My dogs found a mud puddle to play in yesterday when I wasn’t watching. You can see which one had the most fun! Yikes! Guess who got a bath!
The day started out rainy but someone must have known there was a parade planned, because it cleared up nicely! I headed to the rather small parade with Solo. It was fun. Solo barked. Loudly. I’m starting to wonder just what of sort of Good Canine Citizen he will be, since he also sometimes has a tendency to growl at kids. Not really the best tendency! Anyway, we had fun, and of course Solo’s favorite part of the parade was WAIF, the local animal shelter, because they gave out dog treats!
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Another night in a casino parking lot. This time the Chinook Winds Casino in Lincoln City, on the Oregon Coast. Yep, we went back to the coast. We didn’t know where else to go and I was grumpy. It’s all good though because we both like the coast and know what to expect with the roads and this beast we are driving. Yesterday I referred to it as “inconveniently sized” and I believe that is an apt description. Although admittedly it is nice to have the extra room inside, which would be doubly appreciated if we were living in it, when on the road it’s just a bitch. Rob says it’s like driving a bus. It has no turning radius and talk about inconvenient to pullover! I find myself wanting to go fewer and fewer places, despite Rob’s reassurances that he can go anywhere. I miss the Corolla, but to be realistic in terms of comfort and camping, even the truck would do.
We just stopped at the Neskowin Beach so that the boys could do their business plus get some much needed exercise. They had a great time! Even though we kept them on their long leashes they were able to run and play and explore. Will is fascinated with the quickly flowing river and nearly dove in after a stuck tree limb. Thankfully he didn’t but it sure was cute watching him paw at the black rocks on the bottom of the river. Brutis and Solo won’t have anything to do with water. In fact, Brutis gets a bit panicky if a wave starts catching up with him. Oh no, I don’t want to get wet! I don’t want to get swallowed up by a big wave!
Once again, I am a bit behind in my writings. Oddly though, its hard to find the time to write sometimes. When we’re driving, I want to watch the scenery. At night we just want to collapse. Last night we had to drag ourselves to the casino (whose parking lot we were staying at) and once we got there I promptly got the hiccups! That was annoying (and embarrassing when I hiccupped loudly in the reverberating bathroom!). I tried my usually effective drink lotsa water trick but the water was too dang cold so I couldn’t drink a steady stream of it. I rarely drink cold water, preferring it to be at room temperature instead. The cold water was a shock to the system.
But that’s a bit of a tangent now, isn’t it? March 1 we stayed at a state park on its opening day, which meant we were pretty much the only ones there (other than the camp host and one other RV’er). It was a bit out of the way but ultimately worth it. Only $12 for Water & Electric (though the water was turned off due to freezing temps) in a pretty park with a lakeside view. We checked out the dam that made the lake and it was a giant earthen dam. Giant! It really makes me wonder how earthen dams work. What keeps the water from seeping through?
The next morning (after a great high pressure HOT shower using the parks facilities) we headed toward Central Point to visit Dogs for the Deaf. I was excited for this tour. About eight years ago I had tried to visit on my way to San Francisco, but ended up driving through late at night. Here I was, passing through again and I was determined to make this tour! I called early in the am and reserved two spots for the 10 am tour..and of course we were the only 2 there! But that’s okay because it was excellent! Training thise shelter rescued dogs to assist the deaf is amazing! They have mini-apartments set up where they train the dogs to recognize familiar sounds and alert their owners to the same. For Example, a dog will hear a knock on the door, run to their owner, paw their knee, then run and sit at the door. That is just one example of the many indicators these fantastic dogs can be trained to recognize. And every one of these incredible dogs is rescued from animal shelters. Not bred for this purpose, but rescued. Which is a risk, of course. How do you know that you are getting a trainable dog? They try to do an initial assessment at the shelter but even that can only indicate so much. So much so that only 25% of the rescued dogs become hearing dogs. But all is not lost for those dogs that don’t make it. No dog is ever returned to the shelter. Instead they may become “Miracle Mutts” or “Career Change” dogs. See their website for more information about that! Those dogs that do pass in 4-6 weeks finish training and are placed in homes. Right now there is a 4 year waiting list to get a hearing dog and no wonder—these pups are great!
Besides the obvious, the tour was interesting and informative. The organization got its start not all that long ago- in 1972. The founder has since died but his daughter has since taken the reigns. We met her briefly when she walked through the foyer with a very mellow poodle. Obviously she stays very involved!
We watched a short (12 min) video about the history of the organization and then visited a mock apartment to talk with a trainer and see a demo dog in action. Everyone we met was very friendly and happy to answer our questions. You can tell their hearts are deeply entrenched in what they do. I only wish I lived closer so that I could also volunteer, if not work, there! After visiting with the trainer and demo dog we saw where the dogs lived. Although they were in kennels with inside and outside runs similar to those at good shelters, they were flush with blankets, toys, and comfy beds, each with personalized name plates on the doors. They were definitely loved. Outside was a memorial park with daffodils and inscribed bricks of pups that have passed. Ultimately it was (and still is!!!) a fabulous facility.
After Dogs for the Deaf, we hopped back into the monster RV and hightailed it up to Coburg, just north of Eugene and nearly 3 hours away. We trucked on without stopping, our destination and intention to make the 2 o’clock tour at Monaco (a RV production plant). We were cutting it close! The GPS was telling us we’d make it there by 2:06, clearly 6 minutes late, and it’s hard to make up those 6 minutes in a big RV. But with Rob at the helm, anything is possible! And Rob did it! He’s an amazing guy. We reached the plant with minutes to spare. It ended up being just the 2 of us and admittedly, we felt a bit out of place, me with my new blue M&M shirt and Rob with his gruff, looking at the manufacture of an RV that ultimately would cost between $400,000 and $600,000!!! Awkwardness besides, the tour was fascinating. They essentially build the entire RV there, starting with the chassis and ending with the extensive paint job. To see these massive RV’s come together, with the hand tiled floors, security systems, washer & dryer even, was just amazing. It was how I imagined a car factory to be (and probably will be the closest I ever get to seeing a vehicle being made). Purty Nifty.
(The plant was off-line the day we visited. That is, no one was working. All was dark. We thought it a bit odd but truthfully didn’t think much of it, figuring it was just a day off. Silly us. Turns out that day was the day Monaco laid off most of its workers due to the company claiming bankruptcy. Whoops. That’s not good at all!)
That brings us to our night in the state park by the earthen dam.
Hedaing back home, where the puppies can run free, without harnesses, without leashes. Willy can dig, Brutis can play Frisbee. We all look forward to that.
One neat thing we saw near a state park near Dogs for the Deaf was a blue heron rookery- a bunch of their nests with birds in the trees. Awesome! I should have gotten a picture of that. I should have gotten a picture of a lot of things. As it stands, what I got was mostly “on the road” pictures with our little point and shoot camera. Not exactly photography at its finest but I suppose it is better than nothing. An inherent problem with these dang RV’s is the inability to easily whip over to the side of the road at a moments notice (but I guess I’ve mentioned that before).
After a while, as much as I hate to admit it, driving becomes monotonous and I do easily slip I into passenger mode. I want to stop less, I want to drive more. Dare I say I just want to get where I’m going? No, I wouldn’t go that far, because I still don’t want to get home. But driving becomes hypnotic, mindless, the drone of tires on pavement interrupted only by the rudeness of concrete. It’s easy just to go and forget. How do you snap out of that?
Traveling the country, we’ve been to the pines of high and the sage of low. Rain, snow, and thankfully a bit of sun and heat. Happy March!
After a day of driving by the time 6 pm rolls around we are ready to park and call it quits for the night. By 8 pm we are ready for bed! I always have great expectations but the reality is by the time night falls, I’m ready to sleep. I barely want to eat. Forget about long walks in the countryside. The places we stop are so often littered with trash that it’s a challenge to walk the dogs at all!
Last night was no different. We stayed behind a Shell gas station just inside the CA border (and thank goodness it was here or else we would be playing the “where to stay” game, especially since many rest areas, including the closest, have been closed…though apparently it is not legal to stay in rest areas). Trash, TP, dog poop everywhere. I had my dogs peeing on the dumpster wheels and on light posts in the middle of the parking lot just to avoid the grassy/dirty areas. And let me just tell you how much I appreciate people who actually clean up after their dog. We went on a short nature trail. Leashed dogs were allowed but we chose to keep ours in the vehicle. Probably just as well since a could of other dogs (and owners) left land mines right smack dap in the middle of the trail! How Rude!! If perhaps you don’t have a bag (which you should), you should at least flick the poo (with a stick or rock) out of the main line of traffic!
Filed under: travel
There’s not much out here and I like it! The lady at the Las Vegas Visitor Center seemed almost perturbed at our traveling route. “There is nothing out there!” is what she kept repeating. Okay, we get the point.
Driving an RV really encourages windshield tourism.
Snow in the mountains ahead of us. Barren, dry, and dusty everywhere else. I had some extreme blonde moments yesterday. First I rolled my hand up in the window. Yeppers, you read that right. I was brushing Willy and throwing his fur out to catch the breeze and disappear. At one point up went the window with my hand in it…and I was the one operating the controls! Rob looked over when he heard my exclamation of pain and then started laughing when he saw the situation. Couldn’t blame him..instead I started laughing too! I guess my tipsy brain got a wee bit confused as to up and down and where my other hand was!
Later that same day (it was not a good day), I was swapping the batteries out in the battery recharger. The recharger doesn’t give any indication as to when the batteries are fully charged other than the batteries get warm. So when I gave Rob the charger with the ‘new’ batteries to be charged, he mentioned that the ‘new’ ones were already hot. I thought he was nuts and that they were merely ‘warm’ from sitting in the sun. I turned on my camera, the one containing the freshly charged batteries and boom, the dead battery indicator quickly flashed on. Drat! I took out the batteries and indeed, they were the same brand. Guess I did get myself confused and forgot to swap them!
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Arizona, beatty, bridge, CA, california, candy, chocolate, dam, depot, dog, ghost, hoover, lake, las vegas, mead, nascar, nuts, rhyolite, town, traffic, train, walmart
During our travels away from the Great SwitchOver we stopped in Beatty at the Nut & Candy Company. I should mention that a half hour previous to this stop I decided to enjoy an alcoholic energy drink called High Gravity. So when it came time to stop, I was a bit, er, extra happy. Had I been completely clear-headed, I doubt I would have bought so much! Sunflower seeds& sesame sticks, chocolate covered cookie dough bits & candied gingers, and my favorite, the biggest splurge, candy fruit slices! Yum! I got so excited when I saw those how could Rob say no (not that he would)? $20 on sweets but what they hey, we’re on vacation!
A hop, skip & jump from Beatty is the town of Rhyolite, one of the most photographed ghost towns. I was eager to join the masses of photographers, who thankfully were not all visiting when I was! It was pretty awesome. Quite a few remains of structures were still standing, having withstood the test of time and 100 years. Most notable was the train depot. The gorgeous architecture looked as if it could still accept a train at its front door. I’d almost like to see it restored, but then it would be out of place amongst the others. Best to let the desert to its slow decaying act.
It just dawned on me that I’m getting my days mixed up. This is what happens when on is not diligent in their journaling!
After we left Phoenix, we pretty much drove straight thru to Las Vegas, a six-hour drive. I don’t even remember stopping except to get gas. Well, I certainly remember stopping at the Hoover Dam checkpoint and getting inspected by the not-so-friendly security personnel (must be part of their job description- do not smile!). It was dark, it was late. Rob had to open all the cubbyholes in and out of the vehicle while I distracted the dogs (being alert for ‘coyotes and wild dogs’ that the guards warned us about). We were happy to be on our way after that experience!
It’s a bit of a shame not to be able to see the countryside as we approached Hoover Dam from the south. From the shadows of the hills it looked like it would have been gorgeous, but it will be a while until we know for sure (ie, our next trip). The dam itself and the new bridge being built was spectacular at night though. The many lights from the construction and the dam, the mysterious inky blackness on the water and especially the lack of people getting in each others way. Peaceful.
We spent the night at a casino parking lot just past the Hoover Dam- the Hacienda. In the morning we awoke to Lake Mead below. Beautiful. After oatmeal and coffee and a phone call to our folks, we were on our way. We made a point to stop at the visitor center to ask about road conditions. We had decided to take the Silver Trail to Reno but were concerned about several mountain passes we’d encounter along the way, especially after all that snow in CA. Thankfully we found the Visitor Center since the sign was missing, though I think the somewhat crabby visitor center lady wouldn’t have minded if we missed it. We had a lot of questions and I don’t think she was happy to answer any of them! I think it all started when we didn’t know what race she was referring to when she mentioned the ‘big race’ the weekend. Apparently she was talking about the NASCAR races, the whole reason they (Vegas?) exist! Oh.
With all he panicky warning of traffic, we didn’t figure we would linger in the city for long…only long enough to shop at Walmart and get a chocolate sample at Ethel M Chocolates. (Okay, Ethel is also the home to M&M’s, so we also ended up buying a cool dispenser and a colorful T-shirt featuring Blue). After that we were on our way and yay, traffic was a breeze!
That finally catches us up to today!
Filed under: travel
Switchover/changeover day in the hot heat of Phoenix. I doubt the locals were complaining about the 75 degree weather but I sure was, especially during the numerous trips between RV’s. How did we end up with so much stuff?
The good deal Rob got with the company Cruise America was to drive one RV from Everett (outside Seattle) to Mesa (outside Phoenix), pick another one up and drive the new one back (in other words, reposition the RV’s). The one we drove down was 24 feet. The one we were driving back was 30 feet. Much bigger!
The great switchover took most of the day. It’s like when you are flying cross-country and essentially lose two days to flying (one coming and one going). We drove to Mesa to swap RV’s and we drove away again. Our only other real excitement was the detour to see the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station, supposedly the largest in the world. A little bit surprising, it being the largest. It’s short and squat. It doesn’t have the enormous tell tale cooling towers like so many others. Instead, its towers are actually shorter than the containment buildings, of which there are 3. 3 containment buildings, 3 cooling towers.
Filed under: travel | Tags: Arizona, BLM, campgorund, flea, Quartzine, RV, spam, wine
A Take-It-Easy day, much appreciated. We did a lot of driving to get here, but once we got to Quartzite, the land of the snowbirds, that was it. We were done for the day. We fueled up, strolled around the fairgrounds set up like a small flea market, got some munchies, then headed out to the BLM land to settle down for the night. Amongst saguaro cacti, mesquite and creosote, (and a few other RV’s), under the brightly lit stars, we drank our wine and ate our mac & cheese with SPAM. This is living! Or at least camping…camping in an RV. Plus the campground was free!
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Our night of luxury was quite enjoyable, even if we did watch the disturbing movie ‘Acts of Worship’. We just visited the Oakdale Cheese Factory specializing in Gouda cheese and are now headed to the Hilmar Cheese Factory. It’s the Cheesiest!
The sun is out today! How Nice! The trees are blossoming pink, gas hovers around $2.19-$2.29, I am freshly showered, life is good!
The pups were restless last night. I guess they were thirsty but of course we didn’t realize that until after Rob took them for a midnight walk. Rob is such a good guy.
Oh! At the cheese factory they had a flyer on their door for the local humane society. $30 for an already fixed pup! Wow! The employee adopted an adorable long-haired Chihuahua named Patton. We also found out that the local Hershey closed up shop and relocated to Mexico last year!! Shocking! Not good news!
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: building, campground, castle, dogs, driving, history, Ione, mining, Nevada, pizza, RV, Sierra, tourist
Our first night taking advantage of a Full HookUp for our RV and I must admit, it’s pretty nice. It’s like having our own little house. Dinner is cooking (Kashi Pizza) in the convection oven, Rob is taking a shower, we finally get to give the dishes a decent washing and to top it off, we can see what we are doing! Of course I was just sitting here trying to figure out just what to do with myself now! The pups are sleeping so they don’t want to play (one of them got sick while we were in the supermarket and of course we don’t know which one it was. And of course they had to get sick on the fabric seat and not the linoleum floor!). I have no desire to get on the computer, though we will probably watch a movie later. I have no desire to be in touch with the outside world. (something which came back to haunt me when I got home, but I don’t want to dwell on that). I love the disconnect of traveling, which sounds a bit backwards, doesn’t it?
We explored a few of the historic mining towns in the Sierra Nevada today. I think I could live there! I love the history, the narrow streets, the smushed together buildings, plus the area was just beautiful! My only concern would be the weather- snow in the winter and maybe the heat in the summer?
Driving the RV…well, I’ve just been a passenger but you know what I mean. It definitely lacks the maneuverability of a car. I worry a lot more on narrow streets and low hanging branches. If it were me, I probably wouldn’t go down a few of the roads we went down today, namely the historic stretches of Route 49. Even parking requires much more thought and many times I just don’t want to stop for that reason. Plus we are obviously a tourist. That is a huge pain in the arse for me. You can’t just quickly pull to the side of the road to take a picture without everyone looking at you!
Preston ‘Castle’ in Ione was gorgeous- a dang shame that it is now non-functional. Up until 1960 it was a facility for Juvenile Delinquents. Now it sits in disrepair. How they can let a beautiful building like that go to pieces is beyond me!
