It ain't much but it's all ours.
Showing posts with label 2014 PNW Spring Pause. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2014 PNW Spring Pause. Show all posts
May 30 - Special Edition... Meet Lydia Marion Hoch
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| Hello World! There's a tiny little hand somewhere inside that sleeve. |
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| Lyddy with Dar. We'd forgotten how small newborns are. |
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| First Family Portrait with Lyddy. |
It's the circle of life on our little planet. We lost some of our family during the past year, but reinforcements (replacements?) weren't far behind.
Welcome Home Lydia.
May 24 - Puzzle Almost Completed
On Wednesday we officially became members of Timber Valley Escapee Co-op Park and now have our permanent lot, which will be our west coast home base and is where the bus-house will be based for the foreseeable future. We've been making an effort to get engaged with this small friendly community and are finding it very much to our liking. Our plan is to continue traveling and exploring about half the time and be in residence either here or back in Wisconsin the rest of the time. If that pattern continues to be agreeable, and if we like traveling and exploring in the small truck camper, we will probably replace the motorhome with a non-motorized trailer or fifth-wheel at some point. It just ain't right for a motorhome to sit. Trailers are for sitting. Motorhomes are for travel.
Then (and this is the big news of the week), earlier today... just a few hours ago, our third grandchild was brought into the world by Kaytlyn and JT, our Daughter-in-Law and Son up in the Seattle area. It was a long process (good things just take time) but we're happy to report that all involved are in good shape, albeit tired, and poised for a promising future. Since this is news hot off the wire, I'll have more to say, and a few pictures, with next weeks update a week from now. I can't overstate how happy we are about our new little grand-daughter.
We're at Andrea and Gage's place in the Portland area to spend some time with them and our two grandsons during the long holiday weekend. I suspect we'll be changing our plans for early next week and running up to Seattle for a few days to see the newborn.
And all these turns of events put us in good shape to begin our trek back to the Midwest sometime around the middle of June.
May 17 - Pieces Falling into Place
We've made some real progress this week. Things are falling into place like puzzle pieces... with a satisfying click.
First, we sold our Northstar Arrow camper to a couple very nice people from Utah. We really hit it off with these two when they showed up early Sunday morning to check the camper out. It was one of those perfect fits, in a number of ways. The size and feature-set of this camper was what they were looking for, and their truck was set up perfectly for it. Once loaded, the camper looked right and reportedly handled like they, truck and camper, were made for each other. And we were happy it was going to new owners who clearly are going to take care of it. First puzzle piece... click.
Then on Thursday we drove a couple hours south to Medford to meet the installer of our new Four Wheel Camper. Because this camper is mounted somewhat differently than the Northstar (and most larger truck campers), there were a couple hours of work to prepare the truck. But with great weather and a friendly and knowledgeable installer, the time passed quickly. By a little after Noon, we were rolling down the road with our new Four Wheel Hawk. Second puzzle piece... click.
I'll have a lot more to say about the camper as time goes along.. but here are a couple comments from our drive back to Sutherlin that day. This camper, as built, weights a little over 1,300 pounds, so the truck doesn't seem to even know, or care, it's on-board. During the course of our return trip we passed a truck scale/ weigh station. In Oregon at least, when the scale is "closed", the scale itself still functions and provides a digital readout of your vehicles weight. So, onto the scale we go. Front axle = 4,450 lbs; rear axle = 4,450 lbs; total weight = 8,900 lbs. And that includes the two of us (yes... Dar is too light to even register on most scales, but I more than make up for her shortcoming), and a back seat full of stuff that's going to end up in the camper. The bottom line is we're well below the trucks 10,600 lbs GVWR and nicely balanced between fore and aft.
The difference between the drive down (with no camper) and the return trip (with camper) was minimal. The truck felt and handled nearly the same. Gas mileage on the way down was just shy of 16 mpg; on the way back, with camper and a light headwind, just shy of 15 mpg. Overall, I think we've possibly achieved our "nimble-ness" goal.
This week we also found out that the cogs and gears of the Timber Valley Membership Machine were turning and grinding, and progress was being made. It now looks like we're in the number 1 position on the active waiting list... and that we'll have a membership and lot in the next week or so. Third puzzle piece... almost click.
First, we sold our Northstar Arrow camper to a couple very nice people from Utah. We really hit it off with these two when they showed up early Sunday morning to check the camper out. It was one of those perfect fits, in a number of ways. The size and feature-set of this camper was what they were looking for, and their truck was set up perfectly for it. Once loaded, the camper looked right and reportedly handled like they, truck and camper, were made for each other. And we were happy it was going to new owners who clearly are going to take care of it. First puzzle piece... click.
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| New owners for the Northstar... on their way back to Utah. |
Then on Thursday we drove a couple hours south to Medford to meet the installer of our new Four Wheel Camper. Because this camper is mounted somewhat differently than the Northstar (and most larger truck campers), there were a couple hours of work to prepare the truck. But with great weather and a friendly and knowledgeable installer, the time passed quickly. By a little after Noon, we were rolling down the road with our new Four Wheel Hawk. Second puzzle piece... click.
I'll have a lot more to say about the camper as time goes along.. but here are a couple comments from our drive back to Sutherlin that day. This camper, as built, weights a little over 1,300 pounds, so the truck doesn't seem to even know, or care, it's on-board. During the course of our return trip we passed a truck scale/ weigh station. In Oregon at least, when the scale is "closed", the scale itself still functions and provides a digital readout of your vehicles weight. So, onto the scale we go. Front axle = 4,450 lbs; rear axle = 4,450 lbs; total weight = 8,900 lbs. And that includes the two of us (yes... Dar is too light to even register on most scales, but I more than make up for her shortcoming), and a back seat full of stuff that's going to end up in the camper. The bottom line is we're well below the trucks 10,600 lbs GVWR and nicely balanced between fore and aft.
The difference between the drive down (with no camper) and the return trip (with camper) was minimal. The truck felt and handled nearly the same. Gas mileage on the way down was just shy of 16 mpg; on the way back, with camper and a light headwind, just shy of 15 mpg. Overall, I think we've possibly achieved our "nimble-ness" goal.
This week we also found out that the cogs and gears of the Timber Valley Membership Machine were turning and grinding, and progress was being made. It now looks like we're in the number 1 position on the active waiting list... and that we'll have a membership and lot in the next week or so. Third puzzle piece... almost click.
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| Took a more challenging road on the way back... through the mountains. |
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| Steep grades and narrow roads... we can handle them now. |
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| Stopped for lunch in this NFS campground. |
May 10 - Bring on the Rain
Life marches on here at Timber Valley in Sutherlin OR. This past weeks weather could be described as pretty much "normal Oregon"... a little of just about everything -- rain, drizzle, sun, fog, warm air, cool air... and all of it almost daily. If careful attention is paid to the sky, a cabin-fevered RVer might find a sun hole large enough to get out a bag-chair and soak up a few minutes of sunshine while soaking up half a bottle of IPA... but, then again, the sun hole probably won't last long enough for even that. Ah, Oregon.
In any event, I'm not going to bitch. Once firmly entrenched in the PNW lifestyle a person is acutely aware of the correlation between precipitation and the lush green environment. Rain is a necessary ingredient for there to be flowing streams and vibrant plant growth. We'll take all we can get. And besides, isn't this far better than the minus 30 degree wind chills we experienced during our January foray back to Wisconsin? Let it rain.
Unfortunately, with a much less than normal snow pack from this past winter, and even with recent rains factored in, the stage could be set for a big wildfire summer. More wait and see.
Shifting gears: on our progress toward a home base... we're slowly moving up on the waiting list here at Timber Valley and have our fingers crossed that we'll hit the jackpot in the next month or so. Snagging a membership before we head back to the Midwest for the summer would greatly simplify things for us. It's going to be close so we'll just wait and see how things flow.
There's also a good possibility that our Northstar truck camper will have a new owner before my next blog update a week from now. And we think we'll have some news about the new camper by that time too. Stay tuned kids, for more developments on Sabbatical II.
Just saw the weather forecast for next week. Oregonians have a learned distrust of any weather forecast, but if this one is close to accurate, it's going to be a very nice week.
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| A semi-rare sunny Spring day in Oregon |
In any event, I'm not going to bitch. Once firmly entrenched in the PNW lifestyle a person is acutely aware of the correlation between precipitation and the lush green environment. Rain is a necessary ingredient for there to be flowing streams and vibrant plant growth. We'll take all we can get. And besides, isn't this far better than the minus 30 degree wind chills we experienced during our January foray back to Wisconsin? Let it rain.
Unfortunately, with a much less than normal snow pack from this past winter, and even with recent rains factored in, the stage could be set for a big wildfire summer. More wait and see.
Shifting gears: on our progress toward a home base... we're slowly moving up on the waiting list here at Timber Valley and have our fingers crossed that we'll hit the jackpot in the next month or so. Snagging a membership before we head back to the Midwest for the summer would greatly simplify things for us. It's going to be close so we'll just wait and see how things flow.
There's also a good possibility that our Northstar truck camper will have a new owner before my next blog update a week from now. And we think we'll have some news about the new camper by that time too. Stay tuned kids, for more developments on Sabbatical II.
Just saw the weather forecast for next week. Oregonians have a learned distrust of any weather forecast, but if this one is close to accurate, it's going to be a very nice week.
May 3 - Deep Thoughts, Deep Lakes
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| Miss Crater Lake 2014 |
I wasn't invited. Or, shall we say, I chose not to go? Either way, being apart for a few days can make you appreciate having your partner around. For the 4 or 5 days she was gone, I carried on pretty much as I would have if she was here. I even went out for some light exploring one day. But it just wasn't the same. Something was missing. Even though we're like oil and water, fight like cats and dogs [wink] all the time, being alone for days on end is just something I'm not used to.
For me, traveling and exploring is a much richer and more enjoyable experience when doing it with someone else. Especially someone who's in sync with this nomadic life and shares a passion for history and geography and the cultures of North America. Having to carry on alone... if she was out of the picture for some reason... would be a problem. Sure nice having you around Dar. Really, I've heard Brad Pitt ain't all he's cracked up to be and comes with more baggage than you might think.
Speaking of exploring... Wednesday we headed up to Crater Lake. The fastest way to this National Park, from Sutherlin, is to get on SR-138, the North Umpqua Trail, and take it all the way to the North Entrance. Only things is... this time of year the North Entrance is still closed, locked in by snow that has yet to be cleared -- won't be cleared until June most years. So a Spring traveler must take SR-230 around the west side of the Park to SR-62 which will take you to the West Entrance. The West Entrance stays open year'round. From our home base in Sutherlin it's nearly 140 miles.
This whole foray was really an excuse to get out of the house... an attempt to capitalize on a really nice sunny day, have lunch at their little cafeteria, sneak a few peeks of the Lake surrounded by snow and covered with a bright blue sky, take a few pics. You know... just soak up the day.
And that's exactly what we did.
On the way back we were reminded of the benefits of "linear travel" that we intend to do more of during Sabbatical II. We found a stunningly gorgeous NFS campground along the North Umpqua River where we stopped and had a snack. It was right on the banks of the quickly flowing river. Directly across from the campsite we were borrowing was another creek, full of Spring runoff, vigorously colliding with the North Umpqua. There was no one else in the campground. It was perfect. If we had our truck camper with us we would have been home for the night.
Instead, we packed up our little picnic and drove the hundred miles back to Sutherlin.
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| Mt. Bailey and Diamond Lake |
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| Toketee Falls |
Apr 26 - Update and Satellite Messenger
Steady progress as we play the waiting game here in Southern Oregon. Truck camper number one (the Northstar) hasn't sold yet but we remain hopeful we can find a good home for it soon. Truck camper number two (the Four Wheel) is in production and we have an appointment to have it mounted mid-May.
There's a lot of "behind the scenes" activity here at Timber Valley SKP as Spring breaks out and warms up the turnover rate in memberships a bit. Having a stable community with little turnover can be a good thing if you're already a member, but if you're high on the waiting list and waiting (and waiting...) it'd be good to see a little quicker pace. Based on what we know it'll be "nip and tuck" to have our membership and lot before heading back to the Midwest in mid to late June.
And the ever-exciting "baby-watch" is also proceeding along a natural course toward an approximately early June delivery. Son and DIL Kaytlyn are ready... to say the least.
People ask us "where's Sutherlin?" Up until this point I've responded with a more complicated than necessary answer... along the lines of "well, sort of between Central Oregon and Southern Oregon... a hundred miles north of the border with California... 60 miles south of Eugene". After a little research I've found that most people refer to areas on the basis of river drainages, and most sources consider both the Rogue and Umpqua rivers to be Southern Oregon. Sutherlin is on the northern edges of the Umpqua river drainage and, thus, firmly in Southern Oregon. That's my new response and I'm sticking with it.
There are large tracks of forest and mountains in this part of the world that have no cellphone service at all. It doesn't matter how big a booster and antenna you may have, the best use of your cellphone or mifi internet device when camping and exploring in these parts is as a paper weight or marginal flashlight. And that fact, for those who like to be connected -- if for no other reason than for safety -- concerned me to some extent. We plan to spend much more time in remote and wilderness areas than ever before... so how can we reach out for help if we find ourselves in trouble?
There are some existing solutions to this problem: satellite internet (those big honkin' blue-light dish deals you used to see on some RV's), a Spot tracker device, ham radio, and satellite telephone. For both practical and price reasons, with the possible exception of the Spot thing, I didn't see any of them being a solution for us.
But a few months ago I started reading about satellite messenger services that provided a two-way messaging capability. Similar to the Spot device, which is one-way only, these things let you send and receive short SMS-type messages from anywhere on the planet. That's right... anywhere... because it utilizes satellites flying around overhead in near earth orbit. Like the Spot, most of these devices also provide tracking services (think virtual bread-crumbs on an internet map), and an SOS feature that sends out a call for help from emergency services to your last known position. But again... this thing is two-way capable. I'm interested.
We eventually settled on the Delorme InReach SE which I've been testing for the past few weeks. It uses the Iridium Satellite network, probably the most complete system up there, and has been working flawlessly. By smartphone standards, it's interface and usability are primitive. You're not going to be texting little happy-notes or sweet nothings to your army of "friends" in cyber-land. It's a device for important and critical communication only.
The other thing I like about the Delorme service is the range of plans and their afford-ability. We're on a basic "safety" plan that costs less than $15 bucks a month including taxes. [plan clicker]
In case you're wondering, I have no vested interest or involvement with this company at all. I'm just hopeful the technology will "fill-the-gaps" in the ability of a couple getting-older-timers to reach out if we need to.
As I gain more experience with this satellite messenger, I'll report more in the future.
There's a lot of "behind the scenes" activity here at Timber Valley SKP as Spring breaks out and warms up the turnover rate in memberships a bit. Having a stable community with little turnover can be a good thing if you're already a member, but if you're high on the waiting list and waiting (and waiting...) it'd be good to see a little quicker pace. Based on what we know it'll be "nip and tuck" to have our membership and lot before heading back to the Midwest in mid to late June.
And the ever-exciting "baby-watch" is also proceeding along a natural course toward an approximately early June delivery. Son and DIL Kaytlyn are ready... to say the least.
People ask us "where's Sutherlin?" Up until this point I've responded with a more complicated than necessary answer... along the lines of "well, sort of between Central Oregon and Southern Oregon... a hundred miles north of the border with California... 60 miles south of Eugene". After a little research I've found that most people refer to areas on the basis of river drainages, and most sources consider both the Rogue and Umpqua rivers to be Southern Oregon. Sutherlin is on the northern edges of the Umpqua river drainage and, thus, firmly in Southern Oregon. That's my new response and I'm sticking with it.
There are large tracks of forest and mountains in this part of the world that have no cellphone service at all. It doesn't matter how big a booster and antenna you may have, the best use of your cellphone or mifi internet device when camping and exploring in these parts is as a paper weight or marginal flashlight. And that fact, for those who like to be connected -- if for no other reason than for safety -- concerned me to some extent. We plan to spend much more time in remote and wilderness areas than ever before... so how can we reach out for help if we find ourselves in trouble?
There are some existing solutions to this problem: satellite internet (those big honkin' blue-light dish deals you used to see on some RV's), a Spot tracker device, ham radio, and satellite telephone. For both practical and price reasons, with the possible exception of the Spot thing, I didn't see any of them being a solution for us.
But a few months ago I started reading about satellite messenger services that provided a two-way messaging capability. Similar to the Spot device, which is one-way only, these things let you send and receive short SMS-type messages from anywhere on the planet. That's right... anywhere... because it utilizes satellites flying around overhead in near earth orbit. Like the Spot, most of these devices also provide tracking services (think virtual bread-crumbs on an internet map), and an SOS feature that sends out a call for help from emergency services to your last known position. But again... this thing is two-way capable. I'm interested.
We eventually settled on the Delorme InReach SE which I've been testing for the past few weeks. It uses the Iridium Satellite network, probably the most complete system up there, and has been working flawlessly. By smartphone standards, it's interface and usability are primitive. You're not going to be texting little happy-notes or sweet nothings to your army of "friends" in cyber-land. It's a device for important and critical communication only.
The other thing I like about the Delorme service is the range of plans and their afford-ability. We're on a basic "safety" plan that costs less than $15 bucks a month including taxes. [plan clicker]
In case you're wondering, I have no vested interest or involvement with this company at all. I'm just hopeful the technology will "fill-the-gaps" in the ability of a couple getting-older-timers to reach out if we need to.
As I gain more experience with this satellite messenger, I'll report more in the future.
Apr 17 - Truck Camper For Sale
For those naysayers out there who said we'd never be able to live with a truck camper... that it'd be way too small, too cramped, too uncomfortable.... well, we put the Northstar TC on the sales block today. We've decided we can't live with it. But NOT for the reasons you might think.
We're selling it because it's a little too big for our new style of travel. That's right, we actually desire something smaller. I guess that means you doubters out there can remain comfortably entrenched in your negativity. I mean, there's always a chance we'll eventually see the light and come to the realization that we Americans really must have 40 or 45 feet of decal-covered fiberglass with full-wall slide-outs in order to see North America.
But somehow, I doubt it.
On the off-chance that someone out there finds this and happens to be looking for a really nice like-new Northstar truck camper, contact me and we'll chat about it. My email is ksdp39-10 at yahoo dot com.
We're selling it because it's a little too big for our new style of travel. That's right, we actually desire something smaller. I guess that means you doubters out there can remain comfortably entrenched in your negativity. I mean, there's always a chance we'll eventually see the light and come to the realization that we Americans really must have 40 or 45 feet of decal-covered fiberglass with full-wall slide-outs in order to see North America.
But somehow, I doubt it.
On the off-chance that someone out there finds this and happens to be looking for a really nice like-new Northstar truck camper, contact me and we'll chat about it. My email is ksdp39-10 at yahoo dot com.
Thoughts on Computers; Death and Resurrection
As recently as a year ago Dar and I were getting along with two computers on-board the good ship "bushouse". Both Windows machines, Dar's was an elderly Dell running XP and mine was a slightly less elderly little Acer running Win7. For years we worked away on these two machines, Dar processing photos and me writing, with only the most minor problems. We had reached the point where we considered them "appliances"... not unlike a toaster or a microwave oven. They performed the jobs they were built for, reliably, with little intervention or "tweaking" from their users... us.
But like all living things and most machines, time takes a toll. And technological advances with microprocessors and other gizmos and systems means the future is quite grim for any computer for which the fingers on both hands are needed to count years of service. Dar's Dell was becoming sluggish and temperamental. And then, a few weeks ago, the event every heavy computer user fears... breaks into a cold sweat just thinking about... the little Acer up and died. Suddenly. Just like that (snap). A post-mortem examination suggests it was a stroke, er, a scrambled brain, a crashed hard-drive.
But, surprisingly, it turned out to be a mostly trauma-free event. For a while now, being aware that as time went along the chances of something bad happening was increasingly probable, I've been backing up the folders that contain our important files to the "cloud". Constantly monitored, whenever any of those files change or a new file is added to the folder, it's immediately updated, backed up, to storage space up there in the sky somewhere... (maybe Honduras or France?). So when it came time to replace the computer it was a snap to rebuild those folders on the new computer using the nether-world drive.
But isn't the cloud a little risky? I mean, the NSA or that pesky hacker that lives down the street might break into your files and read all your secrets... steal your identity. There's no sure way to totally prevent that from happening, even if those same files are stored right there on your computer hard drive. But to make it a little tougher I do encrypt the folder that contains anything that could be valuable to a thief. Other than those few files, I really don't care who takes a look at my stuff... they'd surely find it all painfully boring anyway.
I replaced the now-dead little Acer with another Acer. We've found the 11.6 inch screen size to be very workable while keeping the form factor (size/weight) compact... important for people living in small spaces... or lugging it around to libraries or other hot spot locations... or traveling with it on a train or plane. For us, it's the perfect balance between usability and portability.
Resurrected From the Dead!
After a small ceremony we laid the dead little Acer in a tomb while Gage (my SIL) and I hatched a plan. After a quick (on his super-high speed cable internet connection) download and a new brain from Amazon (a snappy new solid state drive for less than a hundred bucks), and a little conjuring and praying over the various parts scattered around his office... after three days a new Linux machine rose from the dead.
Why Linux? I've been curious about it for a long time. From what I've read online, it's "pros" are that it's small, stable, quick, and free. On the other side of the equation, it's "cons" are that it can be a little "geeky" (technically challenging) and that some programs you've been using on Windows don't or won't run on Linux. As I use Linux more I'll have a better handle on how all this affects me.
Our current stable of computers is as follows: the new 11.6 inch Acer Windows machine (the "Win-book"), the "risen" 11.6 inch Acer Linux machine (the "Lin-book"), and an Acer 11.6 inch Chromebook. Does anyone catch the pattern forming here? We also have two 7" Android tablets, neither of which are Acer... just in case you were getting worried about our brand-sanity.
So, to recap my thoughts, I give a big "thumbs up" to cloud backup storage and little Acer computers. And, at this point, I've also found both the Chromebook and the Lin-book perfectly acceptable for the majority of our computing needs. They both have a full sized regular keyboard that this writer just can't get along without.
For fun, I piled all our computer gear in one pile to see what it looked like. All of it together (3 computers, 2 tablets, a Canon printer, and a scanner) forms a heap about the size of a pile of legal pads 8 inches high -- not much larger than a toaster. A few years ago just the printer would have been larger than that.
I've also been experimenting with a tablet and blue-tooth keyboard combo for writing... but haven't found it to be nearly as usable as one of my Acers with a mouse.
With any luck, we're now back to the "appliance" stage with our computer stuff.
But like all living things and most machines, time takes a toll. And technological advances with microprocessors and other gizmos and systems means the future is quite grim for any computer for which the fingers on both hands are needed to count years of service. Dar's Dell was becoming sluggish and temperamental. And then, a few weeks ago, the event every heavy computer user fears... breaks into a cold sweat just thinking about... the little Acer up and died. Suddenly. Just like that (snap). A post-mortem examination suggests it was a stroke, er, a scrambled brain, a crashed hard-drive.
But, surprisingly, it turned out to be a mostly trauma-free event. For a while now, being aware that as time went along the chances of something bad happening was increasingly probable, I've been backing up the folders that contain our important files to the "cloud". Constantly monitored, whenever any of those files change or a new file is added to the folder, it's immediately updated, backed up, to storage space up there in the sky somewhere... (maybe Honduras or France?). So when it came time to replace the computer it was a snap to rebuild those folders on the new computer using the nether-world drive.
But isn't the cloud a little risky? I mean, the NSA or that pesky hacker that lives down the street might break into your files and read all your secrets... steal your identity. There's no sure way to totally prevent that from happening, even if those same files are stored right there on your computer hard drive. But to make it a little tougher I do encrypt the folder that contains anything that could be valuable to a thief. Other than those few files, I really don't care who takes a look at my stuff... they'd surely find it all painfully boring anyway.
I replaced the now-dead little Acer with another Acer. We've found the 11.6 inch screen size to be very workable while keeping the form factor (size/weight) compact... important for people living in small spaces... or lugging it around to libraries or other hot spot locations... or traveling with it on a train or plane. For us, it's the perfect balance between usability and portability.
Resurrected From the Dead!
After a small ceremony we laid the dead little Acer in a tomb while Gage (my SIL) and I hatched a plan. After a quick (on his super-high speed cable internet connection) download and a new brain from Amazon (a snappy new solid state drive for less than a hundred bucks), and a little conjuring and praying over the various parts scattered around his office... after three days a new Linux machine rose from the dead.
Why Linux? I've been curious about it for a long time. From what I've read online, it's "pros" are that it's small, stable, quick, and free. On the other side of the equation, it's "cons" are that it can be a little "geeky" (technically challenging) and that some programs you've been using on Windows don't or won't run on Linux. As I use Linux more I'll have a better handle on how all this affects me.
Our current stable of computers is as follows: the new 11.6 inch Acer Windows machine (the "Win-book"), the "risen" 11.6 inch Acer Linux machine (the "Lin-book"), and an Acer 11.6 inch Chromebook. Does anyone catch the pattern forming here? We also have two 7" Android tablets, neither of which are Acer... just in case you were getting worried about our brand-sanity.
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| All our computer gear (coffee cup for scale) |
So, to recap my thoughts, I give a big "thumbs up" to cloud backup storage and little Acer computers. And, at this point, I've also found both the Chromebook and the Lin-book perfectly acceptable for the majority of our computing needs. They both have a full sized regular keyboard that this writer just can't get along without.
For fun, I piled all our computer gear in one pile to see what it looked like. All of it together (3 computers, 2 tablets, a Canon printer, and a scanner) forms a heap about the size of a pile of legal pads 8 inches high -- not much larger than a toaster. A few years ago just the printer would have been larger than that.
I've also been experimenting with a tablet and blue-tooth keyboard combo for writing... but haven't found it to be nearly as usable as one of my Acers with a mouse.
With any luck, we're now back to the "appliance" stage with our computer stuff.
Apr 3 - Lost in the Wilderness
There's no point in getting too detailed about the ensuing few hours. But I will say that reliance on either Streets and Trips or the Gazetteer is a good way to get yourself into trouble. Both of them show roads that might exist (or had existed at one time), but are currently gated, not used, or otherwise impassable. The Garmin was also of only marginal use. We came up "snake-eyes" on both the routes we plotted (locked gates) and had to rely on the Garmin's tracking function to find our way through the maze of trails and roads to get back out the way we went in.
But despite our lack of success it was an exciting experience. Kicking around the back country is one of the things we want to do more.
Later in the afternoon we stopped at both the regional offices of the Forest Service and the BLM in Roseburg. The smart and helpful folks at each stop loaded us up with a bushel basket of maps, guides, and other resources that will be helpful as we explore the Umpqua area in the future. We also now have a proper map of both the National Forest and BLM land in this area. A surprise to me was the amount of BLM land in southeastern Oregon... over 300,000 acres of it. Dispersed camping is allowed on most of it, but accessible to smaller rigs only.
Think we're going to like it here.
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| Cooper Creek Reservoir |
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| Through a clear-cut |
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| about 2000 ft. elevation |
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| Stopped by a gate. |
Mar 29 - A Few Days in the Seattle Area
We're in the Seattle area for a few days to spend some long overdue time with our son and daughter-in-law... JT and Kaytlyn. Mostly due to my knee-jerk dislike of big cities and congested traffic, we don't get up this way often enough. (Have I mentioned lately how much I like big cities and congestion??)
This super-duo is expecting our third grandchild (their first) in the next couple months. And we "ain't" going anywhere far until that little newborn is here and safe. With the big event drawing closer preparation activity has picked up considerably as boxes of new baby furniture are piling up and the previous "guest room" is being converted into a kids room. But no need to worry about where we'll sleep now that we have a truck camper that can serve as our "mobile apartment". Visiting friends and relatives that don't happen to have a 40' long level bushouse parking pad next to their house has become much easier.
And after a spectacular string of really nice Spring days over the last week or two, we're back to a more normal PNW March pattern. It's important to remember that rain is a key necessary element to the environment of this part of the USA.
This super-duo is expecting our third grandchild (their first) in the next couple months. And we "ain't" going anywhere far until that little newborn is here and safe. With the big event drawing closer preparation activity has picked up considerably as boxes of new baby furniture are piling up and the previous "guest room" is being converted into a kids room. But no need to worry about where we'll sleep now that we have a truck camper that can serve as our "mobile apartment". Visiting friends and relatives that don't happen to have a 40' long level bushouse parking pad next to their house has become much easier.
And after a spectacular string of really nice Spring days over the last week or two, we're back to a more normal PNW March pattern. It's important to remember that rain is a key necessary element to the environment of this part of the USA.
Mar 20 - Sabbatical II Progress Update
In the Pacific Northwest. March 20
Finally, a long overdue update to this sad neglected blog. Over three weeks this time so here's a shot at bringing the record up-to-date.
Bushouse: Friday March 7th we moved the bushouse from Portland to Timber Valley SKP Co-op Park in Sutherlin Oregon, which will become our Northwestern homebase for the foreseeable future. For those unfamiliar with the SKP co-op park concept, it's basically a membership park whereby members have rights to a specific lot until such time as they decide to terminate their membership and turn the lot back over to the park. The park then finds a new member from the active waiting list. For travelers like Dar and I, this is an ideal and low-cost means to keep a year-round homebase while continuing to travel and explore. The membership fee (about $10k or $11k at this time... varies by park) is returned to you when you terminate your membership. So the only real cost is the lost interest on the membership fee (and we all know how much that is these days...) and an annual maintenance fee that keeps the park (roads, infrastructure, clubhouse, etc) in good operating order. The annual maintenance at Timber Valley is a little over $1000/year. We're number 6 on the active waiting list at this time... which we think will net us a membership by sometime this summer. Until that time we're renting on a monthly basis. For the foreseeable future and until this Sabbatical II thing settles out a bit, we're going to keep the bushouse as our primary "home".
Truck and Camper. To the chagrin of the subdivision's HOA, the truck and camper have been parked at our daughter and SIL's home since the 13th. The plan is to take it to the Seattle area for a few days later this month when we will spend some time with our son and DIL. They're expecting a new baby about June 1 and are in the process of converting the "guest room" into a "babies room". Thus we have no quarters when we visit and plan to use the TC as our mobile apartment... if, that is, I can fit it through a very narrow space between some landscaping and their house. For this upcoming visit, if we can't get it into the desired spot alongside their house, we may have to camp on the street. Wonder what the authorities will say about that? (Those people from Wisconsin... always causing problems.) It's always an adventure.
Another camper? (Well, here they go again!) Since we took delivery of the Northstar Arrow camper in September we've both been bothered by something -- it's really too big for the way we're planning to use it. Mounted on the truck, it's almost as high as the bushouse, something that was particularly noticeable when they were parked next to each other at the RV park in Portland. As we post-audited our process it became clear we lost sight of the main objective -- nimbleness -- and got caught up in the hubbub of features and benefits. The Northstar is a great unit for going camping but we're planning to travel with it... get off the beaten track... go places no man has ever been before. Well, maybe that's an overstatement, but you get the general idea. And what am I leading up to? We're in the process of getting another, but much smaller, truck camper. In about 6 weeks we should have a Four Wheel Camper "Hawk model" mounted on the back of our truck. The Northstar will be put on the block for sale and we'll have more adapting and adjusting to do. Regardless, we both feel much better about this decision. And, we're both looking forward to getting out into the Cascades, the Canadian Rockies, spending time on Vancouver Island, and heading to Alaska about a year from now.
Besides all that, we've been splitting our time between Portland and Sutherlin the past few weeks. As the weather improves so has my spirits. And we've been doing a little local exploring too. But more on that in a later post.
Finally, a long overdue update to this sad neglected blog. Over three weeks this time so here's a shot at bringing the record up-to-date.
Bushouse: Friday March 7th we moved the bushouse from Portland to Timber Valley SKP Co-op Park in Sutherlin Oregon, which will become our Northwestern homebase for the foreseeable future. For those unfamiliar with the SKP co-op park concept, it's basically a membership park whereby members have rights to a specific lot until such time as they decide to terminate their membership and turn the lot back over to the park. The park then finds a new member from the active waiting list. For travelers like Dar and I, this is an ideal and low-cost means to keep a year-round homebase while continuing to travel and explore. The membership fee (about $10k or $11k at this time... varies by park) is returned to you when you terminate your membership. So the only real cost is the lost interest on the membership fee (and we all know how much that is these days...) and an annual maintenance fee that keeps the park (roads, infrastructure, clubhouse, etc) in good operating order. The annual maintenance at Timber Valley is a little over $1000/year. We're number 6 on the active waiting list at this time... which we think will net us a membership by sometime this summer. Until that time we're renting on a monthly basis. For the foreseeable future and until this Sabbatical II thing settles out a bit, we're going to keep the bushouse as our primary "home".
Truck and Camper. To the chagrin of the subdivision's HOA, the truck and camper have been parked at our daughter and SIL's home since the 13th. The plan is to take it to the Seattle area for a few days later this month when we will spend some time with our son and DIL. They're expecting a new baby about June 1 and are in the process of converting the "guest room" into a "babies room". Thus we have no quarters when we visit and plan to use the TC as our mobile apartment... if, that is, I can fit it through a very narrow space between some landscaping and their house. For this upcoming visit, if we can't get it into the desired spot alongside their house, we may have to camp on the street. Wonder what the authorities will say about that? (Those people from Wisconsin... always causing problems.) It's always an adventure.
Another camper? (Well, here they go again!) Since we took delivery of the Northstar Arrow camper in September we've both been bothered by something -- it's really too big for the way we're planning to use it. Mounted on the truck, it's almost as high as the bushouse, something that was particularly noticeable when they were parked next to each other at the RV park in Portland. As we post-audited our process it became clear we lost sight of the main objective -- nimbleness -- and got caught up in the hubbub of features and benefits. The Northstar is a great unit for going camping but we're planning to travel with it... get off the beaten track... go places no man has ever been before. Well, maybe that's an overstatement, but you get the general idea. And what am I leading up to? We're in the process of getting another, but much smaller, truck camper. In about 6 weeks we should have a Four Wheel Camper "Hawk model" mounted on the back of our truck. The Northstar will be put on the block for sale and we'll have more adapting and adjusting to do. Regardless, we both feel much better about this decision. And, we're both looking forward to getting out into the Cascades, the Canadian Rockies, spending time on Vancouver Island, and heading to Alaska about a year from now.
Besides all that, we've been splitting our time between Portland and Sutherlin the past few weeks. As the weather improves so has my spirits. And we've been doing a little local exploring too. But more on that in a later post.
Feb 28 - "Saints be Praised..."
But all that aside, the best thing about that photo is that we were having lunch... outside. That's right, it's February and we're dining al fresco in the PNW. Family and friends in the Midwest probably don't want to hear about this (temps below zero there again this weekend), but we're really soaking it in.
After lunch we walked the Washougal River Greenspace Trail. And I think I've got a little color back in my pale face.
Feb 27 - Just Ducky
The past couple weeks I've felt like one of those ducks you see sitting on a pond during a rainy morning... not much going on so ya' might just as well enjoy life. The phrases "this weather is for the birds" or "nice weather -- if you're a duck", have taken on more meaning. It's been quite a few years since I've spent this much time in the PNW in late winter/early spring, and I'm getting re-familiarized with just how much it can rain... how dreary it can be... and why, this time of the year, so many people up here contemplate putting a squirt-gun in their ear... hoping the sun will reappear before they just can't take it any more and must forcibly flush that moss-plug out. Oh, and another thing... this is probably why the good citizens of Washington legalized the private use of pot. Ya' know, man... it just helps ya' cope.
But one must remember that all the rain is what makes this corner of the country so lush and beautiful. It freshens streams and waterfalls, moistens the ecosystem, waters the trees, fills the reservoirs, fuels the hydroelectric power plants, and the dreariness keeps most Californians where they belong... in California.
Speaking of our large, friendly, but weird neighbor to the south... I think it only fitting that we help them out by sending some of these storms we're getting down their way. They're in the grips of a record-setting drought and can certainly use it. The way I see it, if we donate enough of our water from the sky, that'll delay a little longer their planned Columbia River Apportionment Project (CRAP)(if you think I'm kidding, just try Google-ing it) (or click here for more). Even though we don't hear much about it, PNW'ers know they're working hard behind the scenes to set up the political and financial power structure to enable them to tap into the Columbia River System and get the other 49 states to pay for it. It's only a matter of time before our rich water resources are piped or canaled southward to help them maintain the lifestyle to which they've become accustomed. Why, it's almost a right, isn't it? I only hope I don't live long enough to see the PNW drained of it's lifeblood.
As far as our status is concerned, the bushouse is still at the RV Park in Portland (we're into our 4th month here). The truck and camper are parked alongside... it's a little tight but for a short time it works. Dar and I are spending much of our time watching our grandkids. However, in the next week or so, we're going to take the bushouse down to the SKP park in Sutherlin, where we're high on the waiting list. The plan is to snag a membership and lot in the next few months and use it as our PNW homebase for the next few years.
We're also discussing our plans for the future and contemplating another minor change. You'll have to wait for more on that one.
Spring and warmer weather is just around the corner, isn't it?
But one must remember that all the rain is what makes this corner of the country so lush and beautiful. It freshens streams and waterfalls, moistens the ecosystem, waters the trees, fills the reservoirs, fuels the hydroelectric power plants, and the dreariness keeps most Californians where they belong... in California.
Speaking of our large, friendly, but weird neighbor to the south... I think it only fitting that we help them out by sending some of these storms we're getting down their way. They're in the grips of a record-setting drought and can certainly use it. The way I see it, if we donate enough of our water from the sky, that'll delay a little longer their planned Columbia River Apportionment Project (CRAP)(if you think I'm kidding, just try Google-ing it) (or click here for more). Even though we don't hear much about it, PNW'ers know they're working hard behind the scenes to set up the political and financial power structure to enable them to tap into the Columbia River System and get the other 49 states to pay for it. It's only a matter of time before our rich water resources are piped or canaled southward to help them maintain the lifestyle to which they've become accustomed. Why, it's almost a right, isn't it? I only hope I don't live long enough to see the PNW drained of it's lifeblood.
As far as our status is concerned, the bushouse is still at the RV Park in Portland (we're into our 4th month here). The truck and camper are parked alongside... it's a little tight but for a short time it works. Dar and I are spending much of our time watching our grandkids. However, in the next week or so, we're going to take the bushouse down to the SKP park in Sutherlin, where we're high on the waiting list. The plan is to snag a membership and lot in the next few months and use it as our PNW homebase for the next few years.
We're also discussing our plans for the future and contemplating another minor change. You'll have to wait for more on that one.
Spring and warmer weather is just around the corner, isn't it?
Feb 12 - Back Home in Portland
Got into Portland last night (the 11th) about 6pm. Had a great day for traveling... the best of the four "moving" days since leaving Wisconsin. The weather gods rewarded us with a calm day; flaccid flags all day long. Of course that, as well as the fact we're now going downhill, really boosted the mpg numbers. I'll do a separate post on our impressions of the truck and camper after this 2200 mile drive.
We did drive into a slow steady rain as we neared Portland but, hey, it's Portland... and it's winter. It's the kind of dreariness that we've grown to love. Discussed dinner and worked ourselves up a hankering for Chinese. Found a little joint not far from where the bus-house is parked and took care of that issue.
Got to the bus-house and unloaded the essentials; the rest will wait until morning. We were gone for nearly a month and the "old girl" survived all the nasty Portland weather (snow, ice, wind, etc) just fine. Added a little heat, ran some water, poured a couple fingers of fine aged Scotch to mourn and to celebrate. Took a deep breath. It's been a hell of a month.
We did drive into a slow steady rain as we neared Portland but, hey, it's Portland... and it's winter. It's the kind of dreariness that we've grown to love. Discussed dinner and worked ourselves up a hankering for Chinese. Found a little joint not far from where the bus-house is parked and took care of that issue.
Got to the bus-house and unloaded the essentials; the rest will wait until morning. We were gone for nearly a month and the "old girl" survived all the nasty Portland weather (snow, ice, wind, etc) just fine. Added a little heat, ran some water, poured a couple fingers of fine aged Scotch to mourn and to celebrate. Took a deep breath. It's been a hell of a month.
Feb 10 - Burley Idaho
Weather kept us in Laramie for three nights, but our philosophy of "going with the flow" coupled with a bit of serendipity had us really liking this little college town before we left. With a population of about 35,000, it's tucked between the Laramie Mountains to the east and the Snowy Range to the west, at an elevation of a bit over 7,000 feet. The people we met were generally easy with a smile and quick to chat. We made it a point to get back here during the summer which, we're told, is "prime-time".
The forecast for the rest of the week is windy, then windier. If we didn't take advantage of today's relatively calm conditions, we might have qualified as citizens of Laramie. During the past few days the State Patrol closed I-80 through here a number of times due to wind and accidents. It happens frequently during Winter.
We were on the road by 7:20 this morning and continued our battle with headwinds. Other than that we had a good day and made good time. We stayed on I-80 all the way to I-84 at the foot of Echo Canyon, just above Salt Lake City. I-84 will be our route for the rest of our run into Portland. We're at a motel in Burley Idaho tonight and anxious to get into Portland tomorrow afternoon.
The forecast for the rest of the week is windy, then windier. If we didn't take advantage of today's relatively calm conditions, we might have qualified as citizens of Laramie. During the past few days the State Patrol closed I-80 through here a number of times due to wind and accidents. It happens frequently during Winter.
We were on the road by 7:20 this morning and continued our battle with headwinds. Other than that we had a good day and made good time. We stayed on I-80 all the way to I-84 at the foot of Echo Canyon, just above Salt Lake City. I-84 will be our route for the rest of our run into Portland. We're at a motel in Burley Idaho tonight and anxious to get into Portland tomorrow afternoon.
Feb 7 - Laying Low in Laramie
Another 500+ mile run today. Another day of ascent (from 1,000 feet near Lincoln to over 8,600 feet in Wyoming) and brisk headwinds (lucky to eek 9 mpg out of the truck).
The "high"-light of the day was our transit of Sherman Pass... the highest of any point on I-80 (8,640 feet). But we didn't just cross the summit, we did it in the middle of a snow-shower that blinded drivers, made the road slick, slowed traffic, frayed nerves, and nearly put the safety director into shock. It was a hairy half hour but one we won't forget. Certainly not something I'd want to do with the bus-house.
But our immediate future is uncertain. According to the Weather Channel, the winter storm named Orion is, and will be, causing mayhem across the USA for the next week. For us, predicted 50+ mph winds, snow (and other more solid forms of precipitation) will probably keep us in Laramie for a couple days. If we're lucky we'll be here for a couple days. If we're not lucky, we might be here till Phil the rodent finally releases winter's grip on us... maybe April???
But willing to make the best of it, we'll explore Laramie and, with a little luck, find some craft beer to help pass the time.
The "high"-light of the day was our transit of Sherman Pass... the highest of any point on I-80 (8,640 feet). But we didn't just cross the summit, we did it in the middle of a snow-shower that blinded drivers, made the road slick, slowed traffic, frayed nerves, and nearly put the safety director into shock. It was a hairy half hour but one we won't forget. Certainly not something I'd want to do with the bus-house.
But our immediate future is uncertain. According to the Weather Channel, the winter storm named Orion is, and will be, causing mayhem across the USA for the next week. For us, predicted 50+ mph winds, snow (and other more solid forms of precipitation) will probably keep us in Laramie for a couple days. If we're lucky we'll be here for a couple days. If we're not lucky, we might be here till Phil the rodent finally releases winter's grip on us... maybe April???
But willing to make the best of it, we'll explore Laramie and, with a little luck, find some craft beer to help pass the time.
Feb 6 - Layover in Lincoln
This will be brief:
A tad cold this morning... about 5 below zero at 9am when we finally left Beaver Dam on our way to Portland. Battled brisk westerly winds most of the day, which kept our "mpg's" nearly as low as we get with the bushouse. Other than that it was a nice day for travel. Made it to Lincoln Nebraska tonight before we threw out the anchor.
Our objective is to get as far west as possible... as quickly as possible... before the weather out west goes downhill for a few days. However, tomorrow looks good for our run across Nebraska and into Wyoming.
Mileage today was around 500. The truck is running and handling very well... I'm very impressed with the way it's taking the miles in stride.
And in case anyone is wondering, NO, we're not sleeping in the camper tonight. Sub-zero temps motivated us to find a motel... complete with a big king-sized bed and strong hot shower.
A tad cold this morning... about 5 below zero at 9am when we finally left Beaver Dam on our way to Portland. Battled brisk westerly winds most of the day, which kept our "mpg's" nearly as low as we get with the bushouse. Other than that it was a nice day for travel. Made it to Lincoln Nebraska tonight before we threw out the anchor.
Our objective is to get as far west as possible... as quickly as possible... before the weather out west goes downhill for a few days. However, tomorrow looks good for our run across Nebraska and into Wyoming.
Mileage today was around 500. The truck is running and handling very well... I'm very impressed with the way it's taking the miles in stride.
And in case anyone is wondering, NO, we're not sleeping in the camper tonight. Sub-zero temps motivated us to find a motel... complete with a big king-sized bed and strong hot shower.
Feb 5 - A Cold Shoulder from Wisconsin
Our time in the Midwest is drawing to a close again... at least for this trip. What started out as a quick trip back to get the truck camper turned into a three week stay that included the death of my Mom, her funeral, cleaning out her apartment, and tying up all the other loose ends that needed tying. It's been traumatic and emotional for the family but we're finally coming back to a semi-normal place. And Dar and I are sooo ready to get back on the road.
This crazy cold January weather isn't exactly cooperating with our plans. Of course we'd like a week of calm weather all the way West, complete with warm tailwinds and sunny skies. The reality is that we'll likely have quite the opposite. But we're so ready to go that we just picked a day, tomorrow (Thursday), and will hit the road and take on the challenges as they come. Some needed adventure perhaps.
I will do my best to post to this journal as we move along.
This crazy cold January weather isn't exactly cooperating with our plans. Of course we'd like a week of calm weather all the way West, complete with warm tailwinds and sunny skies. The reality is that we'll likely have quite the opposite. But we're so ready to go that we just picked a day, tomorrow (Thursday), and will hit the road and take on the challenges as they come. Some needed adventure perhaps.
I will do my best to post to this journal as we move along.
... we're left to remember... alone.
I had put this photo up on Facebook shortly after Mom's funeral, but need to get it into this journal to complete the record. It's a wonderful photo of the two of them, taken by my brother Bill, as they were walking alone in Yellowstone National Park.
For some reason this photo really speaks to me... has more meaning now than originally intended. As they head off into the unknown, we're left to remember... alone.
For some reason this photo really speaks to me... has more meaning now than originally intended. As they head off into the unknown, we're left to remember... alone.
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