Sophie's birthday outing in Lincoln city.

We stayed four nights at the chinook winds casino after Sophie's birthday.  The plan was to spend a couple of nights at camp WI-NE-MA but we had such a good place at the casino we just stayed there.  

We could watch the sun set through our dirty window.  

ABBA and the coast.

We enjoyed ABBA music years ago so we relived the " good old days " with a concert at the casino in Lincoln city oregon. And after dry camping for three days seeing the town we headed north a few miles to one if our favorite places camp WI NE MA.  A couple of days here always seems perfect. 

When we came home I did some Subaru repair.   New valve cover gaskets. Venice and easy.  

They cleaned up good and hopefully I won't be marking my parking spots anymore.  

The Oregon coast (camp WI NE MA)

When the sun is shining on the ocean there is nothing nicer.  So when we get a chance to enjoy sun and ocean together our favorite place is a church camp right on the beach. 

And you can see the crowd. 

This is our view through the windshield. 

Then there was the bald eagle. 

Watching over the ocean was this guy pearched hi on a tree. 

We spent a couple of nights here and then the weather turned and we headed home.  Another great trip to the coast. 

Valentines camp out

Here is what you missed unless you were here.  We started at the Vancouver WA elks Friday.  The evening started with a very nice dinner followed by some loud band.  Sure we had dancing.   And some lucky people won some steaks that went down great once I got out my new BBQ on Sunday. 

After a very loud band we had a very loud night parked right next to I-205.  

So Saturday after shopping at the local mall we made the decision to travel North to the Kelso elks.  There is always great shopping to be done there.   And Sophie always has some coupons for macys. 

The weather was kind of wet Saturday night but since we had a not- so-peacefull night Friday it was early to bed Saturday. 

Sunday started off with sunshine.  All was good.  Shopping was great and the steaks, burgers and dogs went down good for lunch. 

 

After a couple of rigs headed home Sunday afternoon sophie and I headed for good old saint helens elks.  Always a quiet time there. And the world seems good when we hit the Top Notch thrift store.  

Monday we headed home with some more shopping along the way. 

Another great outing with good friends and fun times.  

Camping or RVing

Yesterday I was thinking of the people at this place on the beach and those at the Neskowin RV RESORT.  After spending time walking around talking with others I have come to the conclusion that there is no " normal" campers with an RV.  Back at the resort people would pull in and set up and visit with whoever walked by.  And that was what they enjoyed.

Then sophie and I would rather just go for a walk on the beach or check out the local town. 

Oh yes we enjoy picking up a few souvenirs.

So however you camp it's ok with me.  

I like a campfire but I like the microwave too. 

We survived Neskowin RV Resort.

Would you believe that we were given a FREE campground membership?  But even FREE has its costs. But after spending 3 nights here we decided that you need to have a dog..... Make that 2 or 3 to stay here.  And there really is nothing like the view of a "dog making a log" while you are fixing breakfast.

So today we will leave the " resort"  and drive North 3 miles to our place on the beach. 

This was back in May when we had such great weather at Camp Wi- Ne- Ma.  Probably a little more crowded in July. 

Another great time on the Oregon Coast.

After a great concert at the Spirit Casino Saturday night we drove to a church camp and spent 4 nights.  It is such a neat place to stay if you like to park down by the ocean where you can have a ocean view from any window.

OH the crowds are bad but we have room for a fire.

The sun is setting and is so warm and sunny.

The fridge repair is working

Not much going on today.  Another no flying day since it was cold and damp this morning.
I have been trying the fridge a few times today and it has worked every time.  Now I am thinking that the green ground wire behind the fridge might have been the problem.  Right now I think it looks like it might have been just loose enough to not work all the time.
And this week I might have my new spy camera that I bought to see if I can take some pictures from a model airplane.  And I also might be getting some color LED lights.  Now these LED's will be just for fun,  or should I say for mood lighting.  That will be a whole new type of use in Smokey.

With the cold weather I like to think back on places we have been.  Here is a nice church camp in Oregon that we plan to visit again.  Very close to the ocean and very quiet.

You can read about this place on my Blog Camp Wi-ne-ma.

Happy Thanksgiving !!!!!

Yes another Thanksgiving day. I was watching the young family across the street rush off to their family feast at a relatives house and thought about those days with young kids.  My kids are all grown up, I guess.  Anyway they will be coming over today for lunch and I will go pick up my dad and bring him over too.  Kind of makes me think of the loss of parents and friends who have passed away.  Time is winding down for all of us so get out there and enjoy what you can where you can. The extra leafs have been put in the table and more chairs put around it.

Back to the RV stuff.  I have been having an electric heater running in Smokey off and on since I shampooed the carpet a few days ago.  Seems like if I could wait until warm weather it would dry real quick but I can't wait until then. 
I stopped by the Salem Elks lodge yesterday and looked at their storage area.  But when I talked with the camp host there are no storage area parking left.  Oh well I like it in the drive way too. 

And have you been getting all the E-mails to shop online today.  Wow if there was only something I wanted to buy.  Everything from RV stuff to RC stuff.  Now that's a lot of toys to look at.

The rains came and I was ready

Being Friday and I have been hard at work since Monday on the SC I took it easy today.  Last night I remembered that the fridge vent roof cover was not put back on after I was sealing things on the roof so the day started on the roof putting that back on.  I think the thought of it blowing off and breaking probably kept me from sleeping good last night, but it is now back in place.

Then I did go inside just to look around and see if there were any leaks.  I am happy to report I did not see any drips but then again if it is going to leak it will be when we are out camping,  if you can call this camping.
And this afternoon my brother and SIL stopped by.  They really wanted to see Smokey but my SIL spent a very short time inside,  I think she is afraid of the dirt.  She should of seen, or even worse, smelled Wilbur when he was delivered.  That was a mess, this is dirty.
So a while ago I was out in the SC and turned on the TV and watched the DVD that was left in it.  Just looking around and took some pictures.  Take a look.

This is not the way the bedroom was built. 

The drivers side.

Plenty of cabinets around the bedroom.

The toilet and vanity are on the drivers side.

A rather large shower is across the hall.

The shower even has a sky light and a wall light.  Oh it will good.

I'm not sure why I took these pictures since I have junk all around.

The lower grill will not always on the dining room table.

Then there was this locking box in the main closet.  What's inside????

Nothing.  It was empty.

And then I took a picture of the city water connection when I first saw this SC.  And then one after I did some work on it.

Before.

After.  I didn't get a chance to clean up the old black caulk and the color of the coach is even nicer but it's not a gaping hole.

And for things I found to work would be the front AC heater.  I didn't try the AC since it's cold out but the heater really was putting out heat.  And then the big thing was I let the genset crank for awhile and guess what..........yup it runs.  Of course I didn't go out in the rain and plug the power cord into the genset but let's hope it puts out the power.  Did I tell you it's a 6.5KW Onan.  That should power up the whole camp.

And I called the insurance Co. today.  If I want just the liability like on Wilbur it will cost me $19.00.  And that would be for a whole year.  So then i ask about full coverage and a no deduct windshield replacement and the total will be $139.00 a year.  So I got insurance and liscence and probably new wiper blades tomorrow and go for a drive.  Then keep the wife and kids off the sidewalks.

A week at the condos 9/14 - 9/21/12

We spent a week in Newport at Schooner Landing..  Our friends Terry and Carolann spent a couple of nights with us and then our daughter came over for a couple of nights.
The weather was really nice most of the time.  We saw whales spouting and enjoyed a a camp fire too.

Did I tell you that is Was Sophies Birthday.

Sunday we headed home.

Saturday was our last full day here at the beach camp.  Our last few walks up and down the beach took up most of the day.  Another great find in places to camp was coming to an end.

Our kids and their spouse and spouse to be joined us for supper and the Comedy on the Coast show at the Casino.  Isn't it great how free food and drink gets the kids to join parents?????

So after the show Sophie and I headed back to our beach house.  It was dark and some mist in the air. 

Sunday morning we took another walk on the beach, and after lunch we put things away, hooked up the wagon and headed down the road. 
A stop at our favorite Casino with a dump station and a coffee break,  we always like a cup of coffee when it it FREE.  Then on towards home.
Thursday should be the start of our next outing.  Be sure to follow along............

Friday at camp winnemucka

How can it be Friday already????? We just got here Monday.....anyway tomorrow our kids, thats our son, future DIL, daughter and SIL are comming to the coast for supper and the Comedy On the Coast show at the casino.  We bought tickets and it will be a full house at the Joan Jett Concert and the comedy show.  So we plan to have supper someplace other than the Casino.

Today was another great day on the beach.  Oh we did go to the Casino for a lunch buffet and looked around town some.  And we took a long walk on the beach and found several Sand Dollars.



Look at all the loot we picked up today.



The loot.

Camp Wi-ne-ma

I found a person on the IRV2 site that is the camp host at a church camp North of Lincoln City oregon.  He told of a true gem of a place that the public can use to camp, right on the beach when there is room and no conferences are going on, for the cost of $25.00 a night.  Now for the rules,

No smoking
No drinking
No drugs
and for the BIGGIE
No Pets.

Now for some of us this is
No problem.

So we have power, water, wifi, sewer and an ocean view.

What does it look like, here it is.

We came home for the 4th.

So after a lazy drive from Newport to Lincoln City, about 30 miles, and several stops we arrive at our International camp site.  I had never heard of a Hymer but here is one and they people are from the Netherlands.

I like to see Wilbur getting into better campsites.

This is at the Chinook Winds Casino RV lot.  You would be surprised at how many RV stay here.
Its FREE so I like it too.  And the Tuesday $2.00 Buffet is a pretty sweet deal.

An ocean view, FREE WIFI and FREE coffee and soft drinks in the Casino.  Life is good.

Then I had to look at a Winnebago truck mounted camper while I was at the coast.

Hoodstock 2012

Can you believe we first started a camp out for Classic Winnebago's in the Northwest in 2008 at Viento State Park close to Hood River Oregon and that was 5 years ago.  After a great weekend of nice weather and great friendship we decided to do it again, except for the fact that we were very close to the Rail Road tracks and the free way.  So after looking around for someplace we could show up, without planning ahead and making reservations, I found the Blossom Festival at the Hood River Fairgrounds.  What could be better, vender's selling all the crap stuff that anyone would want from fruit and vegetables to wine and greasy food.   Even crafts and trees.  Something for everyone.
So the weather was great for the first 4 years but last year was very very wet and we couldn't park out in the big grass field without getting stuck.  But they had a tractor and gave us rides from the pig and sheep area of the grounds to the buildings where all the shopping was going on.  You can look back at my Blog with the search box at the upper left area to find all the Hoodstock postings.

And another fun thing to do when my wife and I travel around is look in Thrift Shops.  You can find shops by using the web site http://www.thethriftshopper.com/index.php and put in the town and state you are in and find all the places you would want.  We have even found shops not on the list so we have added some.  Its a hobby right.

First day of Spring..................Not here

So the calender says Spring, but outside it says Winter.

We don't really get much snow here but this year we keep getting a few flakes rather often.  And back East they are having warm weather.

I changed the front brake rotors on the wagon today.  I think the tire shop that put my  new tires on, over tightened the lug nuts and warped the rotors.  Made me think of this as I was trying to loosen up the lug nuts to remove the wheels.  Guess I should check the rear wheels lug nuts torque too.

And if this weather continues through April then Hoodstock might be a repeat of last year.  Not at all like the first few years.  I think I will check with the airport in Hood River to see if we can have our Hoodstock camp out there instead of at the Fairgrounds in the Pig and Sheep area.

Heading to CA July 2010

840 miles in 9 days

Tuesday 7/6/10

We drive West to Lincoln City, OR and then South down the coast.  Spent the night in Florence, OR at the Three Rivers Casino.  They have an RV lot for dry camping for free.

This Ultra Coach caught up with us in Lincoln City.  If you click on it a couple of times it gets big enough to see.  There is some more info on it at Ultra Coach

Wednesday 7/7/10

Old Town in Florence

                      And the Tonka in Florence.

 Drove from the Casino to a spot in Old Town for B'fast.  They have free WIFI in Florence and the cheapest gas on the coast is in Florence.  While we were getting gas and some food at Safeway, a man came up and told us he saw a Tonka toy at the local thrift store just like Wilbur.  So we went over to look at it but didn't buy it.  I already have one at home.  There are a couple of other "little shops" we like to look at and then thought we would drive to the beach.  The fog was along the beach so we went back to town and lunch.  Found the local Fire fighters restaurant and had the deluxe clam chowder.  I would highly recommend it.  Much better than the moe's stuff.  After lunch we drove South to Coos Bay.  And of course the local Macy's store is a must see place.  I even looked at a MH for my brother but it was not really in great shape.  We spent the night at the Mill Casino in the free dry camping lot.

Thursday 7/8/10

Brooking Oregon

Brookings, OR

The Dump Station in Coos Bay

The traffic on 101 is kind of close to the Casino and we got up early.  Not really early for work but early for retirement.  After B'fast we walked into the Casino but didn't see any good shows coming up.  We drove to the city dump station and took care of the holding tanks before heading South.  A few miles out of Coos Bay I noticed the Alt gauge was not showing it charging so I turned around and went back to a Knechts Auto to check things out.  With a meter on the battery there was no charging going on.  I do carry a spare voltage regulator and changed that but still no charge so off comes the Alt.  It was bad and I bought a lifetime Alt.  Once installed we hit the road again and all was good until we stopped for road construction and heard a growling noise from the engine.  We drove into Bandon and I double checked the alt and belt but nothing wrong there.  I took the belt off the Alt and no noise.  So after a call to Knechts and found out that there are no other places South of us we head back to Coos Bay and removed the new Alt.  Guess what, the new Alt is making noise.  So now for the second time this afternoon I change the Alt. We decide to just stay in Coos Bay another night and drive around to try out our newest Alt.  We were kind of tired and I was cleaned up and we just watched a movie and relaxed for the night.

Friday 7/9/10

Today we leave Coos Bay again, and drive to Bandon again.  No noise so we keep going.  It's 100 miles from Coos Bay to Brookings.   It was a sunny day and everything is fine.  We pull into the Brookings Elks only a few minutes before a couple of RV's take the last 2 sites.  Maybe my luck is changing.

This has been a great day.  We have warm weather, cable TV, WIFI, elect. and all the water we want and a dump station right here.  Well worth the $18.00 donation.  So it was bath time, TV time, great food and the world is good again. 

Saturday 7/10/10

The old pump in a Tupperware container to catch the drips.

After a good B'fast and a gas stop at Fred Meyers we drive to Crescent City, CA.  The last time we were in CC we only spent the day and this time we have a couple of days to hang around.  About 3 miles into CA on hwy101 is a casino called Lucky 7.  We did stop and look at their RV parking area and it looked like a good place to spend the night.  We also checked out a casino in CC called the Elk Valley Casino and they have a gravel lot to overnight.  Then there is the Elks lodge in CC that is down town.  Not really a great place to overnight but I called the lodge and was told we could spend the night there.

After lunch and some time looking at the ocean we go to the store for more food.  At the CA border they do a agriculture check for fruit and veggies so we could use some more stuff but at the store things are kind of expensive.  And after driving thru more of the town in CC it looks like people might not be able to buy so much at the store.  Sophie feels bad about that.  We spend some more time on the beach before we drive to the casino for the night.  There is an AC/DC impersonators band at the casino but I pass on that.  As Sophie gets in bed she says the carpet is wet.  Not a large spot but I will check it out in the morning.

Sunday 7/11/10

The lighthouse in Crescent City, CA

After B'fast I look in the back of Wilbur for the leak but not much wet there so we dive to the beach where I will take the rear bed out to look at the water system.  After removing the mattress I see the water pump has a slow drip when it is on.  We find a Tupperware container to put under the pump and I will check on it later.  It does get a little water in it but not much.  The beach is foggy this morning so we drive into the redwoods to take a walk.  Same place we visited last year but we took a longer walk thru the trees.  The road thru this area gets so narrow that they have cut notches out of some of the trees on corners so trucks and RV's can have more room.  We take a nice drive around the forest and back to hwy101 then down another road along the Smith River.  There is a boat launch at a park where we stop for lunch.  This area grows Lilly's and we follow the road to where it goes back to 101.  Close to the Lucky 7 Casino we find a place to get on the beach.  Another place for Sophie to find more rocks to bring home.  Good thing Wilbur can carry more weight.  After getting more sun than we should, and a camp chair that did not want to fold up, we go to the casino.  This place has a great supper deal in the new restaurant so that took care of supper.  We were the only ones in the RV lot and Sophie didn't care for that, so we drove the 5 miles or so back to the Brookings Elks. 

Brookings Oregon Elks

Monday 7/12/10

One month has passed since the big OSU graduation and engagement.  And we never thought we would make it thru that.  We hit the Fred Meyers store where we try to fill up the fridge and cabinets.  Things were getting so empty stuff would roll around.  The trip North was into the wind and it was very windy.  Lets just hope Wilbur holds together.  We stop in Port Orford and check out a park we never saw before.  There is a Coast Guard Museum we look thru.  Still very windy so we keep driving north.  In Bandon we walk around town, buy some clam strips at out favorite walk up eatery, look into some stores, buy some cheese curds and drive on north.  In Coos Bay we stop at the Burger King parking lot to relax and surf the net.  Still very windy so we drive on.  In Florence we stop at the Three Rivers Casino for the night.  This day was 150 miles of a strong head wind.  We walk around the casino and go back to Wilbur and call it a night.  Popcorn and a movie.

In the Redwoods forest.

Tuesday 7/13/10

If this is Tuesday we must be in Florence.  There is a plan that if the Tonka Winnebago is still in the thrift store it will be on sale.  But it was sold so no more Bagos on this trip. Sophie did find a rather large wicker basket that took up plenty of room.  The only good thing was out dirty clothes bag fit in it. Had a B'fast camp in Old Town and checked out some other little shops before driving to the beach.  We had to get hungry and find the firefighters place for more chowder.  Filled up with chowder and then gas.....uh I mean Wilbur got the gas and we headed into Yahats.  After a snack and a nap we take off.  Just before the Newport bridge traffic stopped so we took a detour and parked out on the South Jetty for awhile.  Since it is kind of cold and windy we decide to head inland to Toledo.  Now for those who have never been to Toledo, OR you either like it or not.  It is about 7 miles from Newport. We had been here before but not with Wilbur so I figured it was time to check out the Elks.  A small RV lot with Cable, Elect, water and dump $12.00 so we stay.  The lodge was closed but we check out the town and there is a farmers market tomorrow.  And there are a few "little shops" here.  The town is built on a hillside so a short walk is enough before bedtime.

Wednesday 7/14/10

Down Town Toledo Wednesday Market.

Since we need to be home tonight this is our last day for this trip.  The town has sidewalks set up with tables of everything from fresh fruit and veggies to thrift store give aways.  Don't tell anyone but Sophie even picked up something from the free box at one place.  And then on the way out of town towards Newport I see an old Bago in a driveway that also has a garage sale.  Now any excuse to look at Bagos is a good excuse.  This place had been a wrecking yard/townig place for years and had more RV junk than should be allowed.  I was told there were 40 acres of junk here.  I did find 1 and 1/2 Bagos and there were probably more around buried in mud and blackberries.  Sophie didn't even get out to look at the junk and told me no more of this kind of place to stop at.  I left my phone number with a guy who said this was his dads place and his dad was in bad shape.  So maybe they will just loose my number.  In Newport we check out another "little shop" where Sophie finds a crystal bowl she loves for $2.00.  The casino in Lincoln City is our next stop and then it is on to Spirit Mtn. casino to use the dump station.  I did have a spring break on the toilet in Wilbur and it will need to be removed so I want the holding tank to be clean when I do that.  The last 30 miles home was just fine except the valley is warmer than the coast.  Another great trip down the coast with a few problems but nothing we couldn't handle.

The Casino in Crescent, CA Dry camping lot.