#71 August 2020 – Thompson’s Mills, Shedd Oregon

Faithful readers will remember how much we liked being at Thompson’s Mills last year. We spent two months giving tours of this fascinating 19^th century industrial site, the last surviving water powered mill in the  Willamette Valley. We must have given tours to several hundred people, ranging from single individuals to school classes. In our “spare” time we worked on maintenance projects (me) and took care of the ducks and chickens (she). I had the run of a good shop and got whatever supplies I needed for the projects I worked on.

This year, Covid changed everything. Oregon Parks and Recreation Department is self-funding, deriving almost all of its revenue from camping fees. When camping was banned, OPRD was in the same boat as many businesses: no customers means no income. The state heritage sites like the Mill don’t generate income, anyway, so when the camping revenue dried up, all discretionary spending was stopped. If we didn’t have what we needed for a project on hand we simply couldn’t buy it, period. Even most equipment repairs were disapproved. I sorted through buckets of used screws to find usable hardware for a couple of jobs.

And, the Mill closed to tours. Last year we were often so busy that we weren’t able to talk to everyone. This year we have had days when literally no one showed up. It has been a real challenge to fill our time. Kayeanne has rediscovered her farming roots. Like her grandparents, she has been spending hours pulling weeds, running sprinklers, foisting off surplus squash on anyone she can find and pampering the chickens and ducks. She also turned out great blackberry cobbler and zucchini bread. 

I was happy to see anyone; I’m sure I’ve bored a few people silly. I changed a bearing on the tractor flail mower, and helped move a number of large beams from outdoors into the basement of the Mill to keep them from weather checking. The project they were ordered for was  postponed, indefinitely. I also fixed a broken irrigation pipe and a few other minor things, but that’s about it.

And then it was gone

Wines we enjoyed this month include Willamette Valley Vineyards Pinot Gris – 2018,  Broadside Cab - Paso 2017 and Sho Chiku Bai Nigori Sake. 

We have enjoyed not traveling, and revisiting places that we discovered last year, so there isn’t much new to report this month. I’ve added a couple of extra pictures below to pad the text a little.

More soon,

Bob

Twice a day the ducks march
to the millrace to bathe

Early one morning visitors
dropped in

Kayeanne found her milieu

#70 July 2020 - Montana and Idaho

View through the windshield at Ennis RV Village

July 2020 - Montana and Idaho

I picked Ennis, Montana, for no particular reason that I recall, except that it was in roughly the right area and within an easy day’s drive of Salmon. Except it really wasn’t, because Google Maps includes dirt roads in its directions. And, because it had a Montana state road number, MT 324, I didn’t check it on Google Earth. Luckily, I had a premonition as soon as we turned onto it. It was paved, but the first two vehicles that passed us coming the other way gave me a funny look, like “really? Hmm, I hope you know what you’re doing.” For once, I listened to the voices in my head and we turned around at what might have been the last place that we could. Back at the crossroad, I asked a local about route MT 324. She laughed and said it was an unpaved, rock-strewn, pot-holed mess that got worse after it crossed into Montana. Avoiding that shortcut added over a hundred miles to the easy day we had looked forward to. Nonetheless, the country was spectacular and Covid eliminated any hint of traffic.

"Small" gold mining dredge in nearby
Nevada City

Ennis claims to be the trout fly fishing capital of the world, or maybe just the country, I forget. The storied Madison River passes through town and fishing dominates the economy. It’s a lovely small town that exist solely for tourists, fisher people or not. There is also enough shopping and site seeing to keep non-fishers from going nuts for a few days.

As much as we liked the town despite the Covid closures and restrictions,
discovering the Ennis Village RV Park alone made the trip worthwhile. We pulled into our site to discover a panoramic, 180 degree view of more than 30 square miles of the Madison River valley, all backed up by varicolored, snow capped mountains. Herds of fat cows grazed on lush, tall grass. Deer and flocks

The neighbors come to visit

of geese came out into the fields to feed. One evening a pair of moose crossed the valley in full view. We sat in the coach or on chairs at the edge of the ridge for hours every day watching the show below us. This was the best view we have ever had in six years on the road. Oh, yes, the park was terrific in every other way, too. And the dogs loved it. Just a mile away is Deemo’s, the best meat market we have ever seen. The local supermarket, Madison Foods, even has a great wine section. We plan to return as soon as we can.

Lots of great "stuff" and colorful owners

 One more plus: no trains! It seems to be a rule that commercial RV parks must be located on busy train tracks where long freights blow for every driveway, or just to relieve the crew’s boredom. Ennis is miles away from any tracks. I slept better there than I can remember. The only drawback I can think of is the wind. Every afternoon the winds build, usually blowing a steady 20 mph, often gusting over 40. One afternoon gusts hit 60 mph, causing damage to some campers who weren’t prepared.

Picture doesn't due Cliff Lake justice

One of our neighbors (not above) encouraged us to visit Wade and Cliff Lakes, about 40 miles south of town. They were right. These are mountain lakes, absolutely crystal clear, set in lovely heavily wooded settings. There are small campgrounds that are impossible for us to get into and popular day-use areas where folks picnic, kayak and play in the chilly water. (see more lake pix below)

Ennis was a very tough act to follow, and Riverfront RV Park in Garrison, Montana certainly missed the mark. A double-track freight line borders the park and a switching yard is not far away. Every train going in either direction blows their horns for four crossings. That’s 16 bellows per train. I counted six trains in one hour one night. Poor electric power and lots of mosquitoes didn’t help, either. I doubt we’ll be back, despite the lovely setting, including acres of diligently mown grass and great staff folks.

There isn’t a lot to do in this part of Montana, but the Old Montana Prison & Auto Museum in Deer Lodge is just a few miles away. I’ve never seen these two wildly disparate subjects combined in one place, so we went to find out. The prison museum was depressing and disquieting. After ten minutes we were looking for the exit. The car section, though, was pretty neat. If you go through the area, it’s worth a stop for an hour or two. The ice cream stand next door serves Umpqua ice cream, a Northwest specialty. Don't miss it.

We enjoyed our golf foray in American Falls and looked forward to another nice day. Deer Park Golf Course looked like our kind of track: short, flat, wide open and cheap. Even with those advantages, we still stunk up the place and came away dispirited and humbled. We had forgotten that the golf gods are vicious and capricious. Maybe new balls will help.

This was even better than it looks

Garrison is about 45 miles from Helena, and Kayeanne wanted sushi and chocolate for her birthday, so … road trip! The sushi was great and the chocolate was wonderful. The town proved to be interesting, too. For those who nodded off during Social Studies, Helena is the capital of Montana. Many of the things we wanted to see were closed for Covid, but the state capital building was open, so we looked around.

Typical of many state capital buildings, it was built ~120 years ago of granite and brick with domes, gilding, fancy woodwork, granite floors, etc. None of that delivers any real value for the proletariat, but they never get to approve the budget, anyway. After all, the “public’s servants” need quarters befitting their somber duties.  

The murals and statuary are what you’d expect in a late 19^th century municipal edifice in the West. What struck me, though, was the number and scale of items, some heroic in size, depicting Native American peoples and themes. Given how many Indians were slaughtered by the builders of this homage to democracy to drive them off their ancestral lands, it looked to me like collective guilt or monumental cynicism. If I’m feeling generous, probably both. Commissioning the decorations was certainly cheaper than actually buying the land or paying reparations, but maybe I’m too cynical. Ok, rant off.

After a week in Garrison, I think we were both ready to start heading west to Oregon. Kayeanne picked the Blue Anchor RV Park in Osburn, Idaho. She has offered no defense of that choice, but she hit the jackpot: an old mobile home park that was converted to an RV park, artfully situated between a main freight railroad and Interstate 90. I could hit the freeway with a pitching wedge. The park really had nothing to recommend it except its proximity to Wallace and Kellogg.

This part of Idaho was arguably the richest silver mining region of the country, if not the world. The largest of seven mines in the area, the Sunshine Mine, produced 365 million ounces of silver between 1904 and 2001, accounting for roughly 14% of total US silver production. The mines drilled literally thousands of miles of tunnels and reached depths over 5000 feet deep. Lead, zinc and copper were also produced in great quantities. The fumes from the refining processes were so toxic that the valley where Kellogg is located wouldn’t grow trees until the smelters were shut down for several years. Starting in the ‘80’s, Kellogg High School students have replanted literally millions of trees. Thanks to them and others the area is making a comeback.

In 1972, 91 miners died in an underground fire in the Sunshine Mine. The mining museum in Kellogg does a good job explaining what happened. Not long after that, the costs of complying with growing environmental regulations and a worldwide drop in silver prices led to the end of mining in this area. 

The Shoshone Golf Club is a real test. It’s only a 9-hole course, but you WILL want a cart, and you better bring several extra balls (the new ones didn't help). Yikes.

Wallace has been making a successful transition from mining town to tourist destination for many years. We made a couple of trips just to look around. It reminded me a little of Ouray, Colorado, another mountain mining town. Several stores and restaurants were closed due to Covid, but enough weren’t that we had a good time wandering around. Muchacos Tacos was quite good for lunch.  

Watch the first step....

Do I look nervous?

I never knew Kayeanne had a bucket list, but it turns out that zip lining was near the top. Some of you may recall that on our second date almost exactly 40 years ago, we jumped out of airplanes. That was her idea, too. Apparently it was time to scare me silly again. I have to say that it was a gas, and over too fast, but we still turned down the offer of another ride. Tempting fate is not a good idea.  

Our next stop was Hood Park Corp of Engineers Campground in Burbank, Washington, just across the Snake River from Pasco and Kennewick. We just stayed one night, but really enjoyed it. Lots of grass and shade for the dogs, and no freeways or trains! We’d like to come back and spend time exploring the area.

It was an easy drive from Hood Park to Creekside Campground in Sisters, Oregon. Sisters is one of our favorite places to visit. A number of Covid closures and the Governor’s new mask mandate limited what we could do, but we enjoyed walking the town, again. Creekside Campground is a little tight for Ripley, in fact there are only a couple of spaces that we fit and were lucky that one was available. No utilities, but that’s not an issue for two nights. The dogs loved it, too, lots of grass and trees.

On August 1st , we pulled into Thompson’s Mills State Park to volunteer for two months. (Note to self: do not take the coach on Rt 20 between Sisters and Sweet Home again. I don’t shy away from most roads, but this is one. It is way, way too tight and much too long. Take Rt 126 through Eugene, instead.)

I haven’t been doing a lot of reading this month, but Jim Lynch’s Border Songs stood out.

New wines this month include 19 Crimes Pinot Noir and A to Z Oregon Rosé Wine.

More soon,

Bob

More pictures:

Sunset at Ennis

 Landing is an acquired skill....

#69 Coveys Great Adventure - June 2020 – Utah & Idaho

June 2020 – Utah & Idaho

The ladies, and Beckham strolling

It was great to finally see Liesa. It was a big relief for both of us to see that she really was fine. I think we were more worried about her than we realized, given all that has been going on in the country, and in Salt Lake, specifically. We exchanged several visits with her and Cory during our two-week stay.

Jordanelle State Park is located about half way between Park City and Heber City. Park City is like Newport Beach with mountains. Heber City is already big enough for a Walmart and growing like a weed.  All kinds of new construction is taking place near town and around the lake, and light industry is moving in, too.

Jordanelle is a large park in a beautiful setting right on Jordanelle lake. A marina, a large day use area with extensive picnic facilities, and the campground all face the lake. The campground is immaculate and the sites are spacious, but half of them are pitched so much that they are impossible for us to get even close to level. We never did get completely level in our site, but that was our only complaint. The dogs had acres of grass to explore, and they did their best to sniff all of it.

We met Gary and Sharon Sams when we camp hosted together at Nahalem a couple of years ago and quickly became friends. Business exigencies and “life” took them off the road last year and they returned to Park City. We met them for breakfast at one of their favorite local places, the Five5eeds. The food was great and the company was better. We are looking forward to seeing them when we return in November.  

We really enjoyed our time at Jordanelle, but we were ready for a vacation. In 2017 we had plans to explore eastern Idaho and western Montana but Liesa’s accident cancelled that. We had 45 days before we needed to be in Oregon to host at Thompson’s Mills State Heritage Site, so we decided to head north.

American Falls dam on the Snake River

You may have not seen the news that recreational vehicle sales have skyrocketed. Dealer inventories have been wiped out and the industry is expected to exceed 50% YOY growth. 2019 also broke all sales records. People, especially those with young families, are looking for safe holidays and camping certainly looks safer than climbing on planes to go to theme parks. Ok, but where are they all going to stay? No new state parks or national parks have been created in decades. What RV park construction there has been has focused on the extreme upper end, $100+ per night “RV resort” market. I think state and national park campgrounds that were operating sold out within hours of reservation windows opening up. That’s not an exaggeration. The Covid related campground closures have made things even worse.

We always prefer state park or national forest campgrounds. At our size, though, we can’t count on a “first come, first serve” campsite being available when we show up. Since RV sales started to climb three years ago, we always make reservations, but generally had no trouble getting a spot, usually in a state park. Not any more. Private RV parks are all we can get and many of them are sold out at least a couple of months in advance. Some of the best are sold out all year! Oh, yes, the cost of private parks is roughly 30% more, and the sites and locations are nothing like as nice.

Queen of the links

That said, we planned a route and stitched together reservations at commercial RV parks to visit some areas we have wanted to see for years. We've decided to try to limit our daily driving to about 200 miles, so the first stop was Willow Bay Resort Campground and Marina in American Falls, Idaho. Willow Bay is a county park, by no means a "resort". It has a lot more acreage than commercial parks to walk the dogs. Grass was abundant and it was located on the Snake River just above the dam at American Falls that created a large reservoir. While not right on top of each other, the sites were too close for comfort. We also had inconsiderate neighbors that really made it unpleasant. On the flip side, though, we discovered that the town had a 9-hole munie golf course that was beautifully maintained and inexpensive to play. So, we did. For our first rounds in two years we didn’t play too badly, if you make enough allowance for age, lack of practice, skill, etc.

Did I mention the wind
blows a lot?

I discovered Salmon, Idaho, on a motorcycle ride over 10 years ago, so that was our next stop. We had just arrived in Salmon three years ago when the hospital called at 3:30 AM to tell us that Liesa had been injured. We pulled out a few hours later without seeing anything of the town and have been looking forward to going back ever since. We couldn’t find a site in Salmon, so we stayed in Elk Bend, at the eponymous RV park, about 25 miles south of Salmon.

It's a great life if you don't weaken

The park was nice, but quite small with limited dog walking. It was spotless, though, and the onsite owners were knowledgeable and attentive, always a good combination. The area around the park didn't offer  much to do, including the “recommended” Dusty Mule bar and grill across the highway. Ugh. The setting, though, like the whole Salmon River valley, was lovely.

Salmon was fun. We discovered the Odd Fellows Bakery on our first visit to town and drove 50 miles round trip two more days for outstanding sandwiches on their signature sourdough bread and rolls. Really, the best bread I can remember eating. 

Kayeanne has become quite interested in Lewis and Clark, so I think we are going to be visiting related sites whenever we encounter them. Salmon has an interesting museum focused on Sacajawea. The grounds include an extensive trail that meanders through fields and along the river. We both enjoyed the visit. 

We tried to go river rafting but the outfitter couldn’t find a guide on short notice. We wanted to play the local golf course but we picked the day of the annual Ladies Club Championship, and the next day it rained. We did manage to put a few hundred miles on the car exploring about every side road we could find. We enjoyed Salmon, but I think we’ve done the town and the area.

Wines we enjoyed lately included:

             Snoqualmie Whistle Stop Red, Columbia Valley WA 2016

             Cardwell Hill Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley 2017

Books were mixed: I liked Saturn Run by John Sanford and Ctein, good SF based on real science. On the other hand, John Meacham’s Destiny and Power

finally bored me silly and I dropped it.

More Soon,

Bob

#68 – Coveys Great Adventure – May 2020 – AZ-UT via NM, TX, AR, MS, IA, NB and WY

May 2020 – AZ to UT via NM, TX, AR, MO, IA, NE and WY

Yes, really. 3,100 miles in just over 2 weeks. “Why?” requires a little explanation.

Part of our plans for Spring travel (that got made and blown up several times as Covid started to take off) was to stop in Arkansas and Iowa to get two persistent coach problems fixed. A small family business based near Little Rock is the go-to AquaHot repair shop according to many of the folks on the Monaco forums that I follow. HWH Corp. located in Moscow, Iowa manufactures the air leveling systems used in the majority of large coaches, including ours. As faithful readers will recall, we have been nursing problems with both systems for quite awhile. The plan was to combine touring the South with Charlie and Mollie Kendrick with visits to the experts to get both problems behind us once and for all.

As Covid unfolded through March and April, we realized that there were fewer places as safe as where we were, the SKP Saguaro Co-op in Benson, AZ. We have friends (Hi Leslie, Ray, Ellen, Cosmo, Jackie and Kaz!) that we felt safe getting together with. The town has most of what we need; even TP was back in stock just as we were leaving. Mi Casa was also open for takeout, so life was…ok.

But, the coach problems wouldn’t fix themselves. We could live with the leveling issues, but the AquaHot is key to our cold weather comfort. In early May, Oregon State Parks announced that some parks would begin opening on a limited basis beginning in June. We reached out to the ranger at Thompson's Mills where we had plans to host beginning in August, and Tom said he expected us to arrive on schedule. About that same time, the Covid numbers looked like they were flattening, especially where we were going to stay more than one night, Arkansas and Utah. We felt we had a window that would allow us to get to Arkansas, then to Iowa and finally to Utah with minimal risk of exposure to the virus.

So we said our goodbyes and hit the road on May 16. I am no fan of our interstate highway system. Deferred maintenance and decades of gross neglect has turned a world wonder into a nightmare of broken pavement and potholes that just pound our coach to death. Wherever possible, we found an alternate US highway. It may take a little longer but the trip is so much better. I10 across Texas is just plain awful, and most of the other interstates in TX are close seconds. 

We picked up US 62 in El Paso and followed a series of US highways for two days for almost 700 miles across most of the state. It might have taken a couple of hours longer, but the reduced noise, pounding and overall wear and tear was certainly worth it. Besides, you get to see small towns and scenery that you never see on an interstate.

May 19 marked our 35th wedding anniversary. We celebrated with takeout subs at Subway in the Love's truck stop somewhere in Texas. I've always been a romantic devil, but I think I topped myself this time. 

Not DIY

We pulled into Lloyd de Gerald’s yard in Paron, Arkansas five days after we left Benson. Lloyd and his wife, Verda, immediately made us feel right at home. Lloyd and Brian got right to work, and by that evening the AquaHot was out of the coach. The next day saw a rebuilt unit shoehorned into place and the long process of hooking up all the wires and tubes began. The exhaust system was completely shot and a replacement was locally fabricated. By morning the final connections were made and testing began. We could have pulled out that afternoon, but decided to spend a third night in their big shed and get a fresh start in the morning.

I didn't see any way....

Paron is northwest of Little Rock in a beautiful area of rolling hills, vivid greenery of many hues and small towns, many quietly dying.  The whole area is slowly being gentrified, though. Gaudy gatehouses, and new walls and perfect fences mark where old farms have been converted to elaborate country estates for the new gentry of Little Rock. It is certainly welcome work for the local trades and craftsmen, but the inexorable sprawl of the big-box stores and their remoras are moving in, too.

HWH is in Moscow, Iowa, roughly 500 miles due north of Peron. Another triumph of good planning put us on the road on Friday of Memorial Day weekend. Finding an RV site on a holiday weekend without several months leadtime is… difficult. We grabbed an opening at a park called Spencer’s Landing in London, Arkansas. The park had nothing to recommend it, but we were happy to have full hook ups and be off the road for the holiday weekend.

With serious trepidation about Covid running rampant in the meat packing plants of Iowa, we headed north on May 26. We stayed at Camp WallyWorld one night in Bowling Green, Missouri. I think Lucy and Schroeder will remember the ducks and geese in the park pond across the street for quite awhile.

We arrived at HWH about noon, and they pulled us right into the shop. We were finished and ready to leave by 4:00. We declined their offer of an overnight spot in favor of the Walmart parking lot in Coralville, about 30 miles west. That turned out to be a good call, because it poured all night. The HWH dirt lot would have turned into an ankle-deep quagmire. In contrast, the Walmart lot was paved, flat, well drained and had plenty of grass for the dogs to stretch their legs in the morning after the skies cleared.

Four days later we arrived in Heber City, Utah. We spent one night at Deer Creek State Park, and on June 1 moved a few miles away to Jordanelle State Park near Park City for two weeks. All of us were pretty tired of moving every day and were ready to unwind, drink some wine and visit with Liesa, who we hadn't seen since last November.

More soon,

Bob

#67 – Coveys Great Adventure – April 2020 – Benson AZ

April 2020 – Benson AZ

Words fail. Many of the sunsets here are just jaw-dropping

I don't really have much to report this month. The good news is that everyone we know is safe, so far. The bad news is that life with Covid in rural AZ is very … quiet. All we’ve done this month is walk the dogs in the desert and drive the three miles into town to shop. Tucson is off limits, especially after there was a near-riot at Costco over toilet paper.

As I said last month, the Co-op closed down all indoor social activities. The state of AZ has discouraged gatherings of more than 10 people indoors or out. With one nervous exception we have abided by that guideline and so have most of our fellow residents. We did cheat and snuck up to Trader Joe’s, but just once. We had a long list and badly needed a road trip.

Ack! Run away!

 Kayeanne set up a mask making workshop in the casita. She has gotten darn good at turning them out. I’ve made several trips to the post office to send them out.

One project that I put off too long was to build a ramp to help Lucy get up and down the stairs. She is really showing her age. She is now almost totally deaf, and her hips are growing steadily weaker. Her spirits are good and she doesn’t seem to be in any pain, yet, but her mobility is going downhill pretty fast. She uses the ramp without complaint and it seems to really help her.

Winter

Spring

Schroeder finally got his Spring do. He is always a little self-conscious until enough people tell him how great he looks, then he forgets about it and goes back to hunting bugs, birds, lizards and anything else that moves.

We have never stayed here beyond the end of March, so we are seeing flora,

fauna and weather that we have never seen before. Who knew that cactuses made flowers? I have dug up or trimmed hundreds of them as a landscaping volunteer, and have the scars to prove it. I am finally getting to see why people actually plant the @$%& things.

Speaking of growing things, Kayeanne has spent hours rejuvenating the plantings that we inherited with the lot and it is really beginning to look great. She has cleaned up the beds, trimmed everything, moved plants, and rearranged and added rocks. It is a pleasure to sit on the patio in the evening with a glass of wine and enjoy her work. All I had to do was dig out a few cactuses and several clumps of an invasive weed called broom that is the bane of desert gardens. I’ve had lots of practice with both.

Old living room

New living room

Kayeanne finally had it with postponing badly needed updates to Ripley's interior. We have been talking about changing the decor for years, and now we had the time, and the money since the paint job got deferred. Just before the virus shutdown, we found an upholstery shop in Sierra Vista that wanted the work and we started picking fabric, a process fraught with potential pitfalls. We must be getting used to each other, because it really wasn't too hard. Despite the ensuing Covid delays, the new valences were finally installed on all the windows. We are really pleased with the transformation! Ripley has shed a few years, at least on the inside.

Old bedroom

New bedroom

The moon at sunset from the patio

We still have tentative plans to pull out the middle of May to go to Arkansas to get the Aqua Hot system replaced, and then stop in Iowa to have the air suspension worked over on the way to Salt Lake City to see Liesa. Covid and closures will govern what we finally decide to do. Unfortunately, neither system will fix itself. We watch the virus reports every day and fret about how risky it is to leave the relative safety of the Co-op.

I found a nice red this month, and Kayeanne enjoyed a new Pinot Gris:

Grifone “1967” Toscana 2017, an Italian red from Trader Joe’s, and 

Chateau St. Michelle Pinot Gris, Columbia Valley 2017

Reading has again been hard work; Meacham may wear me down, yet. George H W Bush is turning out to be just as dull as he seemed when he was president.

More soon. Keep safe,

Bob