Sunday, June 3, 2018

More catching up.....Moving up to Oregon(new state) and getting "some" repairs done.

We moved on without our friends to Klamath, CA for a couple days before crossing the border into Oregon. Klamath River RV Park was a nice stop and great view of the Klamath River from the front window. We took a couple walks on the road outside the park since we had no car. Typical Northern CA scenery which is quite beautiful.


Morning view

Afternoon view

We found a road that we thought would lead us to the ocean but unfortunately it did not. We still enjoyed the landscape.




After our stay there we moved into southern Oregon(check out the map...new state) and stopped at Bullard's Beach SP near Bandon, OR. Beautiful area and the town is very cute and quaint. Again we didn't have our car with us however I came across a shuttle service in Bandon. I called and they routinely take folks into Bandon from the park. $10 each way. The first time we got the shuttle the driver was one of the owners of the company. We struck up aa conversation and mentioned our car issues and he asked if this was our first time in the area. We said yes so he asked if we wanted to see a few sights. Of course we do.

He took us on a back road and around the town to see Elephant Rock and Face Rock. Then he showed us where his home was. He has a nice view from on the hill. Then he took us downtown to the marina area and recommended several places to eat and where the tourist area was. Gary from Fairway Shuttle was a life saver for us while in Bandon, OR. We used the service several more times over the 7 days we were at Bullard's Beach SP.

Captain Curt

Oregon coast


Tony's Crab Shack


Coquille Lighthouse

Face Rock....can you see her?

Elephant Rock....Trunk in the water

 

This is what we came to Oregon to see. Now we're getting somewhere. The temps were cool and it was a little windy but that's the coast.

Yes...I am now Captain Curt. A name given to me by our friends Steve and Debbie from Down the Road. Debbie suggested we call the new motorhome the ENTERPRISE. So that' what we did.

We may not be a starship but sometimes we do go where no man has gone before. HaHa. 

We loved our time in Bandon and Bullard's Beach SP. We took several walks around the park and found some interesting sights. Like turkeys and pigs. 

This guy had quite a harem


This woman was traveling with her son and took they pig with them. 

We enjoyed a couple afternoon campfires. 

We hadn't had a campfire in a while so we got some wood from the camp hosts and did our outdoor camping thing. 

We were expecting to spend some time there with Steve and Debbie but like more RV'ers they had some rig issues that needed repaired so they didn't make it. That doesn't mean we haven't seen they since though. 

A few more photos of the Oregon Coast near Bandon on one of our walks. 









Thinking of buying this as a summer vacation home overlooking the ocean

After our week at Bullard's Beach SP we moved on a little further north to Jessie Honeyman, SP near Florence, OR. Still without a car we didn't make it into town so we just made the best of our 3 days and walked a couple trails around Woahink Lake and the nearby dunes. 




Rhododendron are very plentiful in the area


Saw this guy in the park



As we walked on the trail we came across a couple painted rocks that some one had laid out. This is something we're seeing more of on trails. Very cool. Some have writing on the back and ask that you place them somewhere else in a different area. Some folks keep track of them. 

Nice park and we would come back there again in the future with a CAR. Now it was time to move inland some to the Winnebago Service Center in Junction City, OR near Eugene. 

A new motorhome and both AC don't work, town fantastic fans broke on the way and a slide wouldn't go out all the way. Yeah. 

We got parked in the parking lot campground a couple streets over from the service center and got checked in. Good part...it's free and full hook ups. Bad part, it's next to a fairly active train track. 

Travis, our tech, came to see us the next morning to get the scoop on what all needed to be done. 


After we explained all the issues he took the motorhome and started his work. Fortunately, arriving the day before allowed us to contact a car rental company so we would have transportation while the Enterprise was in for repairs. No way we were going to sit everyday , all day in a customer service lounge. 

We rented a nice new Toyota RAV 4. We had wheels and we took advantage of it too. Glenda found a beautiful waterfall near Oakridge, OR. on route 58. It was a drive of about 50 minutes on very curvy up and down roads however very scenic. What a great find. Salt Creek Falls is the second tallest waterfall in Oregon. We were not disappointed. 

We hiked around a paved trail to get better views and down a gravel trail to get a view from the bottom. Then we found a trail leading to another falls called Diamond Creek Falls. IT was a 1.5 mile trail in and out. Not as spectacular but worth the effort. 





Valley below the falls




Diamond Creek Falls


It was a great drive and spectacular day trip. On the way back we headed to the coast and enjoyed more Oregon coast scenery. 

Seal Rock

Devil's Hole


Visitor's Center at Yaquina Head Lighthouse

Yaquina Head Lighthouse


So funny how the weather changes on the coast....one moment it's sunny then the clouds roll in. 

Of course we stopped along the way to have a bite to eat. Good seafood along the coast. 

A few days later we found out Steve and Debbie would be near by so we invited them to join us at Mount Pisgah Arboretum near Eugene. Nice woodland area with trails and we found a couple geocaches. Steve even picked up a tick along the way but Debbie and her eagle eye spotted it before it could attach. 







After our exercise at the Arboretum we headed to Hop Valley Brewpub for a bite and to whet our whistle. The food and beverage were delicious. We had a great time catching up again. 

Glenda and I were making the most of our time while the motorhome was getting repaired and keeping an eye on the progress with the car repairs back in Placerville, CA at Stymeist Auto Body. 

We've had good communication with them and Progressive Insurance and finally after Memorial Day the car was done and we could make the trip back....only 580 miles and 8 hours of driving. 
WE decided to break up the trip and stopped at Red Bluff, CA overnight on Monday so we would only have  2-3 hours the next day to drive into Placerville. WE arrived at the auto body shop at about 11 am and our car was waiting out front for us. 

Before

After

Looks like a brand new car.....well actually it is new, like only 5 months old. Anyway, we're so happy and so thankful to Steve and Debbie for recommending them and very pleased with Stymeist for working so hard to get the car done ASAP. So much hidden damage that was found. the damage price tag increased as they worked from $9,000 to over $11,000. Fortunately and unfortunately we only had to pay $1000 deductible. Looks like the other driver did not have insurance so we won't be seeing that money back. There should be a law that if you don't have insurance and YOU cause an accident and can't pay for the damage of bodily injury, you should get some type of jail time. In this case the guy was running from the police so he's already in jail. Still no reassurance on that. 

On the way back to Junction City, OR after getting the car. we made a couple stops. We found the Sundial Bridge near Redding, CA and we got some incredible views of Mt. Shasta. 






 The arm that sticks up in the air casts a shadow on the ground where a ring is laid with medallions designating the times of the day as the shadow passes by.



Mount Shasta

It was a long day but very fulfilling. Covered a lot of territory and glad to be back in Oregon. 

Well, we thought we would be gone from the Winnebago Service Center by now however like always parts don't come in like expected. So were still here waiting. We've been assured the fantastic fans will be here tomorrow. If we would have known we would be here this long we would have had them order the Air Conditioners too. Now we'll be stopping in Forest City, IA at the main plant to see if we can get hem done there. Only positive is we may be there during the annual rally so we'll be signing up for that and share our wonderful experiences with other Winnebago owners. HaHa. Of course, they'll be extremely busy then so it's first come, first served. We'll see. We've cancelled so many reservations at some beautiful parks and we've changed our plans on seeing Canada this summer. 

In the mean time we made another trip over by the coast yesterday and enjoyed more Oregon coast beauty before we head further inland into Washington. 

Newport, OR



Devil's Churn


Heceta Lighthouse



We had a delicious lunch at the Chowder Bowl in Newport and relished in our last views of the Oregon coast for a while. Again we found ourselves not too far from Steve and Debbie so we contacted them at they're boondocking site in Winchester Bay at a marina. They were just hanging out so we made the side trip to say our goodbyes for a while. We certainly appreciate their friendship.

So now for the further plans this summer. If we get the work done tomorrow we'll spend one more night in the parking lot campground on Winnebago's dime. Then we'll head out on Tuesday to Fishhook Park COE near Prescott, WA for a few days then on north to Beebe Bridge SP and finally to Bain's RV park in Oroville, WA right near the Canadian border. 

Our plan then is to leave the motorhome there and drive the car into Canada and visit our friends Ron and Patsy at their home for a few days. Disappointed we won't be taking the motorhome but logistics didn't work out. We still plan to enjoy some Canadian hospitality and beauty. That just means we'll have to come back another time. Sounds like a plan. Of course all RV plans are in Jello.

P.S.....Travis has done a wonderful job on the other issues we had like getting the counter top squared up, the bedroom slide functioning and the front trim molding repainted. Thank you to Travis for the fine work there. 





4 comments:

  1. Sounds like you're making the best of your summer despite the car and rv issues. Hoping you're on your way soon.

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    1. Should be on our way by Tuesday. Moving into Washington.

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  2. Okay, the photo of the pig, followed by the fire pit caught my eye.

    I'd also been reading Debbie's blog and it looks like you all had a great time.

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    1. Hi Mark, Sorry for the late reply. I couldn't talk the lady into a BBQ. HaHa. We did have a great time and always do with the McCormack's. Thanks for the comment.

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