montemover

Pics: I have more pics but my blog doesn’t want to accept them right now so here’s a light house (one of many and I don’t remember which one this is and the second pic is of Mt. Rainier.

Hi All! Well, Nancy and I had a great week and a half of rally, Oregon Coast, Washington Coast, Mt. St. Helen’s and Mt. Rainier. We started our fun journey by first going 30 miles down the road to our SKP Chapter 9 Rally Rendezvous. It was fun, fun, fun, with good friends, great food, fun entertainment, easy living, and even time for a nap or two. The weather was perfect with temps in the 70’s so we had 3 delightful days there.
The park where we stayed was almost all rally people. (We had 17 rigs from my Timber Valley Coop there plus about 5 rigs from the surrounding area). The Park (an Oregon State Park) had a capacity for about 35 rigs total.

From there Nancy and I headed for the Oregon Coast. We meandered up the coast and stopped at a commercial RV park just south of Lincoln City and our spot was backed up to the Siletz River. We were there for Saturday morning home baked cinnamon rolls and coffee, compliments of the managers – delicious and huge. We decided to spend 2 nights there and explore all the quaint coastal villages, lighthouses, bays (I think we explored every waterfront from Florence to Astoria on this trip) and enjoyed the beauty of the Oregon Coast. Gorgeous!!!

On Monday we headed up the coast and into Washington. We crossed the Columbia River at Astoria. What a bridge. It arches up over the town to a staggering height (it was the only bridge of any size over any sized river that wasn’t a drawbridge), and went on for over at least a mile. It was fun to watch the sea gulls ride the thermals that came up from under the bridge. What a ride they had! Once in Washington, we headed back to the coast and a peninsula that runs from the mouth of the Columbia up into Washington to the mouth of Willapa Bay. We spent Monday and Tuesday night at a Park in Long Beach (they have one of the best bakeries I’ve ever encountered – yum yum). We spent two days exploring Lewis and Clark’s old haunts, visiting all the various State and National Parks, the wharves, villages, historic sites (of which there are a great many). We also went to a Cranberry Museum - yep - we now know all about cranberries and cranberry bogs - the best thing of course is how yummy they are.

At this point, we realized that we weren’t covering as much ground as I had anticipated. So we revised out very loose schedule to spend more time moseying about rather than rushing from spot to spot. So after two great days on the Washington coast, we headed inland to Mt. St. Helen’s. We stayed at a very nice RV Park in Castle Rock and spent one day touring Mt. St. Helen’s and surrounding area. I was really surprised at how much the cone in the middle of the volcano has grown since I saw it 8 years ago. The next day we drove to Mt. Rainier which really is spectacular as far as mountains go. We were bombarded the entire trip with the beauty of the scenery and never tired of the winding back roads, meandering rivers and streams (their creeks are what we in Nebraska would call a big river.) lush greenery everywhere and especially in the mountains.

On Friday we headed for the interstate and made a beeline for home. We go back to Sutherlin in the midst of a heat wave and my air conditioner refused to work. What a dose of reality. However, we always have a good breeze and our evenings and nights are cool, so we survived. We also go back in time for the 4th of July festivities - a golf cart parade – cute - and a picnic with yummy food. When the heat got to much around 4:00 in the afternoon, we hopped in Nancy’s great Prius and took in more of the scenery around Sutherlin. All in all we had a great time and since we didn’t cover all the area we wanted, we’ll just have to get together again soon and do it again.

Later, Kris

Pics: Nancy on rim of Crater Lake; Nancy in front of snow drift at Crater Lake, Elephant car wash at Wildlife Safari; Giraffe blocking traffic.

Nancy arrived June 15th and we commenced day trips around Sutherlin. On Tuesday we went to Crater Lake. Enroute we went through some gorgeous country through the Cascades to Diamond Lake and on to Crater Lake National Park. There was still a lot of snow left and only ½ of the Rim Road was open due to snow. I took some pictures of Nancy standing next to a snow drift on the highway that was more than twice as tall as she was. The day started cloudy and when we arrived at Crater Lake the water looked blue grey, but as the day progressed and the sun came out, the view of the water became deep blue. We did not take the 2 plus mile trek down from the rim to the lake as we figured we might make it down, but it was doubtful that we’d ever be able to climb back up. The views from all areas of the rim that we could traverse were gorgeous.

Wednesday we headed for the Coast. Across the coastal mountains to Reedsport where we stopped at the Discovery Center. Then on to the little town of Winchester Bay, the sand dunes and the lighthouse. Then we went on down the coast to quaint and very active fishing village of Charleston. We had lunch and toured around the town. Our final destination on the coast was the historic fishing town of Bandon were we traveled along the coast with beautiful rock formations, cliffs and beaches. We came back to Sutherlin via the town of Coquille located in the Coastal Mountains and then on to Roseburg and home.

Thursday we decided to stick close to home and on the spur of the moment decided to check out Wildlife Safari in Winston, just 15 miles down the Interstate. What a fantastic surprise that was. We were up close and personal with the wild animals from Africa, the Americas and Asia as we drove through the Park. One gigantic giraffe planted himself in the middle of the road and refuse to move causing a traffic jamb. The Park is wonderfully laid out for maximum viewing. After our first tour through we stopped at Safari Village, had lunch and watched the mountains. Then we walked the beautiful gardens. We then decided to take a second drive through (this is all on one admission ticket) and saw the hippos, rhinos and tiger that we didn’t see the first time. It was really fun to go through twice. The first time was close to noon and the animals were in shade and resting. They were much more active when we went through at 4:00. We even got to watch the elephants washing cars , “guaranteed to not get your car clean”. There was so much going on there that we could have spent more time. Next time we’ll go in the morning and spend the entire day instead of a ½ a day.

Nancy left for Portland to see Barb this weekend, but she’ll be back on Tuesday and then we’ll head out in Monte for a Rally and then on up to Washington to see the sights. So stay tuned and I’ll try to post more blogs on our travels.
Kris

Pics: Central Oregon Coast; Umpqua Lighthouse at mouth of Umpqua River (It’s also a Coast Guard Installation.

Well folks, I’m still in Sutherlin, OR and loving every minute of it. I started off to “Live my Dream” of travel around the USA and stop for awhile and work/volunteer and then travel on. But I seem to be stuck in Oregon and I don’t mind a bit. I think the “dream” is evolving and I’ll be spending more time in Oregon than I had anticipated. What’s not to love here – weather, people, scenery, wildlife, mountains, ocean, beaches, waterfalls, rivers, lakes, everything you can think of – and the cost of living here at the SKP park is very low. So, I’m planning on traveling out from here, but this is definitely my home base.

Nancy is coming to visit in June and we’re going to take about a 2-week tour of the Northwest. Tentatively we’ll head up the road a short ways for a mini rally and then head on up to Washington via the byways, rather than the highways. We’ve no particular agenda, just moseying around and seeing the sights. I’d like to see the lavender farms in Sequim, WA and maybe stop at Bainbridge Island, then cruise through Olympic National Park and down through the volcanoes – Mt Rainier, Mt. St. Helen’s and Mt. Hood and on back home. I’ll tow my little toad so we’ll be able to park Monte and still be able to drive around the various areas. I’m really looking forward to traveling with Nancy. We always have a great time. Before we start our tour, we’ll spend a couple of days here in Sutherlin taking day trips to various places – the covered bridges, the waterfalls and, of course, the wine tours.

Still don’t know my plans beyond the month of June. I’ve made a couple of commitments here at the Park for July and August, so guess I’ll see what summer is like in Sutherlin. I may head south this winter, and then again I may not. Gee it’s nice to be footloose and fancy free. I’d have made a good gypsy.

The last couple of days have been in the high 80’s, so Toby and I packed up a picnic lunch and headed for the coast where the temps were in the high 60’s. We had a great time exploring all the little towns along the coast from Reedsport to Bandon. I now have 3 favorites along the central coast – Winchester Bay, Charleston, and Bandon.

Hope you are all having a great summer. Check on me every once in a while. Love, Kris

Pic: My mountain view; and pics of flowers and I have no idea what they are.

Hi folks. I’m still here in Sutherlin. It looks like I’ll be here for most of the summer and fall with short trips out and about the area. It is so beautiful here – forests, waterfalls, deer, flowers, people and my own little lot. I’ve been thoroughly enjoying the Spring. The only thing to mar my pleasure is my poor little Toby who has been having trouble with his hip dysplasia and not getting around as well as he used to. We have devised a couple of ramps and he seems to have adjusted to them quite well. He doesn’t realize he’s getting older and a little feebler unless he tries to jump up or down and his back legs just can’t quite propel him like they used to. Hmmmm I know that feeling – especially first thing in the morning!

The flowers around here are gorgeous. What color! The deer like my little pot of primroses so it’s always a race following a rainstorm to see whether I get to the primroses and get them sprayed with “Hinder” (keeps the deer and other creatures away) before they bite the flower heads. I got some bird netting, which I have been assured also keeps deer away, and I’m planning on planting a couple of pepper and tomato plants. Everyone around here plants gardens and they keep giving me plants. I haven’t the heart to tell them that I have a black thumb. So I’m going to do my best to see if I can get a few things to grow and keep the animals from eating them all before I get to eat the produce. This should be interesting. I have a few more flowers and a few herbs to plant too.

Nancy is going to be coming up this way about mid June. She’s stopping along the way to see her daughters and if all goes according to plan (which is subject to momentary change) she’ll be stopping here in Sutherlin for a couple of weeks and we’ll take a short road trip around the Northwest. I’m looking forward to seeing the sights with her. We always have a good time. I still haven’t a clue what my plans are beyond August. I’ve committed to being the park greet during the month of August and looking forward to meeting all the folks that come through here then. And I’d kind of like to stick around for the Fall activities. There is so much going on around here. But I don’t think I’ll spend the winter here this year. I’d love to go back to Livingston, TX and volunteer again this winter, but boy do I dread the thought of driving across West Texas to get there. Maybe I’ll just bum around this winter.

I hope wherever you are that the weather is treating you kindly and all is well with you and your families.
Kris

Pics: These are some more pictures of the deer munching the new little flowers that are blooming right behind my place on the greenway.

Hi everyone! It looks like Spring is on its way here in Sutherlin. And yes, I’m still in Sutherlin. The crocus and daffodils in my yard are starting to bloom, the days are in the upper 50’s and 60’s and the nights are around 40. Perfect temps for me and for Toby. I’m eagerly waiting to see if we have any new fawns this year. Last year’s twins were fun to watch and follow through the year. Our little herd of 8 or so have kept me entertained this winter. On occasion I’ve tossed out some old apples and they come up so close to get them that I swear if I just held out my hand with an apple in it they would come and take it. But, I don’t, I just toss them down the greenway. Usually I do it at night and the apples are gone by morning.

We had a big turkey roundup a few weeks ago. We’ve got way too many wild turkeys roaming around here. So, Parks and Wildlife came and netted a bunch of them. At last count our flock was down to about 30 – which is plenty. I’m sure we’ll have a bunch of baby turkeys as they seem to be pretty prolific.

A few of the snowbirds are trickling back into the Park. I imagine by next month we’ll be pretty full with residents and with visitors. I’m going to try to get on the welcoming committee. I think it would be fun to visit with all the folks that come through.

As to my travels, right now I’m planning a short trip, without Monte, back to Nebraska in mid May to do some house-sitting and see my doctors and friends. Then, Nancy is thinking of taking a road trip up Sutherlin and Portland way, after stopping in Ukiah and we’re talking about taking Monte on a tour of the Northwest. We’ll see how that works out. I’m really not planning any long trips until next Fall or Winter when I’ll probably join the hordes or snowbirds heading south.

I really love it here in Oregon and in Sutherlin. The community it great, the Park is wonderful as are the people here, the temperatures are perfect and the scenery is spectacular! If any of you are headed this way, let me know.
Kris

Pics: My mountain dusted with snow - the view outside my front windows And the little tree outside my door with a veil of snow. The only snow we’ve had so far this year.

Hi Ya’ll! Yep, I’m still here in Sutherlin. I don’t know where the time goes, but the older I get the faster it flies. I haven’t been up to much here. I’ve been so comfortable in my cozy Monte Motorhome, my beautiful lot, my wonderful neighbors, and the fun activities, that I just haven’t been out and about very much. However, that is going to change. As long as the weather is being nice (and it has been super here, although just north of us in Eugene and farther north it has been cold and snowy), I’m going to start my local explorations once again.

I’m also planning my travels for this year. Time has gotten away from me so it’s a little too late to apply for workkamper jobs with parks and forests, etc. So I think I’ll just do my own thing without any specific destinations or time factors except that I would like to hit a couple of Rallies that are taking place in Albuquerque, NM and Sedalia, MO. We’ll see.

I’m daily amazed at the beauty here and, of course, I never have my camera with me when I want it. I think I’ll just have to take it with me ALL the time even just running to the store. Just driving back home from town, the mountains speak to me with a different view every day. GORGEOUS!!!

Toby continues to do well for an old fella. In fact, we’ve reduced his meds by ½ and he’s functioning just fine. Our walks are leisurely and sometimes just down right slow. But then, why not. Gives me plenty of time to enjoy the scenery and I seldom have to rush back for anything. He’s a terrific little companion and I continue to marvel at my good fortune to have shown up at the shelter when I did to find him. What a sweetie.

Well, this is a whole lot of nothing, but once I get exploring the area and on the road again I’ll have more to report.

I hope your new year has started off with a bang and it is a healthy and prosperous year for you all.
Kris

This is our Christmas Tree, only Toby thinks it’s his toy. It shakes and says, “Ho,Ho,Ho” and it drives him crazy.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR! ‘Tis the Season and I do feel jolly!!

We’re in the holiday spirit around the park and the Gordon residence. We had a clubhouse decorating party on the 5th of December with lots of fun and food. Then on Wednesday two of the women in the park had a Christmas Tea for just the women who were in the park. It was very nice and really yummy food (4 courses) with everyone telling of their holiday traditions or memories. I even went out and got some Christmas lights and strung them on my evergreen trees in front of my shed where I can look out and see them and they show up from the road very nicely. Toby and I plug them in on our 4:30 walk and unplug them on our 9:30 walk. There are a lot of lights up at the various lots and the park has some big Christmas displays scattered throughout the park that some of the folks refurbished and put up this year (I missed that party). Everything around here is done as a party with yummy food!

The Sutherlin Christmas Parade of Lights is the 20th and I certainly plan to take it in. There are a lot of events going on in the Sutherlin/Roseburg area and it’s hard to take them all in, but I’m hitting as many as possible. Toby and I have driven around the town in the evening several times and it seems that most everyone had decorated with lots of lights. All in all, I’m having a great time this holiday season! I hope you all are busy and having fun preparing for the holidays too.

It’s been an unusually dry, mild Fall here in Sutherlin until now. We finally got some rain and even a dusting of snow yesterday morning. More is forecast for the next 2 days and I’m hoping to get some pictures of the surrounding mountain peaks blanketed in snow. We’re even supposed to get some snow down here in the valley, but we’ll see. “They” say we’re in for a cold spell with temps getting down into the 20’s and 30’s which doesn’t sound so bad to me. So far what the folks here consider bad weather, to me seems pretty mild.

I love my early morning and late night walks with Toby. I’ve been in awe of the beautiful clear nights with stars so close you feel you could pluck them from the sky. And the early mornings blanketed in fog are so quiet you feel no one else exists and you feel like you should be tiptoeing down the road. Beautiful!!

I’m helping out at the office, mostly distributing mail and I love my little job at the park library. Of course, as a result of working there it makes it really easy to check out lots of books and I’ve been doing lots of reading. Ahhhh, Life is Good!

I wish for all of you a fun filled holiday season and a prosperous, joyous year in 2009!

Pics: Sunset at Manzanita overlooking the ocean from our motel; Nancy and Toby on the beach at Manzanita; Nancy, Barbara, Susie, Jaeda, and Toby on the beach at Manzanita.

Hi Folks. Well, the rains have finally come to Oregon, but not so much to Sutherlin. We seem to be in a protected valley and the rains have mostly gone around us. Just enough to keep everything green and growing – yes, growing. I don’t know if the plants, grass, etc. ever go dormant here, but I have to spray the weeds on my lot to keep them from taking over the drive. I love the weather here and think I’m good for the winter. I’m looking forward to seeing what it’s like since I’ve heard so many conflicting reports, obviously dependent upon my informants’ point of origin and frame of reference when it comes to “cold”.

I’m delighted to report that Toby has responded beautifully to the medication that he’s on for his “cognitive dysfunction”. He’s back to being his delightful, companionable self. Thank goodness. He sleeps a bit more during the day (but then so do I). Other than that he’s great. Anipryl, the miracle drug for older dogs. It’s hard for me to realize that Toby’s 12-13 years old. I’m hoping for a few more good years with him and with the new meds I do believe we’ll make it. I took him to a vet here in Sutherlin and she’ll continue him on his meds, although she hadn’t previously used them, but after my testimony she’s going to run the exclusionary tests on another dog that she just rescued from a puppy mill and if she has cognitive dysfunction she thought she’d see if the Anipryl will help her since she is demonstrating the same symptoms that Toby had. Anyway, my many thanks to Drs. (cousins) Tom and Jim for their excellent care of Toby and especially to Dr. Tom for his great diagnosis and subsequent treatment plan for Toby. It has made living with Toby a great pleasure once again.

I went to Portland for Barbara’s birthday and met Nancy there. Nancy, Barbara, Susie, Jaeda, Toby (Jaeda and Toby are the dogs) and I went to the coast to a place called Manzanita. We stayed at a motel right on the beach and had a fabulous time. The town is very dog friendly. All the shops have little water bowls out front for the dogs. The dogs can run free on the beaches and we had a great time. It was gorgeous weather while there. Nancy treated us to a great birthday dinner at a little town down the road called Wheeler. And folks, let me tell you, at 9:00 p.m. they roll up the sidewalks in these little Oceanside towns. The only cars visable in the entire town of Wheeler when we left were 5 cars in the parking lot (there were still a few people in the bar there) and not a single car on the street on coming down the highway. Manzanita was the same, no cars anywhere and no people to be seen. But come morning, everyone’s on the beach walking and running with their dogs. I cruised back home to Sutherlin down Highway 101 and then cut across the coastal range to Sutherlin. It was a beautiful drive home.

Since then I’ve been getting well entrenched in the life here at the Skp Park. There are a lot of activities going on, lots of committees and board meetings. Since this is a co-op, we do most of the work ourselves with very little hired help. It’s amazing, and I’ve tried to go to all the various meetings and activities to see what I can contribute. So far I’m on the Library, Office, Activities and fundraising committees. I also attend the open board meetings and have volunteered to help with the Thanksgiving and Christmas activities. I also like to go to Line Dancing a couple times a week, the various luncheons that seem to pop up and I plan to start going to Po Ke No (it’s the only gambling game they play here and is a combination of keeno and poker – sounds like fun and I like to gamble. Right now, about ½ of the park population has headed south, but the rest of us are “hunkering down” for the winter and will carry on the business of the park. I really like it here. The people are very friendly, as are the deer, turkeys, and jack rabbits. What’s not to like????

Still having computer problems, but I’m hoping to get this uploaded today while my computer is behaving. The holiday season is coming and I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, and a fantastic New Year!

Pics: My deck and shed on my lot; my lot - you can see Monte and my car on the far right; the little deer nibbling what’s left of some greenery around one of my little trees; and the two deer eating their way through my lot - I think one is a mama and the other her fawn. The little one was totally oblivious to me while the larger one kept an eye on me. These were shot from my doorway.

Hi Folks! I’m here in Sutherlin, Oregon at the Skp Co-Op and I’m on my own lot #136 which is gorgeous. The people who had this lot before did a lot of lovely landscaping with bushes and small trees, the shed and deck have been newly painted and it is really a beautiful lot – underground sprinkler system and all. I’ve seen deer every day. We have a small herd of 6 does, twin fawns (can still see their spots, although they are really fading) and one young buck who comes around. Sometimes I see the whole herd and sometimes just 2 or 3 at a time. Two of them were down munching on my bushes yesterday. I have pictures and will try to put some up.

I’m having some computer problems. It has trouble finding my operating system and sometimes I have to turn it on and off and reset it 8-15 times before it starts up. So looks like I’m going computer shopping, although I’m going to try to hold off until December so if you don’t hear from me via blog or email, don’t worry, just try the phone. I plan to be here at least until Christmas unless it gets too cold and may stay the winter. I just don’t know yet and probably won’t know until the last minute. I’m keeping Monte ready to go on short notice, and not get too settled, although it is nice to have a storage shed where I can store some of the things that I don’t need to haul all over the country.

Tomorrow I’m headed to Portland for Barb’s birthday. Nancy is coming up and we’re all headed for “the coast” as they say here (I’m headed for the coast. The coast is nice this time of year. We go to the coast whenever possible, etc.)

Looks like I got here at the right time as there was snow overnight in the mountains and on the Williamette Pass which I came over last week. But I got to tell you folks, I love this weather. A shower or so every day interspersed with sunshine and temps in the 60’s. Perfect. Not so perfect is poor Toby. The meds for his Alzheimer’s seems to help – some days more so than others. But the poor little guy is having quite a time. Sometimes the meds take a month or even two months before significant improvement is seen and we’ve only been on it for two weeks so I’m hoping we’ll see some more improvement. You have no idea how hard it is to eat, keyboard, or do anything with a little dog constantly nudging your elbow. The only time he’s truly relaxed is at night when we go to bed and in the car. Go figure.

Well I don’t know what adventures I’ll be having this winter, but tune in once in a while and check it out. Love, Kris

Pics: Monte and Toad at the Daveys in Nebraska; Me and my 2 best friends in High School; the old High School building.

I’m leaving the idyllic, pastoral setting here in Scottsbluff and headed for the open road next Wednesday. Monte and the toad have both had a check-up motor-wise. And I’m making a stop in Cheyenne, WY at Jolley Roger’s to have some coach work done before heading on to Oregon. Toby and I have both had thorough check-ups with our respective doctors and are good for another year – GUARANTEED! Toby had quite a significant personality change a few weeks ago so we went to Alliance to se Doctors Jim and Tom Furman (my first and second? cousins). It seems Toby is of the breed and age where “cognitive dysfunction” can and apparently has, set in. (Known as Alzheimer’s disease in humans). Fortunately, there is good medicine available for dogs (as opposed to humans) which is quite good at addressing the problem. Toby’s been on the meds for 4 days and I’m already seeing a difference for the better. So we’ll do what we can while on the road and when we get to Oregon we’ll find a good vet for Toby and I suppose I should reconnoiter the area for a good GP for me. Oh the things you never think of when younger!!!! Such is life!

The Daveys, Donna and Chuck, have been super, super friends to allow me to stay these 3 months at their place. Although they didn’t get to take their expected trip due to unexpected health problems I’ve enjoyed helping out with the horses – especially scooping horse manure with Donna this past week – and have loved watching Chablie, the new little (or not so little any more) filly as she’s explored her world, and watching Donna work with her. I am impressed at what a gentle, sweet, yet spirited filly she is and how well she works for Donna without giving up any of her individuality. Donna is so good with her horses; I am truly impressed!!

These past two weeks I attended my 50th High School Class Reunion. What a blast! It was fun seeing people I haven’t seen in 50 years, and getting together with my old friends, touring the High School (now the Middle School) which was celebrating it’s 100th birthday, and partying hearty! Funny how well preserved the women were (I recognized most of them) and how drastically the men had changed (I didn’t recognize any of them). All of the surviving “Elites”, as we called ourselves in High School, were there and we had a great time. Geez, can you believe some of things we did 50 years ago and all the things we’ve lived through since then! I can’t!

Tuesday, I’m headed to Alliance for my Aunt Flo’s 96th Birthday Party. All of the first cousins and some of the second cousins will be there so it will be quite a reunion. I’m looking forward to celebrating Aunt Flo’s 96 years and still going strong with all the cousins. What a fun bunch they are. This will be a good party! Then back that night to Scottsbluff so I can get an early start Wednesday morning for Cheyenne.

So, dear folks, the next time I write I’ll have been on the road and probably back in Oregon exploring my new lot. Until then – Happy Trails! Kris