(Note: November 18, 2021: I had promised to update this blog with our travels in Cool Change II, Land Yacht Adventures 2021, but so far, I have only been making quick picture-posts to Facebook. With limited access to wifi, Facebook has proven to be more expeditious. In addition, Rick has been sending out more detailed email updates to a select few family member and friends. It has been five months since we began this land voyage, so there is a lot to catch up on, but I thought it was about time I got all the updates in one place, on our blog. I have a rare few days in one place, with rain forecast for the entire time (we are in the Florida Keys now), so I thought this would be a good time to start. For some of you, the following posts may be duplicative, but for others, this is the first time you will see them. I will utilize the next several posts to repeat what was posted on Facebook and in Rick’s emails into a more coherent and centralized timeline.)
AND … WE’RE OFF!
On June 19, 2021, we drove away from Coloma with our new-to-us truck and trailer, off to see the U.S.
Cindy’s Facebook Post on June 24, 2021
I had a zoom call with my sisters today and they reminded me I should be posting pictures of Rick and my 2021 Land Yacht Adventures, which started five days ago. We have already had quite the time! This is the first time I have had wifi so I have an excuse. Here are a few pictures for your pleasure!8
Rick’s Updates:
Sun June 20
We left yesterday after finishing all our projects and closing up the house. I reflected many times in the last few weeks on how I will miss being home. It is such a special place. But none the less, we are looking forward to an amazing journey in “The Land Yacht”
It was a really hot day yesterday when we started this adventure. We hit temps of up to 109 degrees on I-5. I was worried about overheating when we started climbing around Lake head, Lake Shasta. We got dangerously close a couple of times and there would be a downhill cooling in the nick of time.
We traveled 230 miles our first day. We made a stop at Walmart in Redding which was interesting. I pulled the rig into this huge parking lot but it was not very open and it was hard to see where different lanes led. I did not want to get into a situation where I would not have room to maneuver or turn around.
I dropped Cindy off at the entrance and cautiously moved ahead to the end of the building, then found a long shaded curb area to stop. She would call me when she finished and got back out front.
I thought it might be helpful to look at Google Earth and see what was ahead and this turned out to be a great idea. I could see that when I needed to pick Cindy up I could travel straight ahead eventually hitting the main road again, then turn onto it for a short distance before turning back into the parking lot to arrive at the same spot I dropped her off at. I also was able to see the satellite view of how to get back to the highway we had left. It made the whole process pretty easy.
When we left Redding, we continued N on I-5 another 23 miles to the I-5/south mile 705 Lakehead rest stop as it got rave reviews on an ap that Cindy found that lists and describes among other things great rest stops along our route! (Yes, there is an ap for that) You may have noticed that I said I-5 S. We had to go a couple miles past the rest stop as we headed north & then turn around and go south to the entrance but it was well worth the detour. Lots of space, trees, & fairly clean facilities. We parked with the semis, feeling a little dwarfed.
It was still 106 degrees when we parked but we fired up the generator and soon had the trailer nice and cool. The DC charger had the batteries at 100% when we stopped but we still haven’t had a good test of the system because we were pretty well charged when we left. I have been purposely running some loads on the battery bank while we are at this stop to see how the charging system does on our drive today. The cool thing about rest stops in California is that you are allowed to stay up to 8 hours in a day there. As we got in last night around 5:30pm we are testing the limits I guess but the good news is there are no parking meters as far as I can tell. The rules will differ in other states, some specifically prohibit overnight stays. Hopefully not a hanging offense anywhere. Please let is know if you will be willing to accept collect calls requesting to make bail for us along the way!
We will get an early start to our “Harvest Host “ destination this morning as we get on the road by about 08:00.
Mon, 6/21/21
Lessons from the road: Don’t judge judge a book by its cover. We had made a rest stop while on I-5 North in California somewhere and it was really hot. Cindy had gone into the rest room and I was looking at the various notices posted at rest stops with the rules, cautions and information about the area.
While I’m standing there, a guy pulls up on a big Harley Davidson. By pulling up I mean he literally was driving from the parking lot on the sidewalk up to where I am standing and parks his bike. He really looks the stereotype of a serious Harley Biker type. He is big, overweight and had long scraggly hair and an unshaven face. My natural reaction was to take a few steps in the other direction except that it was really hot and we were in one of the few spots with some kind of shade. So I said hello and something like “Nice bike.” He was sweating heavily , and tossing his head around to throw off the sweat.
In the meantime, I was having a Covid panic moment as I stepped back a foot or two to avoid the sweaty spray. He said that driving in that heat had been horrible and he just had to get him and his bike out of the sun. He told me he would not have been on the road, as he had would have been staying with a friend over the next few days…That the reason he was not with his friend was that the person looking after his dog back home had called to tell him that is dog had been bitten by a rattle snake! The dog had been taken to the vet for anti venom shots, but he wanted to get home to be with him in case things went south. His dog was an older Lab and obviously meant the world to this man.
Before we parted ways, he told is about a rewards card that we should get with Pilot fuel stations that give you perks like free showers and things while you are traveling. It was a good tip. So when we refueled next, Cindy signed us up.
The drive to our next stop had lots of steep climbs and downhills as we went through the Siskiyou mountains. We got to our next destination, a Harvest Host near the city of Applegate Or. on highway 238. We have been here two nights and visited with some very old dear friends of Cindy’s from her days just out of college when she lived in San Francisco. They were some interesting and very kind people and we enjoyed a day and evening together, me getting to know them and Cindy reconnecting. There will be more about our time with them in our blog Im sure.
Sunday was Fathers Day and I looked forward to the calls and texts I received from our kids. Though we were not with them I am happy that we will be visiting with most of them over the next week. We will be seeing Sarah first when we get to Portland and Vancouver, Washington, then Dan & Andrew in Bremerton and Port Orchard Wa.We also look forward to seeing our daughter Andrea in Texas, but that will not be until several months from now on our return route to Ca.
Tuesday June 22, 2021
A horse by any other name… could mean you are in the wrong place.
Have you ever taken a trip somewhere and when you arrived at your destination, found that it was not where you intended to go at all? But then you decide to stay anyway because it is just as nice as the place you thought you were going?
I will re-visit this but first a couple reflections on the area we spent the last two days in. I feel like we gained some interesting local knowledge between conversations with the proprietor of our Harvest Host as well as the day spent with Cindy’s, and now also my new friends Park and Marina.
Through our host at Devitt Winery, we were told an interesting story when we asked why they chose the wifi password of “when pigs fly.” Brenden, the proprietor, was just graduating from high school when he was approached by his Grandfather about coming into the family wine business.
His Grandparents had enjoyed a full career and were retired when Grandpa decided he was bored with retirement and that he might want to take up farming. He decided on a vineyard reasoning he could work hard at it for 6 months and then take it easy the rest of the year. So he found some nice acreage in the Applegate Valley where he planted a modest sized vineyard. The only trouble was that after two years tending to his vines they all died. So he set out again to re-plant the vineyard only to have the same results with the second attempt. He was very discouraged by this time as he had invested a lot of time and money in his efforts. He did not feel he had it in him to try again on the same land and something was definitely wrong with the soil. Regardless, he was not quite ready to give up on his dream. He happened on another small but established vineyard listed for sale in the area that was already set up and producing. So he changed gears, sold the land he had been working and bought the other established vineyard.
It was never his intention to become a winemaker as that would have meant much more of a work commitment during the time he looked forward to having off each year after harvest. Rather, his plan was to sell his harvest each year to other winemakers in the area, just as many other vineyard operators in the area were already doing.
The trouble came about as he was getting ready for his first year’s harvest. He had not find any wineries that wanted to buy his grapes! (Yes, the devil is always in the details). After he realized he had no hope of finding a buyer for his harvest, and when his wife was done telling him what a foolish man he was…(that was pure speculation on my part) Anyway, he turned to his wife and said “If no-one wants my grapes I will make them into wine myself”! Her response to his proclamation was..”When pigs fly !” I am sure there were some trials and failures but today, this small family winery produces not only fine estate wines, but also, wines made from grapes purchased from several other local growers. All of the wines are aged in oak barrels. We tasted a Cab and a Merlot from 2008 that were both amazing wines.
Grandpa Devitt knew he was going to need help in the business but he wanted to keep it in the family so he asked his son who was a career Navy man to join him as a partner. But his son had roots too deep in the Bremerton Washington area where he lives and works to this day. His son then suggested that he should ask his own young son, grandson Brenden to join him in the venture. And he did.
Aside from the wifi password there are various art pieces in and around the tasting room depicting flying pigs. Grandpa Devitt has passed on now but Grandma is still around and active in the business. Brendon has taken on managing operations.
Another bit of local insight regards the influx of hemp growers to the region and the effect they have had on the way of life in the area. As we were driving into the area, which is on hwy 238 about 25 min from I-5, I kept mentioning to Cindy that i thought it smelled like Marijuana as we were driving along the road. We later learned that the smell was emanating from the numerous Hemp grows all over the valley. Though I do not know the statistics, it looks to be that there is more acreage in hemp than there is in grapes now. The grows are pretty much unregulated other than the requirement that the THC level in the plants must be less than about .03 percent. This allows the growers to have crops right up next to the road and in plain sight because no one is going to steal hemp grown for CBD oil that you could not then sell to someone or use yourself if looking for a free high.
I am thinking that .03 percent THC as roughly equivalent to the rag weed I smoked as a teenager when you could buy a “Lid” (a measured ounce of Marijuana) in a sandwich bag for $10.00. At that time, the really good stuff came from Mexico and might cost $20.00 for the same amount, though compared to today’s scientifically cultivated high percentage THC weed, there is no comparison. For myself, I rarely smoke it anymore because it is too intense and it feels like an IQ inhibitor! Like a lot of other older folks I much prefer the edibles like gummy’s on occasion and to enhance river safety meetings (kidding?).
Anyway, the hemp they are growing in that area is mostly all for medicinal CBD oils & it will not get you high. Still, a lot of the growers when they put in a field of plants feel the need to build some type of fence to provide security. As a result there is this beautiful rural area that has now been blighted due to the fences strewn along frontages of properties. The fences are the dog ear cedar type you would expect to see in track home neighborhoods throughout the US. They seriously detract from the natural beauty that has attracted visitors to the area to enjoy the scenery as they meander the valley and stop in at the local wineries.
Another perhaps more serious problem with the fences is how efficiently they reflect road sounds. At Devitt, they actually had to re-locate the area they had used for many years outside for tastings and picnics because the grower across the street had erected about 1500 feet of fencing. The noise from the traffic reflecting off of the fence made it unsuitable as a place to relax and enjoy a glass of wine. Obviously, the growers are doing well monetarily while maybe unknowingly causing havoc in the valley. BTW, I estimated the materials cost alone of the fence across from DeVitt vineyard would have been well over $15,000 at current lumber prices!
fThere is also a lot of additional noise from the numerous trucks lumbering through the area to service the fields. Many of the growers do not have water rights in the area so they have to bring it in on large, loud water trucks that are constantly traversing the area. All in all it feels like a textbook example of paradise lost. Many of the local residents including our friends Park and Marina are disheartened, discouraged and many are just angry. Park and Marina moved into their home home in Applegate about 8 years ago. At that time it was quiet with beautiful views and solitude. Sadly, now they are looking for greener pastures as they feel it is only going to get worse as time goes on.
To be fair though the area still has a lot of charm & beauty. There are many wonderful hiking trails that get people out to enjoy nature. There is an open air concert, & arts amphitheater called the Britt that is owned and operated by an NPO and has wonderful attractions throughout the Spring and summer. ( It has been closed though through the Covid pandemic). There is the quaint historic town of Jacksonville with a beautiful main street lined with restaurants and shops. Some of the buildings date back to the 1800s and all are restored to their original splendor.
We got an early start to our day and we were on the road at 08:00. We had a short travel day of about 3 hours as we hoped to get to our campground in time for me to kayak a 6 mile stretch of the Umpqua we remembered from many years ago. The place we have stopped at for the night is called Whiskers Bend. It got its name from the horseshoe shaped bend that the Umpqua river makes as passes the campground.
Our memory of boating on the Umpqua many years ago was of a beautiful class 2-3 whitewater run and picturesque campgrounds. The camp hosts back then even put bouquets of flowers on the counters in the very well maintained restrooms. The guidebook put out by BLM for the area denotes a campground in a perfect location for put in or take out. It is on the river & named Horseshoe Bend Campground, and for the similar reasons the campground we find ourselves now in is called Whiskers Bend.
So in the end, we found out on arrival that we had mixed up the names and made reservations at the wrong campground some 40 miles away from where we had actually intended. Ooops! But interestingly enough it is just as beautiful as we remembered the other area to be, and we have a beautiful site right on the river. The weather is perfect, it is shady and a cool breeze off the water has meant we could just open up the windows on the land yacht rather than having to run the generator and the AC.. And all is well that ends well.
June 23 – June 25, 2021
We left Whiskers Bend and headed for our next stop in Florence Oregon on 6/23/21. We really would have liked to spend more time at our scenic spot along the Umpqua river but we we had reservations at “Darlings Resort” for that day.
It feels kind of odd because normally when Cindy and I travel, we try to avoid sticking to a schedule. When we went to Thailand for our honeymoon for example, we only made reservations for the first and last night. That way we were free to change our plans and do whatever we wanted. Similarly we rarely found any need nor was it even possible most times to reserve in a marina while we were cruising. However, to plan around family and friends’ availability, on this trip we needed to be at specific places at specific times so our interim stops needed to be planned too. And there are so many folks getting out of their Covid cocoons and hitting the road that reservations seem to be necessary.
We were going to need fuel soon so we decided that we would fill up in the city of Roseburg as we passed through before we were too far on our way. Cindy found a station with good diesel prices through the “Gas Buddy” app and we headed for that station. It involved driving through a busy little town and when we turned into the station, I was worried we might bottom out but we were ok. The aisles at the pumps were very tight and we were facing the wrong direction for refueling but luckily there was a road that went around the back of the building so we were able to get turned around and up to the pumps.
That was when we found out that most of Oregon only sells Biodiesel. It is made from a mixture of alcohol and plant and animal oils. The owners manual for our truck is very specific about what type of diesel to use and it is not Biodiesel! Since we really had no choice though, that was what we filled up with. A young attendant at the station seemed knowledgable about Biodiesel and told me that the only trouble he had ever heard about its use was that when used in much colder weather it has a tendency to coagulate. That sounded to me like it would be a really bad thing!
We did not have to be concerned about coagulation though, as we were in the middle of a heat wave that had started the day we left home in Coloma. It was to go on the books as the worst heatwave to occur in the Northwest in recorded history. On our drive so far we had seen temps of up to 110 and back home one day it hit 112 degrees!
We stayed in an RV resort in Florence named “Darlings.” I have no idea where the name came from but possibly it is a family name? It was very atypical for an RV resort in that it was right on a very beautiful lake (Clear Lake) and our site was backed right up to a sandy beach area overlooking the water. There were some large and boisterous bullfrogs that lived among the reeds just off shore, which was a bonus treat for us because normally at home we can just barely hear our small tree frogs in the distance. At one point it felt like we were living a Norman Rockwell scene as a couple of chubby shirtless kids caught one of the bullfrogs and was showing it around before releasing him.
The resort had at least three different RV areas. Two of them were on the other side of the road from the lake area where we were, and they looked like they had some longer term tenants. One of the resort brochures in the office said they had spaces with monthly rates. Also, they rented out fishing boats and jet skis though we did not see any of the latter. The little building in the photo above was billed as a floating cabin that they rent out by the night. It made me think of the Polynesian floating homes we saw while cruising in French Polynesia, but definitely the red neck version! There is also a large rocking chair at the end of each of the docks for people to enjoy while they are fishing. The lake itself is supposed to offer world-class fishing for bass and trout. The resort had a small store that had a great selection of micro brews and ice cream. Aside from those items, there were some fishing gear and branded T-shirts and hoodies. Attached to the store was a very casual bar and restaurant. There was an outside deck with a few tables overlooking the water from across the road. The tables had gas flame heaters built into them and it was actually chilly enough in the evenings that we enjoyed having one at our table the evening we visited.
While we were at the restaurant, a large pickup truck sporting flags at opposite sides and a sign that said “No Sheep” pulled in and parked. Another sign advertised his family’s woodworking business. When I see trucks decked out like this, I can’t help thinking how much they look like ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria) trucks that we have all seen while watching the nightly news. These are usually small Toyota pickups with ISIS flags, and loaded with armed hooded men. A young man wearing a Trump hat got out of the truck and walked over to the restaurant. Obviously a local guy, he joined a couple of women at the table next to us. While he was sitting there, several people stopped by to say hello or chat with him, asking about his business and family. Most of the locals seemed to know him and respect him.
It was a reminder of a couple of things. First that we were in an area where a good part of the population is likely still convinced that Trump really won the election! Second, that regardless of whatever this young man’s views are of the world, he is a person with friends and relatives who love him, just as we all do our friends and family with different points of view.
Though we were camped on a lake, the ocean was a short distance past the hills on the right side (West) as seen in the above photo. The area is known for its sand dunes, and people bring dune buggies in their toy haulers or on trailers to race around on the sand. There were signs along the road advertising dune buggy rentals as well as rides on large units that looked as though they would fit 8 or so persons for a safari style sight seeing trip on the dunes. It looked like it would be great fun for the kids!
The issues that arise in sharing an RV lot with others reminds me of staying a marina with others. When we first pulled into our space, the sites to either side of us were open.
Soon they were to be occupied. On one side was a father and son pair, spending some time together in a travel trailer. They were local Oregonians just out at the coast to get away from the heat. We saw several other rigs from Oregon as well and of the people I talked to, a few said they had been coming to Darlings for many years. To the other side of us, a large motorhome from Idaho pulled in. They introduced themselves as Ed and Charlie (Charlene). This couple backed into their space without a lot of drama but Charlie, in the process of turning on the AC power to their rig, shut ours off. The experience was just like sitting at home and having a power outage. Before I could turn off the inside breakers and go outside to see what had happened, she flipped it back on. (In my mind I am having nightmares about arcing between the shore power cord and the trailer because the AC and other circuits were on and we were drawing a lot of current at the time.) Oh well, it wasn’t intentional and no harm done. The best part of the story though was when they left and they were disconnecting the power to their rig, they shut ours off again! This time they did not even realize it had happened, finished what they were doing and drove away!
Soon after Ed and Charlie left, a lesbian couple (also locals from Eugene) took their spot. We had a nice chat with one of them in the evening while we were sitting outside. The trailer they had was a small newer Winnebago which she told us was just perfect for their short trips with just the two of them and their dog. I noticed that there were two small wheels mounted at the back of the trailer and I asked about them. She said that when they first brought their new trailer home they could not get into their steep driveway without bottoming out. They called the dealer and explained their dilemma and he sent a guy over who mounted the wheels, which solved the problem for them.
The area where you had to pull in before backing a rig in was pretty tight and people visiting the restaurant were parking in this area, making it hard for people to get into their spots. The manager brought out some orange cones to mark off the area so people would
not park there, but people just parked between the cones. 😂 A solution in need of some re-thinking. Ha!
Some lessons learned on this leg of our journey:
- Walmart’s are great places to shop if your in an RV. The parking lots are designed to allow for units of all sizes to comfortably transit. Some, but not all of them, will allow you to spend the night in their parking lots.
We asked the resort manager if they had a dump station and he said they did not but that we could use one for free at the nearby state park on our way out. So it happens that Oregon allows free use of dump stations in their state park system regardless if you are staying there. What a nice idea. I wonder if any other states will offer the same. - Don’t go to fueling stations that are not designed for RVs. Stick with truck stops like Loves, TA, and Pilot. Otherwise it can be difficult to maneuver.
- Oregon state offers use of free RV dump stations throughout their State Park System.
- When you are considering buying things to use in the rig, try to think multi-purpose. Less aboard is most always better. For example, the metal extension rod used for accessing the awning when it is rolled up, is something we also use to pull the blocks out from underneath the stabilizer jacks, and has also been used
- Similar to sailing, you can tell a lot about a person’s character and how couples interact by observing them parking their rigs in challenging situations!
Next stop is Vancouver Washington to visit with some very special people:
our daughter Sarah and her boyfriend Justin. We will spend three days with them.