Harry Reid?

There is an election scheduled for November and the newspapers are full of the race for our Senate seat; it's between Harry Reid, the incumbent, and Sharon Angle, his Republican challenger.  Here in rural Nevada it's likely that Ms. Angle will carry the day since people out here are generally more conservative than in the cities.  Of course there are a lot more people in the cities so....  However, in addition to being one of the power elite which is not a good thing this year, Harry has managed to piss a lot of people off by his associations with President Obama.

We have tons of signs around town for candidates for various offices but very few for either state or national positions.  I did find one for Harry Reid which, unfortunately, has been the victim of graffiti.

A couple of blocks farther along is this sign; not so professional but full of meaning.

I don't know but Harry might be in trouble around here.  Have a good one.

Mountain!

I'm trying to pretty the place up a bit so added a photo of Mt. Charleston; the view diagonally out my office window.  It may or may not stay; but I'm happy about it for a first effort. 

Darned Mexicans!

Now if it wasn't enough that we've got this illegal immigration problem, the weather man says the Mexican's are sending us up some warmer weather!  Jeez!  Low 100's today (39+C); another 5 or 8 degrees (42+C) later this week.  Grrrr!  Even the people who've been here a while are getting tired of it.

I was reading that the Mexican President has said perhaps they should consider legalizing some drugs, like marijuana specifically.  His justification is he wants to reduce all the violence that the drug cartels are causing.  I think legalization makes perfect sense.  The country could tax it and we could all go over the border and have a quick joint if we wanted.  Hell, it would probably increase tourism 200%.  (I can just see Croft trying to figure out how to stay there year round.  LOL  Just kidding!)  Actually, we ought to legalize in this country as well.  Logically we'd have to let about 25% of the people out of our prisons (since they were in for something that was no longer a crime) but that savings wouldn't be too painful to the states and the tax income from the weed would be most welcome. 

These hot days I'm spending my energy trying to figure out how to cook things without warming the house.  The crockpot is in use as is the bbq.  I got my first gas bbq about 20 years ago; before that I was a charcoal guy.  Now I've decided to try charcoal again but it's kicking my ass!  I think I've complained about it before but it's still killing me.  Made a real rookie mistake the other night.  Put a pork loin on that I'd made slits in for little pieces of garlic.  I'd done something similar on the gas grill just a couple weeks ago and it was great!  Unfortunately, I forgot that the charcoal grill is much cooler and didn't sear the meat the way the gas did.  Ended up with a fairly dry pork loin.  Bah humbug.  Like I say, a rookie mistake.  Next time I'll just put the garlic on the outside and we should be good to go.

I'm also trying 'real charcoal' aka lump charcoal.  The stuff that doesn't fall through the grate burns pretty quickly and the charcoal I add doesn't really take off well.  It's to the point that I stopped and bought some Kingsford briquettes yesterday.  I've never used lump charcoal before so going back to something that I have at least used before ought to help with this re-learning process.  I spend quite a bit of time on the BBQ forum but some of those folks are really close to professionals!  Not that they aren't helpful, it's just they are on a whole different level. 

Gotta go.  Tonight I'm the garlic bread guy to my wife's pasta cooking.  Hopefully I won't screw that up.  Have a good one.

Or Not!

Went over to Vegas yesterday to celebrate my wife's birthday.  Moderation was certainly NOT the name of the game as we were in around $150 a person before gratuity (can't call anything that size a 'tip').  It was very good and we got plenty to eat though the individual plates were pretty small.  The restaurant was Aureole in the Mandalay Bay.  Nice place, fine food and good service; can't ask for more than that. 

There is an item in the news about some ex-state workers in Colorado who are suing the state because the state is changing the rules of their retirement.  I don't know the whole story but apparently there was some kind of built-in cost-of-living adjustment written into the law which the state legislature has overturned.  It's hard for me to imagine a state legislature with the political courage to do such a thing (congratulations Colorado!!) but I believe it is going to have to be done in many more areas.  It is done in the private sector all the time.  Our health benefits keep getting smaller and being more expensive; that wasn't supposed to happen.  Our pension income has never gone up and I doubt if it ever will.  This economic hole needs to be attacked and ex-government workers cannot be exempt. 

Short post today; I'm off to cut up some meat for beef jerky.  I cut it and marinate it today and tomorrow it goes on the electric dehydrator for five or six hours.  I think I'll add a little cayenne to the marinade; make it just a bit hotter.  Have a good one.

Moderation

I'm a big fan of moderation in all things.  Lately we've been getting a little moderation on the weather front and are loving that.  There's a big difference between 95F (35C) and 105F (40+C).  In the wider scheme of things I'm also a fan of moderation in a lot of ways.  Investing is certainly a place where I believe you will be more successful if you are moderately invested in different areas - of course that's usually called being diversified.  Wine, women (or men) and song are also places where moderation is beneficial; at least in my experience.  If your experience has been different, I'd love to hear about it!

I've been reading a lot about are we having inflation or deflation or will we have one of them and when.  Another place where moderation is a good thing.  Inflation is easy for me to understand but deflation is tougher.  My problem with the entire question is that the truth, whatever it is, will be obscured by the fact that the U.S. government has been fooling with the Consumer Price Index (CPI)  for so many years that I don't think it tells us a thing.  For me that's a big problem; if your own government is lying to you, you're screwed.  Governments lie, of course; they are made up of people and people certainly lie.  It's the pervasiveness of the lying that bothers me.  I gave up on the CPI many years ago when they took gasoline out of it because "it was too volatile".   Well, most of us have to buy it so I really don't give a damn if it fouls up your statistics.  It is extremely important to us consumers and it's cost should be reflected in the CPI. 

To get back to the inflation-deflation question:  a lot of us remember when we had some pretty severe inflation in the 1979-1980 time frame.  I remember hearing of a Certificate of Deposit that paid 14% interest!  Today Wells Fargo will keep your money for 49 months and pay you less than 2%.  Deflation is much tougher for me to comprehend; I had to look it up here in wikinvest.   Of course if things become cheaper that means that there will be less tax income (sales tax & property tax anyway); and businesses will have a tough time remaining solvent so maybe that is what's happening.  I know this house that we just bought in 2009 has lost almost 20% of it's value and our property tax bill has dropped by approximately the same amount.  We have seen several of the small businesses in the area fold but, of course, many do even in the best of times.  However, having just used 300 gallons of diesel in our travels, I can categorically state that not EVERYTHING is in a deflationary state. 

Our society has so many constraints on the economy that I don't know that 'pure' inflation or deflation is possible.  The federal government has such an influence:  employees; military; retirees; Social Security; Medicare (and whatever Congress just voted in).  It's quite a list and those people aren't going to get a reduction in their payments.  Then there are the large companies who have unionized workers; it's possible to change those contracts but it would certainly be slow and difficult!  Anyway, I'm definitely confused.

Maybe it's time to just go have a beer!  Have a good one.

Sunrise!

As a result of an unquiet night, we took our morning walk earlier than usual today.  It was so lovely!  Walking along the dry track looking at the clouds over Mt. Charleston; the rays of sun climbing over the cloud; the slow lighting up of the Nopah mountains to our west.  Absolutely beautiful.  Did I have my camera?  Hell no!  Of course not.  There was the smell of rain in the air but it would be pretty surprising if we got any here; the mountains are probably getting some though.  (Here's a pic from a walk last year about this time.)

It's kind of funny but this whole area is a flood plain.  You climb over the pass from Las Vegas and here is a sign proclaiming a flash flood area for the next X miles.  In fact, our house is in a flood zone and our mortgage requires that we have flood insurance.  It strikes me as kind of funny since in Florida our house was at an elevation of about 12 feet (say 4 meters) about 10 miles(16 km) from the ocean and it wasn't required there. 

As usual, we've got a quiet day planned.  The highlight will probably be washing the car.  How's that for life in the fast lane?  Speaking of "Life"; I really enjoyed the post on Random Roger this morning.  He's talking about the importance of taking responsibility for your life.  He's had a couple posts recently that generated comments about his insensitivity to people's problems.  I don't find him insensitive at all.  He, and I, are strong proponents of living below your means.  That means that we have a Toyota not another BMW; we have a travel trailer not a diesel pusher motorhome; we have basic cable tv not every extra channel you can imagine. 

This is how we have always lived.  When we were working, we always lived in a house that either of us could afford if the other lost his/her job.  We are intelligent people (well, give me a break!) and were working in exciting positions for strong companies but you never know what's around the corner.  I have every compassion for someone who has been crushed by the world:  I know there are people who had a moderate mortgage, a good job, a happy life but things just all went sideways and now they are homeless, jobless and crazed.  I have none for someone who bought a house they couldn't possibly afford or who thinks the world owes them a living or who thinks relationships are painless. 

I kind of think being an atheist gives me an advantage here:  there isn't any super being out there who cares about me.  It's all my problem and all my solution.  Of course, having parents who had lived through the great depression (the 1930 one!) helped too.  The news is full of 'the new consumer' who ISN'T buying everything in sight; those folks who saw that depression didn't buy a lot of crap they didn't need either.  And, you know, that sunrise this morning was so absolutely beautiful, so priceless and it didn't cost a dime.  Go smell the roses folks.

Have a good one.

Warm enough?

Turns out we went on our trip during the hottest month of the year.  Traditionally July is the hottest month but this year was a new record.  According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal "July's average temperature of 96.2 degrees (35.6C) was the highest of any month since record keeping began in 1937."  That average is both the high and the low so it didn't get that cool at night either.  We've been in the low 100's (38C) since we returned but nothing in the teens.


Speaking of our trip; we put 3,174 miles (5,100km) on the truck; towing about 2,500 (4,000km) and used almost exactly 300 gallons (1,135 liters) of diesel.  A long trip for under a month.  Here's a photo of the GPS when we were going up to see Mt. St. Helens.

Nothing like driving in a straight line!  Have a good one.

Off to Las Vegas

I'm headed to the big city today for some shopping.  In Pahrump if Walmart doesn't carry it, you don't need it.  That's just not our lifestyle.  I was astounded when we first moved here that I'd be in a store looking for something and if they didn't have it they would send me to Walmart.  I worked in retail and sending a customer to Walmart would be really low on my list of suggestions. 

Here is a photo we took at the Escapee's park in Sumerlin, OR.  We were in the club house looking at the books and saw this out the window.  Fortunately my wife had her cell phone (with camera).  It seems the leaves on the tree were tasty but when she got an apple; that was special!

Have a good one!

Hmmmm

From Yahoo news:  "Leading Republicans are joining a push to reconsider the constitutional amendment that grants automatic citizenship to people born in the United States."  I don't think anything will come of it; since when have politicians had this kind of courage?  However........

Well, at least I consider this a step in the right (i.e. correct) direction.  Clearly the amendment was written at a time when people made a huge effort to move to this country and make a place for themselves here.  Modern travel methods have clearly made that effort obsolete.  Now there is at least the fear that people come to this country for a day just to have a baby here and obtain the associated rights for that baby.  And for the child's parents. 

I guess that perhaps I would like to modify the 14th Amendment.  Let's think about the different children we are talking about. 

1. A child born of a woman who simply walked across the border for the day. 
2. A child born of a woman who is here illegally; either by overstaying a visa or by sneaking into the country by some other means.
3.  A child born of a woman who is here legally; though of limited duration - i.e. a student visa.
4.  A child born of a woman who is here as a legal immigrant (with a green card).

It seems to me to be obvious that the first two examples are people who need not be granted citizenship.  The third example is at least questionable; if the mother isn't intending to stay, why would the child?  However the final option would seem to be completely reasonable candidate for citizenship provided that he or she was willing to take the oaths required of new citizens. 

BTW, my FIL is the son of a wetback so this discussion hits close to home. 

Is it really August?

I guess it must be.  The local radio station talks about the weather being 'in the low hundreds'; after it gets into triple digits who cares?  We are taking it easy though getting caught up with 'normal' life.  I'm doing lots of laundry & exciting stuff like that.  (Yes, I do the laundry in our house; not sure how that happened but....)  Our daughter is coming over today so I'm bbq'ing a pork loin roast and some corn.  Keeps me off the street.

I've been researching high-end restaurants in Las Vegas because my wife's birthday is coming up.  It's one of those special ones (ends in a zero) so we are going to try one of the nicer places.  If anyone had any suggestions, I'd be willing to listen because we haven't been to many places in the big city.  From the web sites I've checked out I'm expecting to pay in excess of $100 a person plus $50-100 for wine.  The good news is that I won't have to worry about us getting drunk at those prices! 

Gotta go.  This computing is getting stuff done.  Take care.

Home again

Made it home about 14:30 yesterday.  Glad to see that things were as we left them!  One minor problem occurred, about a million little black bugs decided to die (mostly) outside our front door.  I've no idea what the deal was but there is a pile of them.  We've never had anything like that before.

Our last day driving was pretty trouble free; there were a couple idiots who don't know how to pass who are still alive because I was able to pull off the road but otherwise all was serene.  I backed into the yard and plugged the rig into the power.  We'll get it completely unloaded in a day or so. The truck is absolutely filthy so it's off to the car wash for me. 

Our next-to-last night was spent in a campground that is part of a working ranch.  They had this old John Deere tractor sitting under the trees.  I imagine it might be worth quite a lot to people who collect tractors; it certainly seemed in good condition. 

Have a good one!

"We should all be concerned about the future because we will have to spend the rest of our lives there."  Charles Kettering

Nevada!!! Not home but....

Stopped for the evening in Hawthorne, NV.  There isn't a lot here but there is the Hawthorne Army Depot; a huge weapons storage area that makes for a lot of the jobs in the area.  We found a nice rv park with concrete pull-through spaces and excellent internet.  What more could we ask?  How about a couple stories from the road today?

We are back in the desert though here it is at the 4,000+ foot level  (1200+ meters); Pahrump is around 2700 ft (825m).  Had a good day driving through country that reminds me of the old tv show Bonanza - lots of scattered pine trees with lush green meadows.  We did have a good laugh not long after we got on the road.  This road is in the middle of nowhere; miles to the nearest gas station much less anything else.  Along come two state patrol cars leading an extra-large and wide load going somewhere.  Following was another state patrol car - and, what made us laugh, about 30 cars full of people who thought they would be moving at 65 mph (105kph) but were instead doing about a third of that.  Yes, I know it was cruel to laugh at them but gee, they all looked so happy! 

An hour or so later we were climbing this really steep grade on a narrow 2 lane road when we see a line of three traffic cones across our lane and a state patrol car pulling away up the hill.  We carefully go around the cones and find a large semi broken down in our lane of the road and the cop putting out yet more cones on the uphill side of the breakdown.  In my heart I know the cops help people every day but today I actually got to see two instances of them doing it! 

We were pulling into Susanville, CA - slowly because there is a big hill for us to go down west of town.  The hill is signposted for trucks at 35 mph (56kph); I was going a bit faster but not a lot more.  We were right on the outskirts of town going through a piece of road that was blasted out of the rock leaving about a foot of shoulder (35cm).  Here were two little deer strolling along the side of the road; no horns and they were both really small.  I braked to the point of almost stopping but the deer just kept walking.  Finally I honked the horn and they hopped up the almost vertical rock face to safety.  I was sure glad they went the right direction! 

Should be home tomorrow.  We are both looking forward to it.  It's been a good trip but we are home-bodies.  There will probably be a few more pictures that I haven't shared yet in the next few days.  Have a good one.

Californication.....

Here we sit; all Californicated in a place called Hat Creek.  Interesting, kind of, but really a sack of s*#t.  Paying excessively to sit in the woods and watch a bunch of idiots playing horseshoes is not really something I'll be doing again.  We were hopeful though; we are trying to make the journey from Sutherlin, OR to Pahrump a three day journey - days of approximately the same length.  This would be a good first days run but this park just isn't going to do it.  The only thing that can be said for it is that we have internet and a bit of a breeze.  There are other parks around here that we'll try next time.

We spent the last two days just resting at the Escapee's park in Sutherlin - resting defined as cleaning the rig and doing laundry.  My opinion of the organization is no secret; I'm a huge fan.  The park is nice, blacktop roads, big spaces and not at all expensive.  Oh, and the people that we met were all great too!  The drive from Reedsport to Sutherlin was along the Umpqua River valley; that was downright beautiful. 

The road here was ok.  Interstate-5 through the Siskiyou range - in summer it's got some challenging spots;  I've heard that in winter it can be downright scary.  Lots of 6% grades both up and down with a few slow curves interspersed.  Needless to say, there's lots of traffic.  After you leave the interstate, it's a narrowish 2 lane road with lots of ups and downs.  The cars following us may not have been too happy but that's not something we can do much about.  There aren't lots of places to turn off.  The state of California also is part of the problem:  if you tow anything the speed limit is 55 (88kph); otherwise it's 65(105kph).  We are a built in moving blockade for other vehicles.  Happily most people are pretty cool about it.  Only saw 4 California Highway Patrol vehicles today.  Unfortunately saw three deer hit by cars; a buck and two doe. 

Should be in nowhere Nevada tomorrow; then home on Friday.  Drive carefully where ever you are.

Last days on the coast

We have spent a last couple days just being lazy not going far from Lincoln City.  There is an outlet mall that we had to check out.  Spent a few bucks but nothing special.  Neither of us are great shoppers.  Yesterday, for example, I went to a Dollar Store and bought new toys for the animals - $2.  NOT too great for the local economy!

The weather has been weird; it may be sunny at our park but foggy in Lincoln City 5 miles away.  You've got to take your coat wherever you go.  There were tons of people in town.  The city is strung out along highway 101 and turned into a giant line of cars all just crawling along.  What fun. 

Today we are south down 101 a bit more then we turn inland and head for Interstate 5 and home. 

Take care!

More coastline

We wandered south from our park yesterday afternoon just looking at the view.  We found it was easier to access the actual coast and enjoyed that.  There were even a couple places where we could have gone down to an actual beach.  Unfortunately that 60F (15C) and 20mph (30kph) breeze dissuaded us.  It was pretty though!

We got to see the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse.  You can actually go up in it since it is no longer used and has been taken over by the state as a recreation area.  We didn't; there were already lots of people in line and you know what I think of standing in lines!

I loved the view of the bay that you got from the point.  The rocks offshore are rather close but far enough that they are home to lots (!) of birds.  Kind of hazy but very beautiful.

We stopped at one viewpoint that was inhabited by a different species - landscape painters!  (Sorry couldn't even approximate the latin name.  Hell, I'm lucky I can spell it in English - or is it American?)  At least they can cut out the haze in their work.

I was liking that old tree but clearly they were after something else.  Gotta go.  Have a good one.

Oregon Coast

We have finally made it to the Oregon Coast; yes, it's beautiful.  You can certainly believe there won't be any bikinis on that beach though!  It's barely 60F (15 or 16C) and there is a nice wind blowing. 

We found a park near Lincoln City - it's another PA (PassportAmerica) park so the cost is very reasonable.  Sometimes such parks are not really nice but this one, though crowded, is pretty nice.  No dog run but it works for us.  It's Coyote Rock RV Resort & Marina - they have a big sign talking about the biggest fish they've had taken this year.  The kind of place where it's really quiet at 21:00 but you start hearing people out and about at 05:00.

Yesterday we did a loop up to Tillamook and back.  Tillamook has a cooperative that has been making cheese and other milk products for many years.  We visited the factory and must admit it was pretty awful.  There were zillions of kids; crazed parents and angry drivers in the parking lot.  Not much to see either; just some bored people cutting and packaging cheese into bricks.  Of course it would be a great place to buy an ice cream cone; if you didn't have to stand in line for 10 minutes!  I'm way too old for that shit.


Going to go down south today.  Hoping for more good views and maybe a walk on the beach.  Hope you are having a good one.

A Mountain - and wine country

My wife and I visited Mt St Helens a couple years after the first eruption.  We were living in Seattle at the time so it wasn't tough to visit.  Last year we tried to visit it again but it was socked in.  This year we succeeded in finding good weather.  We were worried; it was cloudy down where the rv park was located.  We decided to try it anyway and our wishes came true.

The interpretive centers are well done; the scenery is great; even the road is good.  It is a worthwhile stop on any journey, especially if the weather is clear.

Now we have moved on; but only about 90 miles.  We are near the town of McMinnville, Oregon; a town of many wineries.  There is also an aviation museum that houses the famous Spruce Goose airplane; Howard Hughes' famous 'largest aircraft in the world'.  It may not be that any more but I've got to see it anyway.  Wine and a famous airplane, what more could I ask? 

Now, if I can only find a laundromat!

Catchup.....

I've been in an internet-free zone for the last week; that is staying with family who are not technologically advanced. Anyway it's been an interesting time. Got to my wife's sister's place on Thursday afternoon. The truck was riding like the road was made of individual rocks so we figured we might have an out-of-balance problem. Took it to Les Schwab, a big local tire chain that has a pretty good reputation. On the way over, my BIL noticed a squirrely motion when we were stopping and suggested we might have a bulge in one of the tires. Anyway, the tire people didn't ask us anything, they just took it for a test drive then got us in and balanced the front tires. On the way home, it was better but still not great. We decided to check the rear tires and sure enough, there is a bulge in the sidewall of one of the tires. Put the spare on and that fixed the problem.

The reason for our trip is that my wife's step-dad is turning 80. Had the big birthday party on Friday: prime rib, oysters from their own beach, lots of sides. Very good party. Our daughter flew in from Vegas to attend as a surprise for the FIL. The champagne was really flowing but my wife and I managed to refrain so when evening came we were half-way sober but feeling good. It was really warm all day, I think Seattle hit a record in the mid 90's and it must have been close to that where we were.

A telephoto view from the sister's 2nd floor deck:

Saturday we spent recovering; well, we rested and our hosts recovered. They had put a lot of work into the party and needed nothing but some quiet time. I went into town to do a couple errands and proved that changing the tire was what we needed. My wife and daughter went to see the latest Twilight movie; thought it was pretty good, much better than the second. Had a lovely dinner on the patio with leftovers from the party. There's a good chance it was all better the second time around!

Sunday we headed north towards Sequim, WA up on the Straits of Juan de Fuca where the parents live; it's only about 75 miles. They are in a private rv resort having stopped traveling after about 15 years full-timing. A friend has an empty lot so we get to stay here at nominal cost. Makes it very convenient but we sure don't get much exercise. Sunday and Monday were devoted to eating and talking. I am typing this on Tuesday. Today we are off to see my wife's brother & SIL.

They are an interesting couple. Live near Port Angeles, WA which is a rather 'artsy' community about 40 miles from here. Nice people who are developing into rather artsy people after having retired from a rather constrained life in the military. The BIL is doing wood-working and we are to collect a table he made out of driftwood for my wife. We already have one and are looking forward to another. His wife is a poet and we brought along a copy of her first book for her to autograph.

A view of Canada (Vancouver Island) from their deck:

We'll be here for another day then leave on Thursday. We are headed to Mt. St. Helens to try to view the mountain. We were there back in the mid 80's when everyone was just amazed at how fast the mountain was recovering from it's eruption. Tried to visit it last year when we were here but it was socked in; maybe we'll make it this year. After that we are headed for Oregon. We'll be staying near McMinnville where there are wineries and also, Howard Hughes' airplane, the Spruce Goose. I'm looking forward to seeing that!

It's Wednesday, 14 July. It's our last family day and I'm sitting alone in the trailer while three young people are outside washing and waxing it! This is the life! We intended to get it washed and waxed before we left but it just didn't happen. This is much easier. LOL Of course I'm going to have to part with some money but what's it for if not to be spent? Besides, these seem to be nice young people and I'm sure they need the money. According to my FIL, their dad delivers propane to the park. They also have a relative who lives here. I hope they get lots of business; they are doing a fine job. They thought $150 quite generous; it took 3 people four hours, good enough pay but not incredible.

After the kids got done with the trailer, I joined my wife and her parents for a lovely meal. (They do three meals a day - breakfast and a lunch/dinner thing with a snack just before bed.) Lots of good food and mostly good talk. There were times when we were near talking about some unpleasant stuff that's in the past but we managed to skirt it. We got back to our nice clean trailer about 18:00. Now we'll say 'good bye' in the a.m. and head out.

The visit with the BIL & SIL yesterday was great. We sat on their deck and ate crab and smoked salmon that they had caught and smoked. Then went inside for steaks with all the trimmings. Yum! I had to skip the crab, of course, because of my allergy but smoked salmon is a treat that I can eat. The Coast Guard was doing some practice rescue stuff out in the Strait so we even had some entertainment; kind of noisy though! The local native tribes are doing a long distance paddle next week so I guess the Coastie's were getting in practice. Don't want to screw up during a big event!

The weather has been pretty amazing. It started off HOT and morphed into simply perfect. It's in the low 70's and sunny. If it were like this more often this place would be as crowded as Southern California. Happily, it gets gray and nasty quite often. Most people who live here and can afford it like to vacation elsewhere in the middle of winter.

Walking the dog this evening I was consumed by a feeling of "being home". It's funny because I truly feel that "home is where my hat is". It is true that I lived in the Northwest for 18 years. However, I lived in Iowa for my first 21 years; I also lived in Florida for 14 years. But when I lived in New Jersey; just a year and a half, that was home. When I lived in the Netherlands; only two years, that was home. My wife and I both commented; landing at Schipole was "coming home". Odd that this evening I should have that feeling.

Thursday morning: we have a foggy start to the morning. Walking the dog we didn't see any wildlife; only a kid with a back pack waiting for a bus. Funny, I don't expect bus service out here but there it was. Now we've made it down to Mt. St. Helens. Staying at the Mt St Helens RV Park - ok but a bit expensive. The sites are terraced so if you don't like backing into a spot, you're out of luck! Looking forward to seeing the mountain tomorrow morning.

Have a good one!

Mt Shasta, CA

Managed to make it to Mt. Shasta, CA to Abraham's RV Park on Tuesday night.  We've been here before.  The spaces are still not level and the water pressure has declined to Not-Great AND they have decided that they want $28 (cash or personal check only) for a night.  They do have cable and wifi but really!  It's not that wonderful.  I would stay here again but only if it fit into our plans REALLY well.  There is one redeeming thing:  close to the mountain.

For a place a mile off the interstate, that's not a bad view when you take the dog for a walk. 

Headed north today and ended up in the Portland-Woodburn RV Park about 15:30.  Another place we've stayed several times before.  It has it's own private gate to a discount mall which may be a selling point.  For us, it's not.  They have managed to raise the rate to $35 this year so, again, we may not be stopping here again. 

The folks in Oregon seem to have taken Interstate highway building lessons from Louisiana;  if I didn't know better I'd think we'd lost wheel weights on all four tires!  It's still beautiful though.  We were watching Mt Hood get bigger all afternoon.   We are just lazying around; it's 94F tying a local record for the day.  Hotter tomorrow.  Out on the coast there is a split between warm and cool.  On the northern Oregon coast it's in the 90's (33C) but the southern Oregon coast it's 58F (14C).  What a difference in just a few miles!

More later.  Hope things are well with you & yours!

"We don't have to worry about anything. No nation in the history of the world was ever sitting as pretty. If we want anything, all we have to do is go and buy it on credit." Will Rogers

Traveling

It's been a while since we've been on the road.  Today we are just outside of Reno, NV; not a lot of a change for us but it did take us until 17:45 last night to get here!  It wasn't a bad drive; mostly 2 lane roads with not too much traffic.  We did have the occasional idiot who doesn't know how to pass but otherwise uneventful.  We did have two people who made illegal passes.  I wonder what they think they are doing?

We are staying in Fernley at the Wild Rose RV park.  It's a Passport America park so for $17 you get a nice concrete pull-through space with cable and wifi.  It doesn't have much of a dog run but that's the limit of my criticism.  It's a rack-and-stack kind of place but for a night, it's lovely.

Headed  into California this morning; should end up somewhere around Mt. Shasta or Weed.  Not a very long day but it will give us the energy to do a couple things around the rig that we didn't get done before leaving home. 

"There's two theories to arguin' with a woman.  Neither one works."  Will Rogers