Garage time.....

Plans written in Jello.....yep, that's exactly how it is.  We had planned to go up to Mt. St. Helens today, but it was very overcast, and we want to enjoy great views when we are there, so we opted to "stay in" today.....but that's OK, right?  We aren't on vacation, we're just living, and there is always tomorrow.  So, I took the opportunity to do some more re-organizing in the trailer, or "garage" if you will.  The overhead cabinets have always been a little jumbled to me, so I took out some more stuff, moved some things around, and ended up getting a few more things in, and a little more organized.  In addition, I fixed a flat tire on my road bike....the rear had gone flat overnight after our last ride a few days ago.....haven't had a flat in 7 months.  

So after the flat was fixed TLE and I decided to take a ride out Padden Parkway going east this time.  The bike path ran about 3 miles east and then ended abruptly, so we back tracked a ways to 152nd Ave., and followed the bike route south where it joined Wade and then southwest until we eventually hit 117th Street, which is the north/south street that our friends live off of......naturally, we couldn't pass Starbucks without another Frappuccino, so we didn't "Pass Go", we stopped at Starbucks.  When we came out, much to my chagrin, my rear tire was stone cold flat again......wait, what?  I just put a brand new tube in this morning....how can that be?  Well, I do carry a bike pump and pumped it back up enough to ride the last 1.5 miles home......tomorrow, or the next day I will dig into that issue again.  Just in case it would not have held air I did have another tube, and, if need be, a patch kit.  The best situation is if you can pump it up and just ride home and fix it there at your leisure, and that worked today.

We had a lovely steak dinner with our hosts, Lee and Patty,  (they provided the steaks, and I grilled them and TLE prepared some of those green beans from the farmers market, and contributed to Lee's salad),  and then settled in to watch an old period movie called "The Inheritance" by Louisa May Alcott (Little Women) starring Meredith Baxter (no Birney at the end of her name at the time of the making of this movie) and Tom Conti.....also had the guy who played "Greg" in Dharma and Greg years ago....don't remember his name off hand.  I know, it is a "chick flick", but it had a good "biter-bit" theme to it, so I did enjoy the payback at the end.  A "biter-bit" is a story line where the bad guy, the "biter" if you will, gets "bit" at the end.....or, if you will, gets a taste of his own medicine.  In this case "she" got a taste of her own medicine.  A nice movie, and I highly recommend it....about 100 minutes long.

Not much else to report, other than tomorrow is Mt. St. Helens day....it will be clear, and in the low 70's there, so we are looking forward to it.  Maybe we will go "topless" tomorrow in the T-Bird.......slap yourself on the cheek if you were thinking something else....lol!

That was our "garage day".......thanks for stopping by!

A Walk in the Park......

Our original plan.....and you know our plans must, of necessity, be written in jello.....was to tour Fort Vancouver as well as the Pearson Air Musuem, and then the farmers market today, Sunday, but like some National Parks this park is closed Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, along with the Pearson Air Museum, so we moved on to the second part of our plan....visit the farmers market, and walk around downtown for a while, or until we spotted a brew pub.....whichever came first.  After our aborted attempt to tour the fort we quickly moved over to Esther Short Park where, much to our surprise, there was a small car show in progress.  The pictures I am posting are just a few of the cars that struck my fancy.

The engine of this beast

After making our way through the farmers market TLE had determined where she wanted to buy her celantro and beans, so we decided to walk over to Main Street and see if we could find a brew pub to have lunch at, and of course an adult beverage.  I checked Yelp and found a place about 15 blocks from our location.....a little farther than we wanted to walk, but we headed up Main Street, nevertheless.  After about 7 blocks we stumbled upon the Brickhouse Bar and Grill, and trusting to serendipity we picked out a table for two outside and perused the menu.  I settled on a "Lost Coast Downtown Brown" ale, and TLE ordred a Rasputen Stout....we chased those wonderful choices with a Brickhouse Caesar Salad with grilled chicken, and for TLE a Carribean Chicken salad.  Well, serendipity smiled on us again this day....great beer, great salads, and great service!

Serendipity strikes

The Lovely Elaine loves serendipity!

More of the beautifully restored cars we looked at today.  I have never ever heard of this yellow sports car maker......Allard.  Have any of you.....at first I thought it was an old Jaguar.

 An Allard....have never heard of this make before.

 1956 Caddy

This is the Caddy that you must lift the left turn signal to reach the gas spout.

 1956 Corvette

We had a lovely time in downtown Vancouver, but I must say they really shut down this town on Sundays.....not much was open, including several restaurants we passed by.

On our way back to the car we picked up the green beans and celantro, then headed across town to Trader Joe's for some vino, and then to O'Reilly Auto Parts for the new 5 pin relay for my right rear turn signal that I wrote about yesterday.  Once home I got right to work installing the new relay, and what do you know?  It worked the first try......that is a rarity for me, but thanks to the advice and support I got from my Newell buddies the repair went off without a hitch!

Elaine is reading, and I'm blogging....another nice day, and I can't believe it's already August 19th....where has this summer gone?  The temp is around 75 right now, and order has been restored weather wise, so I am a happy guy.

Thanks for stopping by!

Falling down..........

Saturday morning I thought I had awakened in a different geographical location......it was COLD!!!  The 7am temperature was just under 60 degrees, and it was heavily overcast.....no wait...it was RAINING!!!    Wow, what a change in weather overnight....I even had to put on my hooded sweatshirt while I was outside getting ready for our day of site seeing.  

Our plan for this Saturday was to head south and then west on I-84 to the Historic Columbia River Highway which includes Vista House (shown above), and many, many water falls.  The climb after leaving I-84 was a 10% grade, but very scenic in the T-Bird.  We arrived first at Vista House, which was built on Crown Point to give visitors a grand view of the Columbia River gorge going north and south.

At Vista House looking south

The sky was still a little overcast at Vista House, and you can see that behind us.  Our next stop along the route was Bridal Veil Falls, which are quite amazing all by themselves, but certainly not the most famous along this route.  The hike in is about 3/4 of a mile, and is steep in sections, but very walkable. There were people of all different descriptions making the hike...I think a number were not prepared for some of the difficulty, which is not really disclosed on the sign at the beginning of the trail.

 Bridal Veil Falls

The parking lots at the first two attractions were not that full compared to the third attraction on this route, Multnomah Falls, which looked like Disneyland the first day after school is out.  We ended up having to park 1/2 mile up the road at the parking lot for Wahkeenah Falls, and then hike on a trail beside the very narrow, pedestrian unfriendly highway, back to Multnomah, but it was worth it, even if we had to share the view with a 1,000 other interested folks.  I have seen pictures of these falls, but they do not really do it justice, and my photos are no exception.  The colors are not as sharp as I wish they were due to the still heavy overcast, but in person they were spectacular.  I actually walked up to the bridge in this photo and took a few pictures, but they were not as good as the ones I took from below.

 World Famous Multnomah Falls

However, this is my favorite!

Wahkeenah Falls

There were at least 2 more falls that we could have visited, but the crowds were beginning to get to us so we continued our drive on the Old Highway and eventually found ourselves eastbound on I-84 again.  LTE was driving so I got on my 'Droid and looked up brew pubs in the nearby area and found Walking Man Brewing in Stevenson, WA just about 8 miles away. This worked out well because we were going to get off in Cascade Locks anyway to see the "Bridge of the Gods".....why do they charge a $1 toll both directions on this bridge.....hmmmm?  

Walking Man Brewing did not really have any view, BUT their outdoor dining area has a very, very nice ambiance.  We both zeroed in on their "Black Cherry Stout", and at 7.2% alchohol, it was a very "yummy" beer.  Not to be out done, the food was also 5 stars....I had the Blackened Steelhead Fish Tacos, which were amazing!  I savored every single bite.  Along with the tacos came a pile of kettle chips and the most amazing salsa and guacamole dip!!

There it is!  Black Cherry Stout.

Got a kick out of this sign in the restroom....LOL!

On our way back to the Interstate we stopped to take some pictures of the bridge, and of the massive Columbia River looking north and south.  There were not pedestrian walkways on the bride, so you had to pick your spot, run out on to the bridge and get your photos, and and jump on the curb to avoid being run down.

 Looking south...

And, of course, looking north...

After our bridge adventure we jumped on I-84 and headed "home" again.  It was still cool, and partly overcast when we arrived home so I decided to continue working an electrical issue I am having with the right rear turn signal.  For some reason it has ceased working.  After a while I was able to isolate it as a bad relay.

Here is the culprit!

After consulting with my Newell buddies on line we determined this particular relay is no longer made, but we were able to find a comparable replacement at Napa, and Autozone, so tomorrow at some point I will run over there and pick up one and make the repair.

We shared a very nice supper with our hosts, Lee and Patty Lisman, and then watched a very interesting movie based on the Gospel of John.  Basically it was the Gospel of John acted out, and was very well done.

That was our Saturday....thanks for stopping by!

Heatwaves, Old Friends and other things.....

You may ask what has a cat got to do with today's post, and you would certainly be justified.  This is Silvia, who is 19 years old now.  19 years ago when she had just been weened we gave her to a good friend of my sister, Hilary.  We kept her (the cat) brother Garfield.  Unfortunately, Garfield did not have quite as many lives as Silvia, and passed on a couple of years ago.  My sister's friend, Debi, moved to Portland a short time after she adopted Silvia, and we haven't seen Debi, or Silvia since then.  Well, yesterday we were able to get together with Debi and Silvia.  While Silvia didn't seem to remember either of us....I can't imagine why, Debi certainly did......:D  We had a nice evening of Thai food at a local Thai restaurant, and wonderful conversation....it was as if no time had passed, and isn't that the way it is supposed to be?

Today, thank God, was the last day of the multi-day heatwave that saw temperatures in the high 90's on Wednesday, over 100 Thursday, and 97 again today, but tomorrow, and in fact tonight, the temperatures are falling, and the forecast is for 84 tomorrow, which will be great because we are going to do some site seeing.  First on our list is Multnomah Falls......I have attached someone else's picture of these amazing falls, but tomorrow I will deliver the real thing.

Today TLE and I got an early start on our single road bikes and headed south on NE 117th to  the Padden Parkway (aka: HWY 503) bike path which runs parallel, but separately from Padden Parkway all the way west almost to I-5.  We made a stop near the end at a local Starbucks for.......come on, you know my favorite........a Moca Frappuccino!  Afterwards we saw a Goodwill Outlet store........I had no idea Goodwill had an outlet store.  This, of course, is where they sell stuff that hasn't moved in their retail stores.  Here everything is in plastic bins, all jumbled together, with no rhyme or reason, and you just sort through things until you find something that strikes your fancy.....in my case I found a set of Wellgo clipless bike pedals in almost new condition.  Did I mention that they sell everything by the pound, not by the item.  The cost for the first 10 lbs is $1.59 per pound.  Anyway, I found the cool pedals that are worth over $40, I found one of those pump bottles that has a "mister" on the end of a short hose that actually worked (there was still water in it so I was able to pump it up and test it.....and the clerk did allow me to empty the water out so I didn't have pay for it, too....haha!) and Elaine found a couple of neat wine glasses, a new leather purse, and several books.  The total for everything was under $10!

Later in the day Lee, our host, and also an old college friend, took me around town to do some shopping.  Since they live so close to the Oregon border they shop in Portland for things that they would be paying sales tax on in Washington, but they buy their food items locally since there is no sales tax on food.  They've got the best of both worlds.....no income tax in Washington, and no sales tax in Oregon....it's the perfect tax storm!  Coming from a state (California) that has a high sales tax, and close to the highest income tax rate in the nation, it is cool to find a place where you pay neither.

Later in the afternoon, and going into the early evening we watched two movies.....the first was called "The Gods Must Be Crazy", and the second was "Mrs. Winterbourne".....yeah, I know....a "chick" movie, but quite enjoyable, nevertheless.   If you get a chance see the "Gods Must Be Crazy"....it is a two DVD set and I recommend it very highly.....and I say that as one who was skeptical going into the movie.

Well, that was it, except I did get an email advising that I would have my new Progressive Dynamics Charger/Converter by Tuesday at the latest!

Thanks for stopping by!

FRIED!!!!

I got up early on Wednesday, moving day, to get a head start on rolling up the water hoses, and other paraphernalia  so we could get under way by 10am, and before it got hot.  The exit from our parking spot in Jewell went off much more easily than I anticipated, and of course, with the expert help from TLE via walkie talkies we got the trailer hooked up and backed on to the dirt road running along the property, and ready for our 73 mile trip to Vancouver, WA.

Once we hit HWY 26 to Portland it was all up hill for quite a ways until we topped out at 1642' elevation at the "Coastal Range Summit), and then began a descent into Portland.  We had some shopping to do, and I needed a haircut (last one on June 25th!) so we found a Home Depot parking lot in a Portland suburb named Hillsboro, parked, and unloaded the T-Bird to run our errands.  We headed back a couple of miles to 185th NE and then south to the  Supercuts.  While I was ensconced there Elaine went to do the shopping (milk, wine, and other necessities).  She arrived back just a few minutes after my haircut was finished and we headed back to the Home Depot for a bite of lunch, and then the final 26 miles to our next courtesy parking offer at the home of an old college friend who lives just outside Vancouver, WA.  When he contacted me he said "my driveway is 85' long", and he wasn't kidding....it's long and very level!  

By the time we got parked (we just pulled in front first with trailer and all) it was into the low 90's so we needed to get hooked up to some electricity and the A/C turned on.  Unfortunately his outlets in the garage are only 15amp, and I kept blowing the breaker using my front A/C.  Ultimately I found what I thought was a 30amp outlet and plugged in only to find it was 220.  As a result I fried our Starbucks Barista coffee maker (we have an extra), our GE Profile 1.5 cub. ft. microwave/convection $395)  and our Progressive Dynamics converter/charger ($179) for the house batteries......DOH!  That was a very expensive lesson, and I am still figuratively kicking my ars as I write.  The most urgent item to get replaced at the earliest possible time is the converter/charger, and I have located a good source on Ebay for $179 shipped....I'm trying to find out from the seller if he will ship it overnight instead of USPS Priority Mail.....I'm more than happy to pay the additional charge.

I'm still working on sourcing a replacement microwave, and we just happened to have an extra Starbucks Barista coffee maker back home in our office warehouse, so I'm going to contact my son and get him to mail it to us.  As a result of my error we had to use the Corningware coffee maker I have talked about before, and it does make wonderful coffee, and it really doesn't take that much longer....AND the coffee does stay much hotter for quite a bit longer.

In the mean time I have tilted the solar panels toward the south to catch as much sun as possible to get the house batteries recharged as much as possible.  Since we are only using them for lighting at night, and to run the Norcold basement refer the usage is not that great, so we should get recharged today and tomorrow with no problem.....and, did I mention, it is cloudless today and will get close to 100 degrees today so there will be plenty of sun.  Our coach is facing directly east and west (front is facing east) so the panels will get sun all day long.

We'll probably hang around the coach today and tomorrow and let the heatwave pass before we do much exploring.  By Saturday the temps are supposed to be back in the 80's and then Sunday back in the 70's.  Our plan, right now, is to stay put for about a week, or until our hosts get tired of us (:D).

Packing day.....again....

It's time to change our view again......frankly we have enjoyed our view these past two weeks, and we have enjoyed our drives to the beach and the various restaurants and sites we have visited.  Looking forward to spending more time in this area, and south of here next year.

Today we spent time putting away the stuff we had deployed over the past 2 weeks.  Every time we go through this process it gets easier, and I guess that is what we should expect, no? In Spokane we divested ourselves of about 300 lbs. of stuff we were not using, and the extra space is noticeable, that is one of the reasons why it is easier to pack up....we're not having to force anything back into a space not big enough for what is already there.

Around 9am tomorrow we will begin moving eastward toward the Portland, OR - Vancouver, WA area for a week, or so visiting with friends we originally made in Southern California many years ago.  We always look forward to reacquainting ourselves with old friends and our shared history.  At the same time it is always bittersweet to say goodbye to our current host(s) who has opened their properties and homes to us on this journey that is now approaching the 7 month mark.  

Another highlight of our journey occurs on August 29th when my lovely wife and I celebrate 41 years together as man and wife.....we have known each other, and have been friends for 45 years.  Two days later my oldest son celebrates his 40th birthday......wow do I feel old right now....lol!

Elaine and I are humbled by our experience so far on this journey.  We have been treated like royalty wherever we have landed, and our fondest memories, that will last the rest of our lives, are the renewed friendships, and we look forward eagerly to those that are yet to come.

The weather forecast shows temps up to 100 in the Portland/Vancouver area on Thursday and Friday.....OH NO!  But....after that it gets back into the 70's and 80's again......whew!  Well, that's it for today!

Thanks for stopping by!

Wheeler Dealer.....

Oregon coastline south of Cannon Beach

We'll only be near the Oregon coast a couple more days so we decided, on the spur of the moment, to drive south on HWY 101 until we felt like turning around.  We have stopped at this viewpoint many times over the years.  Directly below is Manzanita Beach, and in the distance you can see Nehalem Bay, and Wheeler, OR.  Love how you can see the fog rolling in 10 miles in the distance.

Our first stop of the day was Hug Point. Hug Point was used by stagecoach  drivers to deliver passenger to Arch Cape.  This road bed was cut by unknown persons around the turn of the century (1900).  The only other way at that time to reach Arch Cape was via boat.  The stagecoach drivers had to time their journey past this point with the low tide, obviously.  The name of the point came from the need to "HUG THE POINT" to get to Arch Cape.

There were a number of caves like this.

The Oregon coastline is just amazing 

After Hug Point we continued south through Manzanita Beach, Nehalem, Wheeler to Rockaway Beach where we parked and took a walk around the town.  We visited a local antique shop called the Frugal Crow and spent some time browsing before heading back north.

Elaine said there were a couple of antique stores in Wheeler which was back north of Rockaway Beach, so we headed there.    We spent a couple of hours browsing a couple of shops there (Wheeler Station and Richfield Antiques) and Elaine bought a few books, and I bought a cool vintage pipe wrench.  

As we were exiting Richfield Antiques I spied Tsunami Bar and Grill across the street so being good friends with seredipity we headed across the street and found a table on their al fresco dining deck over looking the Nehalem River.  We both ordered a draft Drop Top Amber produced by Widmer Brothers Brewing Company.  Very smooth amber ale.  We chased the brews with some onion rings to keep it interesting.

Our view from the deck of the Tsunami Bar and Grill of the Nehalem River...............

We headed back north to HWY 26 around 5pm.....again, with big smiles on our faces.  Another day of memories made.

Thanks for stopping by!