TTN BEND - SUNRIVER

August 11 – 17, 2010

Crooked River Chasm near Redmond

Still a bit down with our health problems we were on our way to the TTN Sunriver Preserve on Wednesday morning. Although we expected to see many motorhomes on the road as we passed Redmond and the Family Motor Coach Assocation Convention there weren’t nearly as many coaches as we expected to see. Jerry and Gay Lacy were waiting for us at the Preserve when we arrived so we parked the coach and joined them for a short trip back to Bend, OR, and a great hamburger luncheon at the Pilot Butte Drive-In. Pilot Butte has been a favorite of ours for some nine years now, almost an obsession. Their feature is an 18 oz. hamburger that will feed a whole family for $18.75. Looks mighty good but no, we haven’t tried one yet; usually, we just split a regular-sized burger.

The Sisters Mountains

Thursday we found a site a bit more to our liking and it turned out to be the same site we had used some six years before. Finding a site among the trees requires a lot of hunting and guessing to find an open site for the satellite dish to receive a signal. Since none of the sites at the Bend Sunriver Preserve have sewers we went on our best water-conservation mode. Not to save water but to save our holding tanks from filling up since we would be there for a week. Motorhoming does take some planning and Fran is very good at that. For more of our eating escapade, we went to Toomie’s Thai Restaurant in downtown Bend with the Lacys for a late lunch/early dinner.

On Friday we were feeling a little better so we drove up to the FMCA Convention and met the Wolfes and Speeds for a quick bite at lunch and then we were off to tour some of the supplier exhibits where we have gotten to know many of the exhibitors, kind of like “old times.” Later that day we met a gang of Revconeers at the Deschutes Brewery and Grill in Bend for a late lunch (or early dinner?). Harry and Susan Salit had found a site at Sunriver near our coach and so on Friday evening we examined his new Blue Ox aluminum tow bar which replaced his old bar before heading to Alaska next year.


Thinking it over we decided it may be wise to replace our 13-year-old bar as well, but we did not opt for an aluminum bar as the steel bar has a new design which we prefer. This got Harry to reconsider his purchase so, together with Jerry Lacy, we guys were off on Saturday morning to the FMCA Convention, again to see the Blue Ox folks. But first we all had to try the Thousand Trails family breakfast at the lodge, not great but not bad either. That night Fran, Gay and Susan miraculously whipped up a fantastic dinner which we enjoyed under the trees on a beautiful summer evening. Fran’s new Off bug gadget actually kept the mosquitoes at bay.

Gay, Harry, Jerry, Susan and Fran last night dinner

Sunday we all again gathered at the TTN Family Lodge for breakfast and a chance to meet some fellow travelers as well as check out some of the items people had for sale. Except for a jaunt up to Pilot Butte with the others for one last hamburger, Fran and I stayed close to home still trying to recover from our ills.

Monday the Fran and Susan went on a shopping trip to the Sunriver Resort where Fran did manage to find a pair of shoes that she just couldn’t live without. The “guys” managed to find things to fix and correct on their coaches. Of course, this requires some discussion so we gathered our chairs around and enjoyed our favorite beverages. Later that day we were treated to another outdoor picnic dinner by the “ladies” under the beautiful blue skies of central Oregon. Even the mosquitoes stayed out of the way for a change. But tomorrow we will be off to Portland, planning to stay overnight at the Wal-Mart store parking lot in Troutdale so it was off to an early bedtime for an

early start.

Farewell to TTN Sunriver!

That’s all for this trip, folks. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Bye!

THE REVCONEER RALLY - MADRAS, OREGON

AUGUST 8 – 11, 2010

Sunday morning Fran’s back problems recurred and she was really hurting, so, together with my lung problem, we were a pretty sad couple; but we were determined to make the opening day of our Revconeer Rally. We left the Vancouver Elks lodge heading to Madras, OR, for the rally preceding the FMCA National Convention at Redmond, OR. Our route was over Hwy 26 passing over the southern slopes of the formidable Mt. Hood, one of the most beautiful mountains in the country, a perfectly-formed cone shape with perennial snows outlining the shape in white against an occasional blue sky.

Mount Hood

Unfortunately, on the way up the highway we hit occasional light rain squalls, just enough to mess up the newly washed coach and tow car but we made it into the KOA campground and were greeted by Rallymasters Alan Miller and Sandra Kramer. We had used this same site in 2007 and it was nice to see that it was still a very nice park.

5 pm was Happy Hour and we all gathered around to renew old acquaintances with drinks in hand to be followed by the first of three catered dinners, all excellent by an outstanding caterer.

Revconeers Happy Hour

Monday morning was time for our annual meeting which was to see the election of our new slate of officers and the relief of some old worn out ones who greeted their new-found freedom. Fran retained her position as Secretary for another year at least. In the afternoon, the ladies had a craft session making memory-wire bracelets. Tuesday after our catered breakfast, the guys had a “tech” session sharing problems and solutions to the ever-present glitches that go with motorhoming. Since some of our group are officers of the FMCA they would have to go into the Convention early and made plans to leave for Redmond that day. Others of the group were off to visit an Indian Casino which was in a beautiful part of Oregon; with our sad condition, Fran and I just stayed in the campground and rested.

Sandra Kramer, Alan Miller and Pres. Harry Salit

 Tuesday evening was our last night together with the fellows driving back from Redmond for a last evening together, dinner was the best yet with Lasagna and salad. There is something about eating in the outdoors under the trees with a group of friends, most of whom we have known for many years, which is very special. Afterwards, a local storyteller came, told stories and played her violin for us.

Since this would be about our 28th convention we decided to only attend for one day and head for the Thousand Trails Preserve at Sunriver where perhaps we could both recuperate. So we will end this chapter here and see y’all down the road! ~~~~~~~~ Bye.

A FAMILY REUNION AND THE BONNEVILLE DAM - VANCOUVER WA.

Hi gang, if this seems a bit late you’re right. A few weeks ago I came down with an infected lung and it has been pretty debilitating. Fortunately it is improving although slowly and I am about back on form. So here is our next adventure for you. We hope you enjoy it.

August 4 – 8, 2010



Wednesday morning we were about to head out to the Portland, OR, area where we had planned to park at the Elks Lodge in Portland, but Fran didn’t think too much of that Elks Lodge and suggested we consider the Elks Lodge in Vancouver, WA. instead. A quick check on the Google Earth site showed an excellent campsite and parking area there and besides our friends the Wolfes would be staying at the Roadmaster yard in Vancouver for a few days. BTW, driving through Portland in a motorhome is not for the faint of heart; with narrow lanes, many twists and turns and numerous on and off ramps, but we made it to the Vancouver Elks campground in good shape with no mishaps.

Our stay in the Portland area was primarily to visit with George’s sister Nancy Hyde and niece Robin Duke and her family. Robin had taken a job with the Corps of Engineers Bonneville Lock and Dam some forty miles upstream on the Columbia River from Portland and offered us a “behind the scenes” tour of the Dam and Power Houses on Friday, an offer we were quick to accept.


Meanwhile we visited the ROADMASTER facility where Brett would help Wayne Welles test a new system they have developed on his coach. We have known Wayne for some 12 years and followed his career as a development Engineer with IPD Corp. to his current position as development Engineer with Roadmaster, one of the major suppliers of motorhome appliances. Roadmaster had been based in Portland and when they looked into expanding their facility Vancouver offered many more incentives than Portland, so a few years ago they built three major buildings and moved their entire workforce across the river to Vancouver, WA. After work that evening Wayne took us all to his golf course clubhouse for dinner.


Thursday we found our favorite Old German Deli and after an excellent luncheon Fran bought some of their “Old Country” Lieberkase (Meat Loaf) and various fixin’s for “Rouladen,” rolled beef with spices; mmmm mmmm good! That evening Fran found a local Sushi restaurant on the internet that was celebrating their 20th anniversary and had reduced all sushi plates to only $1.00. Such a deal we couldn’t resist and yup, it was good.

Friday morning we met niece Robin Duke at the BONNEVILLE DAM AND LOCK and she soon had us signed in with badges and hard hats. After a cursory look at the Dam and Locks Robin introduced us to the Chief Maintenance Engineer, Buck Ober, who took us into the 75 year old No.1 power house with 10 huge water turbine powered generators.

Since one of the turbines was being rebuilt and had been dewatered he invited us to go down into the depths of the unit to see the actual turbine! Oh my God, we were going down 72 feet below the reservoir water level and even 3 feet below the water level of the Pacific Ocean!

This is an opportunity that only happens every 50+ years and we were very fortunate to be here at the right time. We all kept a straight face but I am sure we all wondered about the gates holding back all that water. A tiny temporary elevator soon had us down, one by one into the huge circular, and still wet, water chamber which led to the massive turbine vanes. Inside the turbine a man was working, checking the enormous bolts for the turbine wheel; somehow they had set up a temporary overhead crane to handle these very heavy bolts.

 I think he was glad to see us as it seemed to be a lonely place to work. Buck then asked if we would like to go further down into the draft tube below the turbine, an offer which we respectfully declined. Back up in the operating area we were taken into the control room and introduced to Brian, the chief operator who was all alone operating two power houses and many megawatts of power. If anything goes wrong, this is the man who has to handle the situation - plenty of responsibility for a young man.

After all this activity we retired to the Skamania Lodge in Washington for an excellent lunch on their outdoor deck overlooking the river on a beautiful day. (I guess not all days in Oregon are dismal and dank). After lunch we continued our tour through the fish ladder display where an employee counts the fish passing up and down the river and also separates them by species. We left Robin and Buck with many thanks for an exciting tour of the facility. Later that evening, in our coach back at the Elks Lodge, Robin and Buck joined us for one of Fran’s wonderful German dinners.

Saturday we were joined by our son Gordon who came to Portland for an Ice skating presentation and was staying at an airport hotel nearby. This was really a fortuitous happening as we enjoy seeing our son, especially so far from home.

We were off to breakfast (I know, eating again!) and then we were off to the JAPANESE GARDEN in Portland’s Mt. Washington Park;, however, since Robin had recommended a fantastic meat market on Killingsworth Blvd, we stopped by GARTNER’S MEAT MARKET on our way and were astounded at the size of the market and the crowds waiting to buy some of their beautiful looking meats and dozens of different kinds of sausages. There had to be 15 or more countermen and perhaps three dozen customers.

 Fran was number 46 (when we walked in, they were serving number 22) but we don’t know where they started. One young customer said that he lived nearby and had been a customer for many years; he said this crowd was quite normal, every day except Monday, when they are closed. Have you seen a real meat market lately?

The Japanese Garden has been carved out of the hillside in Washington Park and is really inspiring with many meditation settings and restful paths among all the Japanese style trees and topiary.

Of course there are a number of Coastal Redwood trees mixed in which are not really Japanese but it is all a part of the beauty of the park.

Saturday evening Robin and sister Nancy Hyde met us at the very German Gustav’s Pub and Grill, where we enjoyed good food, good conversation and a grand reunion.

Sunday morning we will be off to the Revconeer Rally in Madras, OR, so that is all for now 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Later, folks

Gordon and Robin

THE EVERGREEN AVIATION MUSEUM - McMINNVILLE, OR

August 1 – 4, 2010

Sunday morning we three coaches left Newport in a loose convoy heading North on Hwy 101 through the fog and mist hoping for a better clime at our destination. Some miles later we came upon HWY-18 taking us away from the coastal fogs and soon had us breaking into real sunshine, hooray! At the Evergreen Aviation facilities we came to the Olde Stone Village RV Park which turned out to be a beautiful campground with all modern facilities amid lush landscaping. They even had a special shuttle to the Museum from the park or for the hardier souls; there was a short walking path as well.

That afternoon the “girls” went off to the farmers markets for groceries while the “guys” fiddled with the coaches. Enjoying the beautiful weather, we set up the picnic tables and enjoyed a wonderful dinner prepared by the ladies. Fran made her pork tenderloin with Chimichurri sauce and Caribbean rice, Miss Kitty brought a delicious zucchini casserole, and we finished off Dianne’s Italian Cream Cake. We lingered over some dessert Muscat and talked until dusk, when several pesky mosquitoes chased us all back to the coaches for the night.

Tuesday we were off to the Museum 
where we were suitably impressed with the super high quality of the facility itself as well as the many aircraft on display. The western building featured mostly early aircraft from the Wright Flyer through WWI fighters to WWII piston engine aircraft and then to many of the American and Russian fighter jets from Korea to the present day.

Of course these were all eclipsed by the gargantuan Hughes HK-1 (Spruce Goose) Flying Boat which was shoe-horned into the hanger-like building which had been especially designed for it. After oohing and aahing sufficiently in the western building we went off to lunch before visiting the matching eastern building.

The eastern building contained the more modern space age missiles and aircraft featuring the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, which is touted to be the world’s fastest jet-powered aircraft at more than 2200 mph. It is awesomely beautiful in its own brutal way. There were numerous rocket powered missiles including an original German V-2 rocket and an infamous “Buzz-bomb” that each wreaked so much havoc on England in the later years of WWII.

 Featured were many panels that told the history of rocket and missile flight both in the U. S. as well as in Russia. I was especially impressed by the fairness and completeness of these histories which did not attempt to belittle the accomplishments of the Russian rocketeers. The Russian teams were miles ahead of their American counterparts in the mid fifties when we were trying so desperately to catch up with the Russian “Sputnik” and suffered numerous embarrassing failures all open for the world to see before the Titan rocket delivered our men to the Moon and established American superiority in space. There was also a display of a Titan Nuclear Missile partly in its silo with the control room on a floor below ground level and then the bottom level with the outlets of the rocket motors and supporting structure.

Nestled between these two buildings is the IMAX Theater with continuous showings of aviation films. Further to the west is Evergreen’s latest addition; a water sports feature with a real 747 aircraft on the roof where kids (and maybe a few crazy adults) will be lifted into the nose of the 747 in an elevator and then start their slide down through the building through many twists and turns and ending in a splash pool. Some fun! There is also a plan to build a hotel adjacent to the museum as well.

Another evening gourmet meal of pasta and meat sauce, Beau’s famous antipasto salad, garlic toast and blueberry cobbler and ice cream on our shared picnic table in the gorgeous weather topped off the visit for the Wolfes and Speeds. We had a little excitement in the space across the street when an ambulance pulled up and transported a lady to the hospital after she fell and injured herself. Fran and I stayed over an extra day and did some exploring around McMinnville on our own before packing up and heading to the Portland area on Wednesday morning.

So much for now ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Bye!

THE CAT RALLY, NEWPORT, OR

July 28 – August 1, 2010

We made our way up Hwy-101 through the fog and mist of a normal summer day on the coast. Some of the beaches we saw through the fog were broad and sandy while other beaches were down steep rocky cliffs. All very scenic and all very interesting. The little town of Waldport was especially attractive and would be a good place to camp for a few days on a bright sunny day, but not today. Newport is quite a large town and really congested; it must drive the locals mad trying to maneuver around all the tourists. When we arrived in the Outdoor Resorts Pacific Shores Resort we were given an excellent space on a concrete pad with 50 amp electric and lushly landscaped surroundings - quite a difference from our previous stay.

It was nice meeting up with many of our friends in the CAT Club, many of whom we haven’t seen in a year or more. BTW, “CAT Club” is short for “Caterpillar RV Engine Owners Club,” a chapter of the Family Motor Coach Association (FMCA). The club was formed in 2003 and now has over 1200 coaches which probably means close to 2400 people. Our friends Brett & Dianne Wolfe and Beau & (Miss) Kitty Speed were here as well, although this time most of the meals were provided by the Club so we weren’t able to continue our gourmet dinners in the coaches.

One day, we and the Speeds went to Fishtails for lunch, with the recommendation that we try the Slumgullion. Wow, it was so delicious! Shrimp, topped with cheese, topped with clam chowder, topped with more cheese and baked until golden brown. Definitely not low-cal, but worth the splurge!

It is really unfortunate that the Caterpillar Company decided to quit supplying engines for trucks and RV’s due to the extreme cost of developing engines to comply with the 2010 EPA requirements for diesel engines. Redesigning engines for the 2007 EPA requirements was significant enough but the 2010 regulations were the final straw and this giant company just said “no more” and quit the business, which was only a small part of their total anyway. That leaves the CAT Club with considerably less sponsorship for now and leaves the Cummins Engine Co. in the cat-bird seat in the RV business.

So on Friday, July 30, we gathered a small group in the Speeds’ coach and had a surprise birthday party for your humble servant, complete with Beau’s champagne, funny hats and birthday signs on the walls. Fran brought appetizers and Miss Kitty made chicken tortilla soup and salad. The Fire Marshall wouldn’t allow all the required number of candles but the Italian Cream Cake, homemade by Dianne, was great. It was a terrific party with good food and good friends, even if they couldn’t sing a lick; thanks y’all!

We did take some time off from the Rally to see the movie “SALT,” where Angelina Jolie took the role written for Tom Cruise and ran away with it. We all liked it very much – two thumbs-up!

Back in the 1870’s Newport was becoming a major seaport on the Pacific coast and the port decided to build a lighthouse marking the entrance to the Yaquina River Harbor channel, but as soon as it was built, it became evident that southbound ships could not see the light so within two years the Yaquina Headlands Lighthouse was built, much higher and with the most powerful light on the Oregon coast.

 

On the waterfront, it looks like the Sea Lions have taken over some of the floats much as in San Francisco, and they have become a major tourist attraction with their barking, playing and even fighting. 

 Many of the fishing boats have their fresh fish and crab for sale right off the boats.

Getting tired of the cold and overcast weather on the coast we looked forward to moving inland where we could find warmer weather, so it is off to the Evergreen Aviation Museum in McMinnville, OR! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bye

SOUTH JETTY TTN, FLORENCE, OR

July 21-28, 2010

Our early morning trip to Junction City went right on schedule and we arrived at the Les Schwab company right at 11 am, passing the now defunct Country Coach factory that used to produce beautiful motorhomes by the score. The place now looks forlorn and deserted although everything looks like it is just on a temporary vacation. Probably not, but it would be nice. Colt, our salesman, was ready to mount our six new Michelin tires and when he said they were fresh he wasn’t kidding; they were only two months old and, imagine my surprise, they were made in Spain. How they got from a factory in Spain to the small town of Junction City in only two months still amazes me. These are Michelin XVA+2 Energy 275/70X22.5 tires which replaced the six year old original XRV 255/80X22.5 tires. They have the same rolling radius but are an inch wider and will carry a considerably heavier load.

Three hours later, after leaving Les Schwab, we hightailed It to the nearest gas station, at Safeway, and while refueling at an incredibly slow speed (30 minutes for 80 gallons), we chatted with a young man in a new Country Coach motorhome who had pulled in behind us and was impatiently waiting for us to finish. Turns out he and four or five other specialists had gotten together and were finishing up building a few Country Coaches and getting them ready for sale. They were also doing some refurbishing of older models. It was interesting talking with him.


Back on the road, we were on our way to the Thousand Trails South Jetty Preserve in Florence, OR, on the Pacific Ocean This has never been one of our favored campgrounds but it is convenient and the price is right. The new tires felt very good, with excellent road holding, very secure and a noticeably improved ride. It took us awhile to find a suitable campsite, as most sites here are under heavy cover of trees and satellite reception is poor. After two trips around the campground, we settled on a site and with fingers crossed, put up the satellite dish. Bingo! Who’d have guessed? Through a tiny hole in the tree branches, our dish zeroed in on the 119 satellite but not always on the 110. No big deal. As long as we could get Speed Channel for the Formula One race over the weekend, we (I) were happy. It had been a stressful couple of days, so we had an early dinner and then got some rest.


Coming from San Francisco we should have known better than to spend July on the Pacific Ocean Shore-----fog, wind and cold, at least for us. It would clear in the late morning so there wasn’t much reason to get up too early to greet the new day. It was dark in the woods anyway.

On Thursday afternoon Fran’s browsing through the internet found the Seafood Station in an old gas station on Hwy-101 that had very good reviews so we headed there for a light lunch (they are known for their clam chowder). We were just finishing up lunch when the phone rang and it was Dianne Wolfe, asking where we were. She and Brett had just arrived with their friends Beau and Kitty Speed, and they were camped at the Siuslaw Harbor Campground, which turned out to be quite nice for a basic site overlooking the Siuslaw River and the boatdock. A few minutes later, they all joined us at the Seafood Station for lunch, and we enjoyed another hour in the restaurant.

Dianne invited us over for an early dinner of appetizers and her home-made sushi. We brought over a chunk of honey-smoked salmon and crackers and had an enjoyable evening in the Speeds’ coach, a newly-purchased Monaco Dynasty.


The following day, Friday, Dianne went to the pier and bought a beautiful albacore tuna fish fresh from the ocean. They even cleaned and filleted it for her and she marinated and grilled it on Beau’s “George” (Not me, a George Foreman grill). It turned out just great along with her homemade wasabi mayo, Fran’s grilled zucchini and Kitty’s rice and apple cobbler, which started out to be an apple pie but “fell” out of the oven on the way to our outdoor table. Mmm-mmm good! Following dinner we headed for the Florence Playhouse to see the play “I Can’t Hear You When the Water’s Running” in three acts. Act I rated a C; Act II rated a D and had a few folks heading out the door but Act III was the hit of the evening by far and had everyone laughing. Fran was laughing so hard, she was crying, so it was a good thing that we stayed. It topped off a very nice evening.

The Wolfes and Speeds left for Newport the next morning, Saturday, while Fran and I explored Florence and did some shopping. I felt like I was coming down with one of the many forms of the crud, and it wasn’t pleasant. Fran had found what sounded like a good dinner deal at the local Casino, the Three Rivers and by late afternoon I felt well enough to go. They were featuring Prime Rib and Crab, and Fran cannot pass up a crab dinner. While I’m not crazy for casinos in general, I must admit that they usually serve quite good food, which they certainly did here.

Sunday morning we tried the campground dining room for breakfast and it turned out to be excellent, better than we expected. We drove into Florence, did some exploring and Fran found the fish market on the pier and bought two 2-lb Dungeness crabs. However, on Sunday night, I started running a slight fever and felt really bad, so Monday I ended up staying in bed most of the day. By evening, I was feeling much better.

Tuesday, with the weather improving and finally seeing some sunshine, (the temperature got all the way up to 62 deg) we were off to see the coastal beaches and waves crashing on the shore up to the Heceta Lighthouse.

Wednesday we will be off to join the Caterpillar Engine Club Rally at the Pacific Shores Outdoor Resorts in Newport, OR. So that will be all for now ~~~~~~~~~~ Bye!

THE SMITH RIVER AND GRANTS PASS, OR

JULY 19-20, 2010

From Eureka we headed north on US-101 to Crescent City, where we gained the scenic US-199, heading northeast along the Smith River through Jedediah Smith Redwoods. It seems there are numerous State and Federal Redwood Parks as well as the National Recreation Area here leading to the border with Oregon and Grants Pass

beyond. Herding a large motorhome and tow-car through the 42 miles of woods and cliffs, ups and downs with curves and turns down to 20 mph can be quite a task and you will be on your toes the whole trip, but there is so much really beautiful scenery that it is worth the effort. (I was to learn something a bit later that was pretty scary.)


Our first stop in Grants Pass was at a well known RV shop that had installed some gadgets on our coach two years ago at Quartzsite which, although highly recommended by many reviewers on the internet, did not seem to offer much in the way of improvement on our coach; so after two years of wrangling they finally took the units off the coach and will refund our money. I was certainly impressed with the integrity of their company.

Just by chance we noticed a 1991(?) Revcon that had been bought in California by an enthusiast from the east coast and brought to the company for restoration of the chassis. We suspect this may be the coach built for George and Mary Gene Alder and stored In San Diego with Marty Moore------Could be?

But while there I noticed our LF tire looked to be very low on air. It turned out to be 40psi low, 55psi from 95psi! After negotiating the curves on US-199 I felt lucky that we arrived in one piece. Checking around in Grants Pass we could not find our tire size in anything but Nanking Tires, a Chinese brand with unknown quality, either that or a one week wait for Michelins, so we passed.

Somewhat discouraged, we headed for the local Elks Lodge where they have space for only two coaches. We lucked out and got the prime site with 30amp electric in a very nicely treed parking area. While in Grants Pass we took the opportunity to visit with Norm Balone and his wife Carol. Norm is an old friend from Bechtel Construction who worked with Fran and has retired to Ashland, OR, where we met for a very nice dinner and where we could chat and relive old times at Bechtel. It was really nice to see them again since it is so difficult to get together with them.

July 19 was the five- year anniversary of the loss our son Greg and a number of Greg’s friends and relatives gathered at the Evergreen Cemetery, Tucson, AZ, in a memoriam to him. “Hard working hands and a heart of gold” is from a poem written for him by his friend Truman. It is still my favorite remembrance of him.

Tuesday, we found that the Les Schwab Tire Shop who were the supplier of tires to the now defunct Country Coach Factory just a few doors away in Junction City would not be too far out of our way to Florence, OR. Since they specialize in RV tires and had a stock of the 275/70 X 22.5 tires in the Michelin XZA+2 Energy type we wanted for our coach so we made an appointment for 11am on Wednesday morning which meant we were in for an early start in the morning.

Meanwhile, we had an opportunity to visit with Carole and Joe Berenyi. Carole is the widow of cousin Fred Zaft who passed away in 1995. Carole married Joe and they moved to Brookings, OR, but found Brooking’s weather a bit too cold and windy so they moved up the hill to Grants Pass. This was our first opportunity to visit them in their new home where they graciously asked us to dinner where Joe cooked a tri-tip on his fancy new grill and Carole made a fantastic potato salad; that was a great dinner with old friends. It must seem that all we do is eat and talk and you are probably correct.

It looks like we forgot our camera for most of our visit so not many photos in this blog. It turns out that our LF tire was losing about 5psi per day so with the tire pumped up we would head out to Junction City in the morning.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Bye for now!