Saturday, August 27, 2016, Timber Valley SKP

Too soon, it was time for goodbyes to old friends and new as the Roll Your Wagons West ACA National Rally came to an end.  We headed north a short 39.8 miles (79,546.7 total) to the small town of Sutherlin, OR and parked in the Timber Valley Escapee Co-op.

Timber Valley certainly had a lot of nice features.  The park was extremely quiet.  It was convenient to I-5, but far enough away so you could not hear the traffic.  It was surrounded by beautifully wooded hills.  Each lot was the same size with full RV hook-ups and a 10 by 12 foot shed.  Maybe 30 or 40 percent of the lots housed park models, but most were RVs that spent a significant amount of time there.  And, of course, just a few miles south in Roseburg there was just about any shopping you might need including a Costco!  Almost immediately, Sandy, one of the parks greeters stopped in to make us welcome and fill us in on the area and many of the sights.

There was plenty of wildlife in this park.  A doe and her two calves made a daily stop to munch on the tender leaves of the Rose of Sharon bush in our lot.  

On early morning walks with Sam, I would see as many as a dozen deer and more jack rabbits and turkeys than I could count.

Sam did not know what to think when confronted with the very strange big eared creatures with the long legs.  Most often they would freeze hoping they would not be seen, but when we were too close they would rise up on those long legs to twice Sam's height and hop away in a hurry.  They reminded me more of kangaroos than rabbits.  Eventually, Sam was comfortable enough to harass them with an occasional menacing bark, but usually, he just ignored them.

Several times I would notice a jackrabbit in the neighboring lot.  If he saw me looking he would just freeze hoping I would lose interest. They could pivot those huge ears about 100 degrees without moving their heads to listen in different directions.

The turkeys could be seen almost any time of day.  They were not very trusting of Sam which was a little strange since he really never paid them any attention.  They seemed determined to keep a respectable distance from such a menacing looking wolf hound like Sam.

When I checked in on RVillage, I saw several other members were currently at Timber Valley including Terry and Sue in their Winnebago Tour.  As I was walking Sam, I stopped in to say "Hello".  It took Terry by surprise when I introduced myself and knew "things" about them (that I read on RVillage).  He said Sue took care of all of the computer stuff.  Joani figured I might have seemed a bit like a stalker.  Sue joined us later for a glass of wine (while Terry readied the coach for driving the next day) and we compared RV stories.  They also sold everything and had been full-timing for almost two years.  Hopefully, we will see them again someday.

On our last morning walk, I spotted something moving along the tree line that was too small to be a deer and too big to be a rabbit.  I was thinking raccoon or opossum, but it turned out to be the local pot-bellied pig.  OK, he did not count as "wildlife" but he was certainly different.   

I have to say, Timber Valley made me consider actually putting our names on the waiting list to purchase a lot, but ultimately, we decided it was better to just continue our travels and wait a while longer before making any permanent commitments.

Monday, August 22, 2016, ACA National Rally at 7 Feathers

I was feeling a bit conspicuous boondocking in the mall parking lot, with all of the people walking and biking by us.  I overheard a comment about the "haves and the have-nots" and pictured an angry mob of 99 percenters spray-painting graffiti on our coach.  So we were happy to leave and heading to the ACA Rally made it even better.  It was a short 98.6 miles (79,506.9 total) to Canyonville, OR where the Seven Feathers Casino operated a very nice RV Resort.

Mesa RV brought 7 new coaches.  Our favorite was the 2017 Eagle which sold.  David asked Al to take good care of it so we could buy it from him in ten years.

We had the opportunity to be ambassadors for the Southeast Chapter and help some prospective new members with their first-time national rally experience.  John and Pat were parked next to us and call Port St. Lucie, FL home.  Another couple, Lorraine and Mike, sold their home and bought their first coach to become full-timers about two months ago.  Since there was no one present to represent the Happy Wanderers (an ACA chapter for full-timers) we were happy to be ambassadors for them as well.  Monday night we enjoyed "heavy hors d'oeuvers" that included some mighty tasty treats.

Tuesday started with a huge breakfast.  We were so full we skipped lunch.  Later, we enjoyed a potluck dinner and a DJ played quite a variety of favorites until well into the evening.  Can you tell Bob was enjoying the line dancing?

Wednesday we rode the open air trolley to sample wines at three local wineries.  Lorraine used her first-timer status to get us on the same tour.  At our first stop, Melrose Wineries, we sampled wines and had a nice meal including pulled pork and yummy potato salad paired with our choice of wine.

At our second stop, owner/winemaker, Jim Delfino, discussed the finer points of operating a vineyard while I wandered through the grapes. They were just about ready for harvest. 

At Tesoaria they had a dark red named "Bull's Blood" that I could hardly see through.  It was mighty tasty!  I did, however, manage to resist the urge to buy any bottles - it was all just a little too pricey for my unsophisticated palette.

Wednesday night we were treated to a catered BBQ.  Burgers with all of the fixins' and hot dogs.  Unfortunately, the evening's entertainment was a no-show, so we missed the authentic tribal drums and dancing.

Thursday we were on our own but had a little social get together with all of the underrepresented chapters.  It was good to have a night where we were not tempted to overeat!

There were big doin's Friday night starting with yet another catered meal.  Of course, I ate way too much again even though I only loaded up one plate and had just one piece of cake.

I think everything the mentalist/magician, Hart Keene, did after dinner completely baffled me.  Below you can see Glenn holding a flashlight so we could see the sewing needles Hart put in his mouth and swallowed. Later he swallowed some thread and when he pulled it back out all of the needles were tied evenly spaced along it. Extremely entertaining and highly memorable.

The entertainment committee outdid themselves with Hart Keene.  What a show!

The evening was capped off with several drawings that helped to raise money for the ACA scholarship fund.  There was a lot of excitement over the drawing for a beautiful Eagle quilt.  Bob and Becky really wanted that quilt.  They bought a lot of tickets and managed to have four out of five of the tickets for the final drawing. The fifth ticket was auctioned to the group.  Some of Bob's "friends" decided to see just how much he really wanted that last ticket.  They bid him up to several hundreds of dollars before finally letting him have it.  I think the Scholarship fund did quite well for the evening.

Sunday, August 21, 2016

While the Honda was in the shop (tire rotation and oil change) we walked a few blocks to a very interesting store.  Down to Earth Home and Garden was in an old mill.

A lot of the original mill was evident throughout the store including belts and motors and grain chutes.  I enjoyed studying the building and trying to imagine the mill operating in its heyday.

Later, we took a stroll along the Willamette River walkway to the Owen Rose Garden.  Sam and I enjoyed some shade while Joani snapped pictures of the flora.  The temperature was much more comfortable in the low 80's.  One young lady, however, must have been feeling the heat.  She was not wearing anything above the waist except her tattoos.  She was walking along the walkway like it was perfectly normal to be topless.  I was bent over to give Sam a drink when I heard her behind me saying "how cute".  I'm sure it was rude of me, but there was no way I could look at her or acknowledge her in any way.  Joani just said "thanks" and we continued on our way.  Sam wished he could have had his picture taken with her. 

The river was pretty wide in places, but it was not too deep or very wild - just right for some lazy rafting.

I think the locals like to drift down the Willamette the same way folks in Atlanta like to "shoot the Hooch" (that's the Chattahoochee River back in Georgia).

Saturday, August 20, 2016

Our month at River Rim in Crooked River Ranch went way too quickly. The kids' coach has a few new modifications that turned out pretty well.  Below you can see the fold out bed and pillows that Joani and Katie spent a lot of time on.  The matching curtains were attached to the bottom of the new bookshelves (which will be painted or stained to match someday).  They may need a way to secure the shelf contents when they are traveling so there will probably be some bungees added.  A pull-out frame for the couch/bed is still in the conceptual phase so that will have to wait until we meet up again on the Oregon coast in another few weeks.

Their cat took the modifications in stride sleeping through most of the noise and casually checking things later at his own pace.

Moving day was just about getting over the mountains to Eugene for a few days before heading to the American Coach Association National Rally in Canyonville, OR.  Highway 126 took us through the McKenzie Pass.  The pass was not that high (approximately 4,500 ft), but I clearly have more to learn about managing engine temperature.  I slowed down and downshifted to keep the RPM near 2,000.  The outdoor temperature was in the high 90's so we had the dash A/C on which added too much of a load on the engine.  All of a sudden we got to hear the bone-jarring alarm scream at us until we could turn out and let things cool down.  After 20 minutes we continued (without A/C) and had no further problems.  It was only 137.3 miles (79,408.3 total), but it took longer than usual because of the climbing.

Joani had us overnight at the Valley River Center Mall (we stayed here once before a few years ago.)  They allow free boondocking for two nights in their large parking lot that adjoins the river trail system. Unfortunately, Eugene's high temperature hit 104 for the day and did not cool off until late.

With the combination of alarms, traffic and the heat, I was not able to really relax like a retired person should, but with the help of our battery powered fan, we were able to put this travel day behind us and sleep.

Sunday, August 7, 2016

Time for another hike.  Just 7 miles from our site at River Rim RV park was the Scout Camp Trail, a fairly new (2010) BLM creation. The trail provided beautiful views of the Deschutes River canyon. Our hike started approximately 750 feet above the river.  It wound (clockwise) down almost to the water and then back up again in a 3-mile loop (but, it felt like it was a lot further.) 

Oregon's geology was at its colorful best throughout the hike. The trail was steep and quite a strenuous workout, but the view was well worth the effort.

At one point the trail seemed to end, but Mike scrambled over the rocks to find our way again.  We carefully followed over the rough volcanic rock - we did not want any skinned knees or twisted ankles!

There was no break in the sunshine, but we did have a nearly continuous breeze that made the hike much more tolerable.  At times the wind blew hard enough and kicked up enough dust we just stopped, closed our eyes and waited for the wind to die down.

During the entire hike, we only saw one other hiker.  He was on a different trail on the other side of the river, so we just waved and continued on.

What a color palette we found with the varied lichens, rocks and plants!

In the panorama below the Deschutes River (canyon to the left) is joined with the Whychus Creek (in the canyon on the right).

I thought the variety of hues in the river was striking.

The many colors and textures in the layers show this area was home to a lot of different climates over the eons.

Saturday, August 6, 2016

Today we got together with Katie and Mike for a drive instead of a hike - it was a good day to be inside an air-conditioned car. Just north of the Cove Palisades State Park, the road climbed to the top of the canyon overlooking the Pelton Regulating Reservoir.  Pelton Dam is just visible in the distance.

The State Park is situated on the shores of Lake Billy Chinook.  The lake is fed by three rivers - the Metolius, the Deschutes and the Crooked Rivers.  It was quite popular with boating enthusiasts.  We saw fishing boats, ski boats, jet skis and houseboats.

Everywhere, the volcanic roots of the area were evident.  It brought to mind Devil's Tower in Wyoming (on a slightly smaller scale).

We stopped at several overlooks.  Below, the Deschutes River (on the right) is joined with the Crooked River in Lake Billy Chinook.

The rock formation, evident in the wall behind this waterfall, was fascinating.  The sun lighting up a rainbow in the mists was just a little added bonus.

As we crossed the lake, I noticed this Bald Eagle perched high on the rocks watching a group of crazies jumping from the bridge into the lake.

Without a translation, there was no way to know what this message was about.  Since it was nearing 6:00pm and stomachs were growling, we made this the last stop for the day and headed home for dinner. 

This bolder, or "rock panel," was discovered in 1961 along the west bank of the Crooked River.  It was moved to this location (at the side of the road) in 1963 in hopes of slowing its weathering process.  The petroglyphs age remains a mystery.