Accommodation

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Hood River Stopover

Yesterday, I pulled out of Florence around noon and drove straight through to the first rest stop north of Eugene. The trip was much easier this time around. I didn’t have far to go so I took a full hour for lunch then continued on to the Camping World in Wilsonville. This is a great overnight spot in an ocean of NO OVERNIGHT RV PARKING signs. I was told that so long as you don’t block the bays or stay for ‘like a week’, they ‘don’t care’ if folks overnight. I’m going to come back to this night soon as I can get pictures posted because the rigs parked along side me were rather memorable.

My stupid GPS told me there was a McDonald’s nearby, so I walked there to look for internet, but there were none of the businesses it promised in the area. By that time, I’d walked a couple of kilometres in the direction opposite the Starbucks and it was getting dark, so I just went back home.

This rainy morning, I’m following the Columbia River along I-84. I have a spot picked out for tonight but won’t reveal it until I know if it pans out or not. I will try to tag back in later in a more relaxed fashion, but I’m parked at the RV unfriendly Walmart and don’t want to push my luck.

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Heading Inland

I have been blessed with three solid days of sun on the Oregon coast! I woke each day to heavy rain that would stop just as soon as I was ready to head out for the day. Much appreciated! I just hate that I’m so behind in my posts. 🙁

Yesterday was maintenance day for Miranda. There’s a quick-lube place on the road into Florence and I stopped in to ask if they could take Miranda, but they said no, worried that their bays wouldn’t be big enough (I knew they’d be fine). They referred me to Florence RV, at the north end of town along highway 101. So, I headed there first thing yesterday to see if they could squeeze me in for an oil change and I was told to come in any time before one.

So, around one I pulled out of the casino lot with just Miranda. I took on a full tank of fuel first and then rolled into Florence RV. I had a short wait and then the tech moved Miranda into the bay himself. The reason: they don’t have service wells, so she had to be driven up onto very short and steep ramps! I’m not sure I could have done that without overshooting!

All she needed was a basic oil change (no filter) and air in the tires. Total for the oil change was just $75!!! That’s what I pay for my car in Canada! I also picked up a new regulator ($28) for my on board propane tank. Unfortunately, the part has changed and is now longer, so there will be some pipe cutting to be done to fit it in. Simple projects never are with me! I may end up bartering the installation for beer should I find a good candidate. 🙂

The service tech backed Miranda off the ramps, but let me back her out of the bay. He thought he was guiding me around the various obstacles, but I don’t do well translating flailing arms with what I need to do, so I was actually focused on my mirrors. 🙂

I had mixed feelings about having work done at Florence RV. On the one hand, staff was courteous and knowledgeable, on the other the office was filthy and filled with parts for sale that were probably thirty years old. I only bought the regulator because it was one of the few shiny and obviously recent pieces of equipment they offered. The place served its need for yesterday, but I’d be depressed if it was the only RV place available to me.

I had thought to go to a dump station, too, but there wasn’t a convenient one nearby with potable water. I’m not desperate yet, so I’ll hold off a bit. I have to say that what I miss most while boondocking is a looooong hot shower every night!

Propane levels were also not low enough to consider filling in Florence, so I just headed back to the casino and parked Miranda in a flatter spot that will be easier to pull out of with the toad.

Today, I’ll be heading heading back to Eugene and up I-5. I’m aiming to leave around noon and have a leisurely four and a half to five and a half hour drive ahead of me. With the days being so much longer already, I don’t see any reason to pull in too soon to a purely overnighting spot.

My batteries are holding up splendidly. I’ve now done a full week on them and have never reached evening without them being at at least 13.0 voltage, even in overcast conditions. I have been conscious in my electricity consumption in the evening, but have not scrimped. I think I could do this indefinitely!

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Respect

There weren’t many rigs in the casino lot last night, but it seems like everyone but me was running a generator. It was actually not that bad; we had room to spread out so the generator noise was a gentle buzzing in the background. It was annoying, but tolerable.

The casino rules state that there is a ‘quiet hour’ from 10PM to 7AM. Almost as though on cue at bang on 10PM, the parking lot went silent and suddenly the air was filled with the chirping of cicadas.

Thank you, casino lot neighbours, for being so respectful of the rules and considerate of your generator-less neighbours!

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A Sinuous Drive to Florence, OR

Oy. I was not ready for today’s drive at all! It was barely one hundred kilometres, but very sinuous, with several steep grades, only a handful of passing lanes, and no where to pull over and let the very long and impatient column of vehicles behind me pass. I got one honk and too many one-fingered salutes to count today.

What I saw of the scenery when I wasn’t white knuckling was breathtaking, with impossibly tall trees dripping with moss; not the kind you see in Georgia (Spanish) but rather that lush emerald stuff usually found on rock outcroppings. Can we say DAMP?!

I am staying at the Three Rivers Casino until Wednesday or Thursday. After that, it’ll be time to head back to Canada. I’m going through the Rockies, so I want to give myself plenty of snow-days to make the trek.

The casino allows for up to seven nights of parking on a slightly sloped well-marked RV lot. I joined the player’s club (free) and got ten dollars in free slot, which I turned into about forty-five minutes of fun in the penny slots.

My mother is concerned about my being on the coast, what with everything that has been going on in the Pacific, and I believe those concerns are justified. I am keeping a close watch on weather conditions and keeping the rig ready to go at a moment’s notice.

I was able to park with a fully charged battery and 1.5 to 3 amps coming all afternoon. I love having solar!

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Cold and Rainy Eugene Morning

I awoke to dampness. I haven’t been able to run the dehumidifier in forever and look forward to entering a drier climate in the next week or so.

It was a nice day yesterday, being in such a great spot (I will be sharing pictures of it!). I spent a few hours at Starbucks in the morning, went home to work on some projects, and then treated myself to lunch at Chile’s. I discovered this restaurant chain back in Regina in ’08 and have never had a bad meal the few times I’ve been able to eat at one. I made a note in my private journal from back then at that the $25, including tax and tip, that I spent on the ‘Margarita chicken with a bottomless glass of strawberry lemonade was some of the best money I’d spent recently at a restaurant.’ So, I decided to see if that meal was still available. It was and the review still held, but not the price. It was only $15 for that meal here!

I was due for a Walmart run, so I went out in the afternoon to run errands, then I came home and crashed with embroidery and movies (and cats).

I really didn’t watch my battery usage last night, running an LED light for hours, charging the laptop, and plugging in the electric blanket for several hours. I went to sleep with the battery voltage around 11.8 and woke up to it being 12.3, not bad considering that I was up almost two hours earlier than yesterday in much greyer and wetter weather!

I’ll be rolling out of Eugene sometime around noon. I flagged down a security car on the way to the Starbucks this morning and caught the same guy as the night I pulled in. I let him know that I am leaving today and made sure that it’s okay to hang out for a part of the day.

Miranda’s due for an oil change, so I’d like to have that done today but none of my leads can fit me in, so I may have to wait a bit longer. I’m getting antsy to have this done, but we’re not at the critical stage yet.

So, I’m off to the Oregon coast for a few days! I have no idea what internet access will be like there, but there is a Starbucks in Florence. At $1.50 for a coffee, it’s a reasonable temporary solution for getting online.