" because "page 17 paragraph 81" of the policy clearly stated that no after market items would be covered unless specifically listed in the policy. I checked with my agent about this disappointment who check with the underwriter, all items had to be listed and the price of the policy would be increased by 50% to cover those items. I'm disappointed in AAA of Oregon because my agent did not make me aware of this policy and all I got was excuses of why they would not pay my claim. Since I'm new-car shopping I wanted to get a quote on what insurance would cost on a new car. I visited my local State Farm agent in Sutherlin, literally 1 mile from my location. I learned they would insure my truck for less that AAA and would have paid for my tonneau cover without declaration of after-market items and for no extra premium. It's a "no-brainer", I'm going back to State Farm. I've used AAA roadside insurance nearly every year of travel and been very satisfied but certainly can't recommend their automobile insurance.
Tuesday, August 6, 2013: I think the buying process of a new car is the most fun purchase. It's the only time you get to try out all the models and see all the new gadgets the car makers put onto their vehicles to attract buyers. I hope we can draw out this process as long as possible just for the fun. The only vehicle we own is our 2004 Dodge Ram 3500 and we are "driving the wheels off of it" with around-town driving. It's made to tow a heavy load and I have all the extras to make it easy (for example a second fuel tank and exhaust brakes). But for around town driving, it's a big-fat-pig. When I refuel, it's never less than $100 and can be $300 if I fill both tanks. So we have decided to look for a "sporty" economy car. Today was our first test drive and we chose the new Dodge Dart. Click the photo for a wider view. Our list of "must-haves" includes a moon-roof, comfortable interior, four doors, nice sound system, 40 MPG, and now ... all the new electronics like built in navigation, digital controls, backup camera and satellite radio. Driving this red Dart taught us that since it had the electronic panel. I had on my list, "manual transmission" and was surprised when Gwen enjoyed the manual transmission. We will have to think about that one since "we aren't kids anymore" and perhaps we are "too old" for a "fun car". I hadn't driven a manual transmission in 30 years and it came right back to me. "Golly!" ... it was fun. The interesting feature of the automatic transmission is the ability to put it into "manual mode" and make each shift (without a clutch), it was ALMOST as much fun. Next, we have the Chevy Cruze, Ford Focus, Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla and perhaps the Mazda3 on our lists.
Friday, August 2, 2013: The photo at right was taken near the top of Tioga Pass looking east. Yosemite is on a few miles to the west of this point. Click the photo for a wider view of the road leading to this summit. What I did today wasn't worth a photograph so I've added this photo taken on a recent trip. Our morning began at White Horse coffee shop because we have nothing in the refrigerator and I have no creamer for coffee. On the way to Roseburg grocery shopping we stopped at the pet groomer and made an appointment for Morgan. Gwen found a discount coupon for JC Penney so we stopped at that department store where Gwen found some new clothes. Then a quick visit to Fred Meyer for some Oregon University decal which we did NOT find. Finally to the grocery store then on to Costco for a few more groceries. After returning to Sutherlin, I connected to our Alumascape and parked it in our storage area. Gwen finished the day playing a card game at the clubhouse while I worked on this Webpage.
Sunday, July 14, 2013: This Vegenaise is one of the products we have switched to in our quest for a healthier daily menu. It's fortunate that we are not the only consumers looking for healthier food. Since there is a large, growing number of plant based, whole food consumers, the industry is taking notice and providing tasty alternatives.
We have begun preparing to leave Sutherlin with our Great Blue Heron Edition on Tuesday. That will mean intermittent reporting again on this Webpage.
Wednesday, July 10, 2013: The second Wednesday of the month is always a breakfast meeting for Escapee Chapter 9. Normally the breakfast is at Abby's Pizza in downtown Sutherlin but the group has grown so large during these summer months that we decided to have the breakfast in our clubhouse with Abby's catering. This morning was our first try at this new arrangement. The clubhouse was packed but the Abby's crew handled the crowd well. The menu was biscuits and gravy, eggs, bacon, sausage plus hash browns and juice. Everyone enjoyed the meeting and breakfast. Click the photo for another view.
Saturday, July 6, 2013: We've had a couple of cool days but the summer heat is returning. Morgan has learned how to stay cool with the fan in just the right position. Today has been a fun day. It began early with a bike ride with my friend Glen. The ride began at 6:30 am so we'd have most of the day to do other things. While I was riding, Gwen was watching Marion Bartoli(Italy) beat Sabine Lasicki(Germany) in the Wimbledon Ladies Final. Gwen hasn't been feeling well this week but good enough today to request breakfast at her favorite location, the White Horse Coffee Shop. After the fun start to the day, I did the laundry hanging the clothes on our clothes line rather than dry in the dryer, Gwen likes it that way. I'm also trying to solve the problem with the Weber barbeque. It works fine on a small disposable tank but not at all with a hose and larger tank. I've concluded the problem is the hose so I'm going to have one made special for the Weber. We ended the day with a Red Box movie (50¢) discount, "A Good Day to Die Hard" with Bruce Willis. I don't generally like violent movies but the "good guys" always win in the "Die Hard" movies.
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Sunday, June 16, 2013: This Father's Day I'm remembering my Father. This photo was taken in1996 in the Olympic Rain Forest during a backpack trip with my sister (she's taking the photo). My Father hiked much of the way into the forest the first day with the two of us. This little frame, about 5" square, is made of Purple Heart and hanging in our "hallway". Later that evening it began to rain and set a new record for the most rain in a 24 hour period during the month of July. So my sister and I had to hike out of the rainforest in waist deep water. My father and mother "saved" us by providing a motorhome to take a hot shower, eat hot food and change into dry clothes. I 2011 I got to spend four months with my father. Visit those days. I miss my father.
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Tuesday, June 11, 2013: The Bee problem continues, some have moved to the bee box but the main body still appears to be in the trailer. When Mike returns we will likely dispose of the bees. Meanwhile, we have a yard sale to prepare for. Timber Valley has an annual yard sale. We attended the sale last year as buyers. This year we will be buyers and sellers. We have a major amount of stuff removed from the Alumascape to sell (practically give away). I've already made a list of the items we need to purchase and hope someone in the park has exactly what we need. For example, I mowed the lawns again today. These lawns are on the side of a hill and very difficult to mow because footing is so difficult. I need golf shoes to maintain my footing so I'll be looking for size 9.5 golf shoes. I've found some at Goodwill and St. Vincent de Paul while visiting the coast but wrong size. We also have some nice things to sell. For Example, I can't use our 2000 watt inverter any longer so that's for sale. Several members in the park are offering RVs at the Yard Sale, I collected photos of the RVs today to include those photos on a Craig's List listing of the Yard Sale. Gwen put price stickers on all items and fixed a box of 5¢ items for small items. Such a deal!
| Saturday, June 8, 2013: Arriving home today, I found a large swarm of honey bees just outside our dining area slide. Thousands of honey bees were landing on the bicycle seat and swarming the area. I jumped inside without letting any bees inside and took photos. Click the photos for more views. In about an hour they were gone. I hoped, off to some tree somewhere. Then I noticed they had all collected on my wheel well around a small opening caused from the securing tape separating from the underbelly cover. I'm afraid they have decided this is the perfect new home for the hive. The large cluster of bees got smaller as they all climbed inside the hole. Now, I'm assuming they have located the hive between the underbelly cover and the trailer floor. We'll have to become friends with a bee keeper if they are still there tomorrow. |  |
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Wednesday, May 29, 2013: I've been on call for jury service this entire month for Douglas County Courts. My juror number was 694 and so far the largest number called was 370. Tonight's recorded message to all May jurors was that "no jurors would be needed for the next two days, all May jurors are excused." Our fifth wheel Cameo and travel trailer Alumascape are both parked on our lot in Timber Valley. We just returned from our Oregon Coast trip yesterday and now have a long "to-do list" for the Alumascape. The travel trailer is allowed on our lot for only 48 hours without a special permit, so I'll get that permit tomorrow to make the repairs. We hadn't expected to need to heat the trailer on the coast but the weather was storming most of our trip. The furnace ran the batteries dead very quickly which meant running the generator continually. So I'm installing a propane heater which won't affect the battery. I'm also moving the solar charging system from the Cameo to the Alumascape, a major project. That will also move two of my Trojan T-125 batteries replacing the batteries which came with the trailer. All the rest of the items on the to-do list are minor compared to these projects. Of course next week is "finals" week for the college course I'm teaching so these next two weeks will be very busy. Click the photo for a panorama. | Return to Summer '13 travel | Continue to Fall-Winter, 2013/2014 |
