In Burns today. Had the oil changed at Les Schwab. $73 for a 7.3 diesel is very reasonable. The same or better than Jiffy Lube and they don't try to upsell you. I will stop there on our way out of town on Friday to have one of the trailer tires looked at as it is wearing on the inside.
Yesterday we cleaned the inside of the truck. It needed it. The gravel roads are super dusty right now. The truck needs a wash job badly, but it is a waste of time to do it if you have any gravel to drive on and out at Malheur we do. Showers are in the forecast for Canby on Friday and Saturday so that may be the answer to the dusty truck.
I did get a glob of grease from the maintenance shop this morning and lubed the pivots on the fifth wheel hitch. I also put the plywood platform on the rear seat of the truck back in so that Quammie has a flat area to nap and look out the window as we travel.
R has a hair appointment so I am using the WIFI at the Burns Public Library. We will turn in our temporary library card today. For a $20 deposit they will make you a temporary card that grants you the privileges of a local. When you return the card, you get your deposit back. We refuse the refund.
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
The Stink
The Stink was around for several days. The smell was there when you entered the trailer. The smell was outside the trailer. But I could not figure out the source.
Maybe it was the propane tank. I opened the door and smelled the tanks and connections. Nope.
Maybe it was the sewer. I disconnected the sewer hose where it connected to the ground and smelled. Nope.
Maybe it was a dead critter in the storage area underneath the trailer. So I pulled out every tote and box and looked through the contents. Nope.
As I worked my way around to the front storage area the smell got stronger. I uncovered the batteries. As I removed the front cover I heard a small sizzling sound. When I pried up the cover for the battery cells, it was like I uncapped a soda top. The sizzling sound lowered and a wisp of smoke actually came out of one of the cells. I peaked into that cell and saw no water in it. I poured some distilled water into it, but the sizzling continued. The body of the battery was actually quite warm, almost hot.
Both batteries were hooked up in series so I disconnected that battery from the system, took both wires off it and hooked the system up to the rear battery only. It took quite a while for the front battery to cool down. I am not sure what would have happened if I had not discovered the cause of The Stink.
Two new RV batteries are on my shopping list.
Maybe it was the propane tank. I opened the door and smelled the tanks and connections. Nope.
Maybe it was the sewer. I disconnected the sewer hose where it connected to the ground and smelled. Nope.
Maybe it was a dead critter in the storage area underneath the trailer. So I pulled out every tote and box and looked through the contents. Nope.
As I worked my way around to the front storage area the smell got stronger. I uncovered the batteries. As I removed the front cover I heard a small sizzling sound. When I pried up the cover for the battery cells, it was like I uncapped a soda top. The sizzling sound lowered and a wisp of smoke actually came out of one of the cells. I peaked into that cell and saw no water in it. I poured some distilled water into it, but the sizzling continued. The body of the battery was actually quite warm, almost hot.
Both batteries were hooked up in series so I disconnected that battery from the system, took both wires off it and hooked the system up to the rear battery only. It took quite a while for the front battery to cool down. I am not sure what would have happened if I had not discovered the cause of The Stink.
Two new RV batteries are on my shopping list.
Monday, October 12, 2015
Reading
We are beginning the planning for our next gig. The Burns library had two books on LBJ that R read and I skimmed. Time to start taking in information on the Johnsons. We will learn about the ranch when we get there, but we can start learning about the people. Knowing nothing about LBJ, knowing nothing about Texas, meeting new friends, exploring a new region. It is going to be fun.
Last Week
Our last week at Malheur. Wed and Thurs we will be packing the tubs with the antiques (props) from the Bunkhouse and the Homestead house. Also stowed will be the materials that have been displayed in the office. R has taken photos of the displays and will be putting them into a booklet to help future volunteers set up the buildings in the future.
The weather this week has been fabulous. Sunny and warm days (mid 70s) cool nights ( high 30s to low 40s. Saturday, however gave us another windy day. I was out in the southeast edge of the ranch pasture shoring up the fencing, when the wind began. Usually, the wind comes up gradually. Not Saturday. At 10 O'clock the strong wind began, whoosh and it continued and even increased as the day went on. Clear blue sky and yet the wind was howling.
The it is time to close the site. The visitor count is low. Zero for several days. Two for a couple more. It is a waste of our time to spend eight hours out there for one or two couples. I do little maintenance jobs, R cleans the sites, but mostly we sit in the car or on the front porch waiting for cars to drive down our lane. Time passes too slowly.
The weather this week has been fabulous. Sunny and warm days (mid 70s) cool nights ( high 30s to low 40s. Saturday, however gave us another windy day. I was out in the southeast edge of the ranch pasture shoring up the fencing, when the wind began. Usually, the wind comes up gradually. Not Saturday. At 10 O'clock the strong wind began, whoosh and it continued and even increased as the day went on. Clear blue sky and yet the wind was howling.
The it is time to close the site. The visitor count is low. Zero for several days. Two for a couple more. It is a waste of our time to spend eight hours out there for one or two couples. I do little maintenance jobs, R cleans the sites, but mostly we sit in the car or on the front porch waiting for cars to drive down our lane. Time passes too slowly.
Thursday, October 8, 2015
Why Did
Why did the rabbit cross the road?
To give the night driver some practice in avoidance.
I was successful 2 out 3 times last night. Two cottontails were lucky. One was not.
I got my night driving practice last evening on the way home from Frenchglen. The five of us volunteers went "out to dinner" at the Frenchglen Hotel as our goodbye meal. Frenchglen is 60 miles south of Burns, Or. Game hen, rice pilaf, salad, vegetable dish, rolls, and marion berry crisp for dessert. Yumm!!!
To give the night driver some practice in avoidance.
I was successful 2 out 3 times last night. Two cottontails were lucky. One was not.
I got my night driving practice last evening on the way home from Frenchglen. The five of us volunteers went "out to dinner" at the Frenchglen Hotel as our goodbye meal. Frenchglen is 60 miles south of Burns, Or. Game hen, rice pilaf, salad, vegetable dish, rolls, and marion berry crisp for dessert. Yumm!!!
Monday, October 5, 2015
Volunteering in 2016
A couple of weeks ago our volunteer plans changed radically. When we checked out of ORPI last year the new volunteer coordinator asked us if we were coming back next year. We said yes. ( we have volunteered there 4 years.) With the reopening of the back country, the park has new excitement and fun. Then, in May, we received an email from ORPI saying that the volunteer stay would now be 4 months and were we ok with that. I responded saying OK ( we had done that in previous years). So about three weeks ago I sent an email to the guy at ORPI to see of everything was going along, what new info was out there, etc. He responded that all the volunteer positions had been filled. Evidently he had not gotten my response and had not called to question it so had assumed that we were not interested. GRRRRRR.
Well after a day of grumbling and depression, I got on Volunteer.gov and did some further exploration. We thought about returning to Petrified Forest, but the volunteer facilities are not any better than when we were there. The steep mountain grade into Gila Cliff Dwellings made me hesitate in reapplying there. So I looked in new areas, namely Texas and Louisiana. I
filled out a couple of applications and emailed them in on Monday evening.
On Wed morning, while I was at the ranch, I received a call from the volunteer coordinator at LBJ National Historic Park in Johnson City, Texas. So from Jan thru April of 2016 we are going to be giving tours of the Texas Whitehouse and the boyhood home of LBJ in central Texas.
We will be an hour of Austin, a little over ne hour from San Antonio, 30 miles from Fredricksburg. A whole new area to explore! R has started to read about LBJ.
When one door closes on you , a new door opens.
Well after a day of grumbling and depression, I got on Volunteer.gov and did some further exploration. We thought about returning to Petrified Forest, but the volunteer facilities are not any better than when we were there. The steep mountain grade into Gila Cliff Dwellings made me hesitate in reapplying there. So I looked in new areas, namely Texas and Louisiana. I
filled out a couple of applications and emailed them in on Monday evening.
On Wed morning, while I was at the ranch, I received a call from the volunteer coordinator at LBJ National Historic Park in Johnson City, Texas. So from Jan thru April of 2016 we are going to be giving tours of the Texas Whitehouse and the boyhood home of LBJ in central Texas.
We will be an hour of Austin, a little over ne hour from San Antonio, 30 miles from Fredricksburg. A whole new area to explore! R has started to read about LBJ.
When one door closes on you , a new door opens.
Monday Oct 5
It is Monday morning and I am sitting at the ranch waiting for our first customer. Bob, the other volunteer had flight problems coming back from Missouri so we are filling in today.
Another beautiful fall day here in eastern Oregon. The days have been in the 70s and the nights in the 40s. The transition from summer to fall was, to say the least, abrupt. The Saturday we went to the fair was 92. A week later a couple of days had a highs of 65. This country is not for the wimps.
We start out the morning wearing many layers of clothing and end the day in shirtsleeves.
The ranch is open until the 15th. ten more days. Both of us are ready to leave. We are ready to be home for a while. Ready to see family and friends. Ready to go to Costco to shop and have a hotdog. Ready to pull the Prius out of the garage. Weather permitting, we will be home on the 16th.
Another beautiful fall day here in eastern Oregon. The days have been in the 70s and the nights in the 40s. The transition from summer to fall was, to say the least, abrupt. The Saturday we went to the fair was 92. A week later a couple of days had a highs of 65. This country is not for the wimps.
We start out the morning wearing many layers of clothing and end the day in shirtsleeves.
The ranch is open until the 15th. ten more days. Both of us are ready to leave. We are ready to be home for a while. Ready to see family and friends. Ready to go to Costco to shop and have a hotdog. Ready to pull the Prius out of the garage. Weather permitting, we will be home on the 16th.
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