The Trip

We are on the road. 

   Day 1:  Canby to Alturas.   Left Canby at 8:22.  Traveled down I-5 to Eugene and over Hwy 58                        and Willamette Pass.  The early morning hours fog, wet pavement, traffic and a few idiots                    who did not realize that headlights were a good idea.  Dry pavement on Hwy 97 through
                Klamath Falls and ending at Alturas, Ca.
   Day 2:  Alturas to Tonopah, Nv.  395 south, Through Reno, 50 to 50A to hwy 95. thru Hawthorne
                to Tonopah, Nv.  We have been on this road before, and know the road.  We spent the night                  parked at the RV park behind the casino.

   Day 3:  Tonopah to Needles, Ca  Nice highway  Hwy 95  Lots of sunshine. long vistas of                                  mountains.  Stopped at Desert Wildlife Refuge just north of Las Vegas to see friends who
                are volunteering there.  Then we pushed through the big city still on hwy 95.  It's 45 miles
                from north to south. Then on to Needles. where we are parked tonight.

  Impressions of Nevada. 
               Lots of distant vistas. Much open land.  Not many towns,  Not many trees.  The wrinkled                     mountains of Nevada.  The vast blue skies.  Vapor trails are everywhere.  They look like                       white lines on a giant blue chalk board.

   Tomorrow we arrive in the Phoenix area where we will visit with friends for a week (with a trip to Algodones for dental work). Then we will resume our trip to Texas. 

Heading Out 2017

Tomorrow we head out.  I would rather be going right now, but there is no way that can be done.  Loading is done, but that is just a small part.  Christmas decorations in the house need to be packed up and put away.  The house needs to be cleaned. (Randa's idea, in case we get visitors while we are gone.)  Clothes washed, bedding washed and bed remade.  We are sleeping in the trailer tonight so that the bed is fresh.  Also a haircut would be nice so I don't have to worry about grooming for a while. 
   The big deal will be groceries.  We have way too many.  We were trying to use up freezer items, but a lot of groceries were purchased thinking that we were having "company" for Christmas, but winter weather changed those plans.  Result;  extra food. 
   Tomorrow's dig deal will be how to get over the mountains tomorrow.  I am keeping my eyes on the weather report and Oregon Tripcheck to see road conditions.  Hwy 58 over Willamette Pass is the optimum route, but we have a couple of options.
   Wish us luck.

Morning walk

Winter Solstice 2017

Winter Solstice is here.  It is special to some.  Today's early morning was special.  Freezing temps, fog, darkness made it that way.  The walk was fun for the senses.

Truck

          The Truck is back !    The Truck is back !

   Yesterday I got the call from Millars Auto repair saying that the truck was finally finished.  The fuse box was replaced.  The batteries were recharged and the bill was less than the original estimate.  I paid the bill and headed up Hwy 99E to Milwaukee and M&S Glass. 
   While the windshield was being replaced, I walked a short distance to the Bomber Restaurant for a pleasant lunch.  After waiting for an hour and a half, I strolled back to the shop.  They were glad to see me to show me several broken clips that they discovered under the cowling.  The windshield was ready to be replaced but the tech thought that the clips were the culprits that allowed moisture to drip down unto the firewall and cause the problem with the fuse box.  I was happy to have that situation fixed.
   Time to head back south toward home.  I stopped for an oil and fuel filter change. It was good to be driving the truck again.  I parked the truck in it's spot in front of the house and spring the hood so that I could remove and flush the K&N air filter.  After letting it dry over night, I resprayed the element and it's ready to reinstall.  I also have the furnace running in the trailer right now to take out some the chill and dampness.
   Having the truck back is a very good thing.  !!

Fingerprints

Thursday was a busy day.  Water exercise at 8.  My annual visit to my dermatologist, resulting in five spots on my hands and at least that many on my face.  Yowl !  That liquid nitrogen is painful.

Then it was downtown to a federal building to get fingerprinted and photographed for ID cards for LBJ.  This is probably the third or fourth time we have done this, but is a new thing I guess.  Getting in the building required the same security as flying;  belts off, pocket items in the tray, walking through the scanner.  Then it was name tags, signing in and down to the basement office.  A little over and hour later we were on the road home.  Luckily it was before the afternoon rush so got home within an hour.  Now we will be legal, again. 

Music

Lately, we have been enjoying live music.  Saturday night it was O'Neill's Pub and 60's and 70's rock and roll from "The Green Tambourine".   Lots of fun and if your toes weren't tappin", you were dead.

Sunday found me at Marylhurst University for a concert by the Portland Wind Symphony.  Great sound to listen to with your eyes closed and your ears open.

Tuesday night it was the Cleveland High School Holiday Music Concert.  Six different musical groups performed from percussion to jazz to their wind symphony.  It was amazing to realize that all the wonderful music was coming from these high school students.  Bravo to all the music teachers in the world.   Made me wish I had continued my music.  The accordion was not a cool instrument to be playing as a young male.  Definitely not a "chick magnet".

Nothing like live music of any kind.  😊

Lunch

Stopped by the Portland Cider location for lunch.

A flight of cider.  A grilled cheese torta.  A bowl of tomato bisque soup.  Yumm  !!

Mystery Solved?

Remember when Hunter was hurt while running in the fog?  I had not returned to the "scene of the crime" until yesterday.  The boys and I went for a nice long stroll and ended up in the same area.  Scanning the ground showed me probably what I was looking for.  My guess is that one of those red fire hydrants were what Hunter crashed into.  Trees might be the guilty parties, but I think the red fixtures in the middle of the grassy areas are a danger for running dogs.I shudder to think of what it would feel like running into something like that in the fog.

Towing

The picture says it all.  The truck is in the shop.  AS you can see it had to be towed.  It was as my Dad would have said,  "Dead as a door nail."  I thought that the alternator had failed again so I removed it and had it tested at Autozone and it failed so their lifetime guaranty is valid.  However, that didn't help.  After charging the batteries all night there still was nothing when I turned the key.  So the tow.

Bad news >>>  The windshield leaked allowing water to drip unto some electrical box on the firewall.  Toasted it.  Toasted the brand new batteries. 

Bottom Line ::   Major dollars,  waiting a week for parts .

Only good thing:  The truck was parked in front of the house and not in the middle of nowhere, Nevada. 

Dream

In my latest dream this is me. 

Colors

Space Alien

What if this guy is really from outer space?