In a rut

[Pat]

Well, I'm here in Westfir OR.  The 1200 mile trip was my usual drive, nap, drive just-get-it-over-with approach to relocating.  In fact, I couldn't sleep Monday night, so I got up and started out.  Made it to the AZ-CA state line more or less before I started getting too sleepy.  Napped a couple hours and drove to Santa Clarita CA.  Napped an hour and drove to one of my favorite stops, Corning CA.  It was around 10pm by the time I got there.  I pulled into the teensy RV parking area behind the Arco station, said to mysef, "Oh, look, there's my parking spot."  (See what I mean about the rut?)  Parked and napped 4 hours.  Came on up to Westfir.  In Santa Nella Village CA I stopped at my usual truck stop for gas, pit stop, and weighed my motorhome to see how much the tile floor and different furniture changed the weight.  I get such a kick out of playing with those truck scales.  I am way too easy to entertain.

It's really wonderful to be back here at Casey's Riverside RV Park in Westfir.  It's COOL.  Heck, it's cold.  Such a relief from the heat in Mesa.  Even Missy the cat is blossoming.  As soon as we both catch up on this week's sleep, we'll be out and about more. 

My 24 foot motorhome is just right for my needs but doesn't provide a lot of extra storage room.  Because of all the bags of stuff in the car, it's difficult to get my good bike out when I want to ride.  So I got a huge Rubbermaid case today for the tow equipment and other stuff.  I have two more cases coming in next week.  The tops come over the edges, so rain can't get in.  The three stack when full and nest when empty, so I may be able to take them with.  They were very cheap, so disposing of them wouldn't be a problem either.  I wanted to solve this problem with the resources available here in Oakridge.  I could have driven 100 miles round trip to Eugene to look for nice cabinets at Home Depot or someplace. 

I did take the 210 around LA.  Even a holiday weekend Sunday would have been less busy, I imagine.  Traffic moved right along, but it was a busy time.  I think the side roads through Mojave might be more fun.  I have to agree with somebody's assessment of boring Bakersfield, though.

--pat

 

[John From Detroit]

One option for the bikeand/or other stuff.......

Since I'm upgrading from pulling a trailer to driving a Motor Home I have a hitch receiver on my towed, (1 1/4 inch in the case of the Towed, 2" on the MH) I got a "Hitch Hauler" and an adapter so I can use the 1 1/4 inch Hitch Hauler with either vehicle (I slip the adapter into the motor home receiver, pin it and slip in the hitch hauler and pin it)  This holds up to 3 bikes or other stuff such as your rubermaid tubs, it's ninteen inches by about seven feet by about 4 inches deep mesh bottom.  Nice shelf.  The only "Modification" I did was to use locktite on the supplied jam juts, not all of them jammed properly and with locktite on the threads... I'm not worried about them working loose

 

[Pat]

John:  There's no hitch on the toad.  My Chinook has a back door, so I have to use an extension on the hitch to clear the steps; therefore, I can't attach anything between the receiver and the toad.  Also, I do like to carry my good mountain bike inside the toad.  Keeps it out of the elements and away from interested bike collectors.  A couple years ago I had a previous high end bike attached to the ladder.  Woke up to chatter outside the back door one night in Taos NM Walmart.  I looked out, and a sports car of about half a dozen young guys had pulled up to the door, headlights on, half of them standing outside the car in the otherwise empty parking lot checking out the bike and discussing it.  I looked out a couple times, and they left, fortunately.  This was before I bought the toad. 

I drive a Chevy Tracker primarily to haul the bike around.  I have a fork clamp and wheel holder mounted on a board inside the cargo area, so the bike stands up.  I keep the back seats folded down.  There is a one-bike roof rack, but the small park bike I use to run around in RV parks goes up there, along with my Bazuka Pro fishing rod case/sewer hose holder. 

It's soooo nice and cool here in Oregon.  I think the rain's going to hold off long enough tomorrow for me to get out and bike a bit. 

--pat

 

[Wendy]

Shoot, you're just over the hill from my folks in La Pine. We'll be heading that way in less than 3 weeks. Looking forward to 3 weeks in Oregon although this morning while we were setting up for the yard sale it was 34 degrees so I'm not really looking forward to "cool"! I've got a revisit to Crater Lake on my "To Do" list but is there anything else in the area I shouldn't miss?

Wendy

 

[Carl L]

Shoot, you're just over the hill from my folks in La Pine. We'll be heading that way in less than 3 weeks. Looking forward to 3 weeks in Oregon although this morning while we were setting up for the yard sale it was 34 degrees so I'm not really looking forward to "cool"! I've got a revisit to Crater Lake on my "To Do" list but is there anything else in the area I shouldn't miss?

Wendy

The Shakespeare Festival over in Ashland.  The Peter Brit music festival in Jacksonville.  Both in the vicinity of Medford.  Number of covered bridges in the Jacksonvillle area.  Down in NE California, Lava Beds NM, and Lassen Volcanic Park.

 

[Pat]

Wendy:  I just checked out La Pine.  Oh, yeah, that hill.  I decided to take the back route through Reno when I left here in the fall, which took me over Willamette Pass.  25mph behind trucks, which was fine with me.  My rig doesn't climb fast.  Then - still going about 20mph - a huge bird, or a small eagle about the size of a soccer ball, crashed into my driver's door window.  Out of the side of my eye I saw the window actually flex.  Fortunately it didn't break. 

I saw somewhere that Crater Lake is down 60 feet.  This area has had just tons of rain since March, so maybe the lake is filling up.  Hope so. 

The Great North American RV Rally is nearby around Bend someplace.  I think they have it in July.  There's another rally somebody mentioned in Albany, up I-5.  Of course, if you keep going up US97/197, you get to the Columbia River Gorge.  Have you been there?

There's great road biking and some enjoyable mountain biking around this area.  Got my bike out yesterday for the first time in over a month.  It's creaky from being in heat so long.  I"m going to have to figure out how to lube the front shock. 

Enjoy your visit.

--pat

 

[Wendy]

Thanks for the tips on things to do. I'm making a list. Maybe we'll even get the bikes off the rack this trip!

Wendy

 

[Pat]

Wendy:  I just got some great mountain biking maps for I-5 from the south side of Oregon up to about Eugene and along US97 from Bend south.  Most of the stuff looks a bit advanced.  The best trails are around here, and some of the forest roads are miles and miles of blacktop with no cars.  Great for road bikers.  I made it up the hill behind the forest ranger building Saturday with no problem, but I hate having to ride back down.  Those gravel roads are treacherous. 

--pat

 

[Wendy]

The biking sounds great. Fifteen years with the National Park Service has seen us on some pretty funky roads. Actually, the funkier, the better!! Only crash I ever had was on a PAVED road in Death Valley. Where did you pick up the biking maps? We REALLY need to get those bikes off the coach and USE them !!!

Which hill in La Pine got you? The nastiest one is up around Lava Butte....almost wiped out the Explorer there one December.

Wendy

 

[Pat]

Wendy:  I'm in Westfir, which is next to Oakridge.  There's a little bike shop in Oakridge that has the set of 5 Treadmaps.  I've done all my riding around here so far.  Most of the mountain trails are beyond my ability, and much of the rest is paved forest roads.  However, there are enough unpaved forest roads to keep me at least exercised.  One problem is that so many of them go uphill, which also requires riding back down.  I need to explore more this year.  Of the Treadmaps, the Oakridge area map has most of the trails marked Advanced and Expert.  Or they're very short.  Or both.  I should ride the trail around Waldo Lake.  Last year the place was infested with mosquitoes, and that horse disease had gotten as far as Waldo, so I skipped it.  I think the lake is over Willamette Pass, which is a slow drive behind the trucks.  There are ski lifts and trails down from the pass, but I don't like downhill. 

OK, let's see.  The five Treadmaps are

Central Oregon, Park 1:  Bend and Sunriver
Central Oregon, Part 2: Outlying Areas: Sisters,Smith Rock, Ochocos, Newberry Caldera, SE Bend, & Horse Ridge
Oakridge, Waldo Lake & Local Areas
North Umpqua: N. Unpqua River Trail, Diamond Lake & local areas
Southern Oregon:  Ashland, Applegate & Brown Mountain

Phone 541-312-8469 or email [email protected] or internet at www.treadmaps.com.

There are entire biking Oregon books available.  Also, often local bike shops will have maps appropriate to the area.  Just note that most of the stuff is advanced and expert.  Can't avoid it with mountains. 

--pat