Dune Fest

The Dune Fest for 2023 is history.  10,000 folks plus probably that many machines in one area is an interesting activity. Rigs starting arriving Monday afternoon and continued throughout the week end. 

Lots of variety of campers.  Lots of variety of dune machines.  Lots of activities for the attendees.  Lots of noise until late, late at night.  By Sunday night they were all gone.

The event was good for the economy of the coast, but I now know what the residents of Sturgis feel like in August.

the light

I just realized that I haven't published a photo of the lighthouse so here you

Lighthouse Window Washing

Several of us got went out onto the balcony around the lantern this morning and washed the windows.   They weren't terribly dirty, but they are better now.  The view from up there was spectacular.

Cool Car

 I saw this yesterday, parked along the bluff in front of the lighthouse.  1967 Bug 

Cool huh?!

The Pacific

It's in sight from our RV site.  However, we had to drive a ways to find tide pools to explore.  Well worth the drive.

I'm Back

 Where have I been?  What have I been doing?   Well, that's a long story.   The condensed version is that we made it home.  It was good to be back in our house again.  The dogs really like having more room.  Lots of space to roam, to smell, to nap.  

  Once home we had a lot of yard work to catch up on.  The tree that fell over during the winter left behind a large stump.  It took time and lots of sweat labor to get it gone, repair the fence, and rebuild the retaining wall.

Before we knew it, time passed and at was time to pack for our next volunteer stint.   

This is where we are for the months of July and August.

Umpqua River Lighthouse

The unique light of the Umpqua light/  

Our trailer is parked on the premises, only a short distance from the tower.  The white and red beams of light pass over our spot every night.

Stranded in Nevada

 Well, here we sit .  In the middle of Nevada,  Which is in the middle of nowhere.  As the saying goes, 

 "IT AIN'T AT THE END OF THE EARTH , BUT YOU CAN SEE IT FORM HERE."

    We left BTA on Monday morning, traveled north and west during the day, and ended up in Kingman, Arizona.  Other than stopping at the local tire store  on the way out of time to get a screw out of a trailer tire, the day was uneventful.  The second day was a sojourn from Kingman, through Las Vegas, and across a lot of empty desert to Hawthorne, Nv.  As we pulled into the Whiskey Flats RV Park, a place we have visited several times before.

     My brake unit acted funny so after I parked and started checking the rig.  One of the tires had a odd wear pattern.  I checked under the trailer and found a problem.  It was the same problem that we encountered  in Quartsite in December.  Evidntly the leaf springs that were installed were not the proper size because they are not serving their purpose.  

    I called Good Sam Towing, gave all the necessary information, (several times )  and got the ball rolling.

Or so I thought.  The size of my trailer and the fact that it could not be towed, were a;; stumbling blocks.  
Plus Hawthorne has no RV repair facilities or mechanics, it was a problem.  It's now Saturday afternoon and we are waiting for a mobile rv mechanic is do here in a half hour or so.  He phoned me to say he was delayed but had all the necessary parts to get us back on the road.  I sure hope so.  Randa and I were really down several times during this event.  I will truly be thankful when the rig is back on the road.  look at the photos below to see the problem.  Think about how the tire moves on bumpy roads. The leaf springs should be curved.

    Randa and I really do enjoy the travel and scenery, the friends we meet.,  But situations like this make me reconsider how long we continue.  It would be easier to just stay home and find volunteer positions close to home.  Maybe we think about it.