montemover

Pictures: Skalkolo Falls on rustic road between Phillipsburg and Missoula: Skalkolo Pass; Moose next to road on Skalkolo road; Old mining town of Phillipsburg; deer on path next to my site in Sutherlin, they came every evening to eat along the path not 10 feet from me.

I thoroughly enjoyed my stay at Sutherlin. I love the setting of the SKP Co-Op and I was #10 on the waiting list when I left on the 17th so I may have a lot coming up in the very near future. I traveled interstate all the way to Montana. On the way I stayed overnight at a Rest Area on Interstate 84 in Eastern Oregon. I was a bit apprehensive at first, but it turned out to be a good experience. Although there were vehicles, mostly trucks, coming in and leaving all night long, I soon was able to block out the sound and got a fairly good nights sleep, after I decided I was perfectly safe. I’ve discovered that the Rest Areas in Oregon, Washington and Idaho have overnight parking and many have dump stations for RV’s. Pretty nice!

I spent the next night at Wolf Lodge Campground in Coeur d’Alene, ID. A really nice campground, just opening for the season due to late snows. It was so nice I decided to stay a couple of days, then, on to Missoula MT. I stopped along the way at Wallace, ID, the Silver Mining Capital, which still has active mines and is a charming little town, now geared to tourists. This is the place where my friend, Donna, spent her early childhood, so I explored the town, enjoyed the park and got lots of good information from the visitor center. If you’re ever in the area, I recommend stopping to check out the town. Lots of interesting little museums, including a bordello museum that has been left just it was when the “girls” suddenly left.

I’m now in Missoula, parked in Betty and Ed’s long, lovely driveway and enjoying their’s and Jackie’s wonderful hospitality. Jackie lives about ¼ mile away, which really makes it convenient. Ed and Betty have a lovely home with a great fenced backyard that Toby is thoroughly enjoying, and a beautiful deck that catches the breeze and keeps things comfortably cool. Jackie and I took a trip to Phillipsburg, an old mining town that is now geared toward tourists, yesterday and a great drive through some gorgeous country where we encountered a moose, up close. (See pics). Phillipsburg is a unique little town that has been preserved with beautiful buildings that are elaborately painted. It is a very colorful town and the history is fascinating (I picked up a tourist newspaper that gives all sorts of interesting information about Phillipsburg). This is another place I would highly recommend.

My friend, Donna is flying in tomorrow and she will be visiting her mother for a few days that then we’ll head for Gillette, WY for the Escapade on the 27th. Meanwhile there is a lot more to see here and I expect to see more of the sights with Betty and Jackie this next week.

Hope you all are enjoying my blog and the especially the pictures.
Kris

Pictures: North Umpqua River; 2 waterfalls on creeks that eventually empty into the N. Umpqua; Signs on the creeks: Diamond Lake (just below Crater Lake which was inaccessible)

Well folks, this is my last week in Sutherlin. I have really loved it here, so much so that when my name hits the top of the list sometime in the next 6-18 months, I’m going to plunk down my money for my refundable life-time lease. That’s right – refundable. When the time comes that I feel I need to relinquish my lease then they give me ALL of my money back. The only thing I pay monthly is my electric. Once a year I pay approximately $1000 which covers all my sewer, water, trash, cable TV and grounds maintenance. Whenever I travel, I can put my lot in the rental pool and they’ll rent out to visiting SKP members – like me – and I get half the rent. Now, I ask you, where else could I live for under $100 a month with all the amenities – club house, library, exercise room with all sorts of equipment, pool tables, activities galore and great neighbors. The only thing our park doesn’t have is a swimming pool and since I don’t swim, or even like being out in the sun, it’s just perfect for me. Every time I go off on a sightseeing tour or head for the city, I feel great upon returning home to the Park. Love it!

Speaking of sightseeing. Wow, what beautiful sights. I took a big loop drive from Sutherlin to Roseberg to Diamond Lake (just south of Crater Lake – couldn’t go there because of the snow) back up the valley on the desert side and then back across the Cascades to Eugene and then south to Sutherlin. Great drive – long day – and loads of beautiful waterfalls. We took lots of little side trips to many of the waterfalls and covered bridges. A fun day.

Yesterday we (Toby and I) went to Portland to see Barb, Susie and Susie’s new puppy, Jaeda ( a very energetic, exuberant, delightful, nearly 5 month, big, Doberman puppy. The Rose Festival was in full swing, so we went to the Rose Gardens where we and the dogs walked around the park. They are beautiful. Portland is a very dog friendly city with a small town feel. Very diverse population with, I gather, liberal views and very in turn with the “green” theme. In fact Oregon’s slogan is “Keep Oregon Green” and they’re not just referring to the trees. It was a short visit, but since I’ll soon have my lot and be spending more time in Sutherlin, I’ll have other opportunities to visit. Toby didn’t quite know what to do about Jaeda. No matter how he tried to put her in her place, she just thought he was playing and continued to try to get him to play with her. She was a lot of fun to be with since everything is new to her and she loves to explore everything and try to figure it all out. She was a riot when she first encountered a big rose.

I’m anticipating heading out next Saturday for Missoula, MT. I’m taking my time and planning on at least a 3 day trip. That is, I’m heading out if all goes well this week. I seem to have sprung a small leak in my water system and need a new valve for my black water tank installed. The mobile repairman is due on Monday so I hope we can get everything fixed up then with no delays. So, until Montana, hugs!!!!!
Kris