Travel Book 29; Oct-Nov 09

Camper 14,966 miles, 284 nights




Friday, October 16

We’re back in camp at Camp Canfield in Springdale after an almost seven week absence due to our vacation. Everything here was in good shape when we arrived this evening; nothing had been molested. Well, the squirrels, or chipmunks, or mice, molested the roll of paper towels out in the cook house. They like to use that kind of stuff for nesting materials, now that late fall is coming on.

Stopped by Roy’s at six o’clock for a short visit. We were the only ones there, and hunting season starts tomorrow. He’d better get his hunting lodge set up quick. Sparky has not been around. He was up in Canada hunting sheep, elk, and buffalo, and was successful with all three. Then, he went to New Mexico to hunt other critters. Those areas got a lot more to offer than Springdale, WA.

Patty and Doug are supposed to come up tomorrow from the Tri-Cities; they will be some company for Roy. I don’t know where Ray is, and I forgot to ask.

Saturday - Partly sunny and 42° this morning, but rain expected by evening. Got to finish tar papering the cook house and load the utility trailer with stove wood today.

Roy’s water system is all froze up, or was, and the valves and sprinklers cracked. He says the brass valves are no good; they break too easily. What other kind are there, besides plastic? So, we have no water in camp, other than what is in the camper. I’m going to pick up our big fifty gallon water barrel at Kenny’s and bring it to camp. We can then fill it with water and re-supply the camper fresh water tank as needed. I suspect Roy thinks that since we need water in camp, I will pay for, and replace, all the broken fittings for him and get his irrigation system working again. Wrong.

I started a fire this morning to burn up all the slab wood scraps, and finished tar papering the cook house north wall. Now, over to K&Ls to drop off the chili to cook some more ‘til suppertime.

We greeted Linda and Ken, then got all the news. The Mouth is back. She drove back from Oregon last night. Ken and Linda took her all the way to Newport, Oregon and dropped her off there a month ago, but she still found her way back to Springdale. She obtained an Oregon drivers license, and she has insurance on her car. Just before she came back, she gave away all of what furnishings she had, and she is now renting a small apartment behind the Springdale Laundromat. Dan supposedly pays her four hundred dollars a month, and she got a thousand in cash from Roy for the 14 X 60 trailer house.

I picked up our water barrel from Ken, and it is now sitting behind the cook house. Next weekend I will fill it and then top off the fresh water tank in the camper.

Roy has his newly purchased trailer positioned out on the point, but does not yet have it jacked up and the wheels and axles removed. Once that happens, it is guaranteed to be a permanent fixture on the landscape. I noted that from our campsite there are two trees that maybe by next year will block the view of his new hunting lodge.

Deer season opened today. Nobody here at his hunter’s camp fire, but Patty and Doug from the Tri-Cities showed up around 4:00PM, with a small older eighteen foot fifth wheel camper which they had winterized. It is parked out between the pump house and the big trailer house. Roy did say that he would sell his trailer back to Jean, for two thousand dollars, if she wanted it!

Ray is working out of his cabin, hunting with his son and his brother Mike. Their mother, who had been confined to a nursing home in Sandpoint, passed away last week. Roy commented at the fire this afternoon that Ray hasn’t been feeling all that whippy lately, but refuses to go see a doctor.

A bonfire and supper tonight at the Tarrells. First person we saw was Jean. She immediately molested both of us with hugs. Barry showed up; Maria was up on the hill, sick. Deena was missing, as was Pat and Debra. Dave and Georgia were there. We had a pretty good crock pot feed, as we usually do. It rained throughout the evening, but didn’t bother us much.

Sunday - we didn’t get up until nine o’clock! It was dark, and foggy, and quiet outside, which made it very easy to sleep in. we now have to run over to Linda’s for five dozen eggs, then stop by Pat’s for a couple of minutes, then head home. There is a trailer load of wood behind the truck, which we loaded yesterday at Roy’s. we have another full load left to get before winter snows cover it. 51-2

Saturday, October 24
We went up to camp this morning instead of last evening because it rained all day yesterday, and also because Sue has been off work Thursday and Friday due to a badly sprained back. We felt the extra night at home with the heating pad and Ben-Gay would do more good than going up to camp.

Shawn showed up at 1:00PM last Thursday to visit for two weeks, but yesterday at 3:00PM he flew to Cancun, Mexico for a two week visit with a friend. There goes my help on the cook house.

I would be surprised if Shawn came back in two weeks; I would expect him to maybe stay there all winter. We shall see.

A ride on the ATVs with Kenny and Linda today. This is Linda’s birthday, her sixty-second one, and she wanted us to ride with them, which we did. Had a good ride, too, about forty miles. Saw many hunters and a lot of real classy hunting camps.

This evening we went to a get-together at K&Ls to celebrate Linda’s birthday. Jean was there. Yesterday she begged K&L to let her live in the loft above Kenny’s workbench in the shop. Kenny didn’t care, Linda said NO!

We met some friends of Dave and Georgia’s at the bonfire. They are Mike and Ellen Matthews from Brinnon, WA. They are on their way home after an extended vacation back in the Midwest. We found out that they had been to Alaska and got to talking with them, sharing experiences. They are going up again next spring, around the end of May, first of June. We may go with them. They pull a thirty-four foot XLS by Fox River, triple axle with a toy hauler in the back. The puller is a Dodge diesel. The toys are a pair of ATVs.

Sunday - Kept the Honda generator running all night to power the electric blanket and the furnace fan, when it cycled on. The temperature dropped to 26° last night. When I got up this morning, I bumped up the thermostat to warm the camper a bit. The furnace wouldn’t stay on. Shit, now what? Sue and I decided that instead of bringing back a load of firewood, or the log splitter, we would bring the camper home and get the furnace working, and drain the water, as it is going to get cold this week. Next weekend, if we go up, will be dry camping. When we go to the coast at Thanksgiving, I will dump water into it again. 51-1

Saturday, October 31
Up to camp with the camper today, as it was supposed to rain last night, and Miss Sue wanted to spend a little time at home.

I took the coach in to Blue Crick Wednesday morning. Problem was an open limit switch, which would not allow the furnace to run. Thirty minutes later, it is repaired. Six dollars forty-nine cents for the limit switch, ninety-nine dollars for knowing where to look for the problem.

Went over to K&L’s this evening after dinner. Not another person there. It was VERY pleasant and relaxing. They MAY come over to Astoria with their camper at Thanksgiving. If they did, they would leave Thanksgiving Day, after dinner with their family. However, Kenny has to put tires and brakes on Linda’s truck if this is to happen. Also, Mom Clarke meets with her surgeon on November 18. If surgery is scheduled before Thanksgiving, then Kenny and Linda will not go to the coast with us.

Roy is going to put his 14x60 trailer up for sale. When he found out that it would cost $1,300 just to get electricity to it, he decided not to keep it. He says the trailer is worth $5,000, and he should be able to cut a fat hog on it. The original owners, Ben and Denise, tried to sell it for a long time before they gave up and gave it to Dan and Jean, free.

Roy’s Nissan pickup is jacked up out in the garage by the pump house. It is down to trying to run on only five cylinders and he doesn’t have the foggiest idea why. But, Dan is going to come over with his compression gauge and tell him what is wrong.

We fell back one hour on all the clocks tonight. And, Miss Sue bought a new heated mattress pad and electric blankie for the camper bed, and they work wonderfully well, compared to the old electric blanket, which was a piece of shit. I kept the generator running all night so we could enjoy the blanket and mattress pad.

Sunday - Loaded our remaining firewood into the trailer this morning, and due to the time change we were home by 11:00AM. 63-1



Saturday, November 7
Went up again for one night. We prepared dinner for over at Kenny and Linda’s tonight - tacos, with all the trimmings. Dave and Georgia came over, and Eleanor showed up. A fun evening. Back home to Spokane the next morning. 0-1

Wednesday - Shawn and I went up in the morning to finish the slab wood trim on the cook house. Oh, did I forget to say, Shawn flew in from Cancun, Quintana Roo Province, in Mexico Sunday evening. He will be here for awhile.

Friday - Miss Sue gave me a weather report of snow and very cold coming in this evening before she went to work this morning. I decided to bring the camper home this morning. So we did. 51-0

Tuesday, November 24
Left for Astoria and Thanksgiving on the coast at 7:50AM, camper in tow and Shawn following in his Suburban. We will be there until Monday morning, when we again trek 435 miles back to Spokane.

Arrived at 4:45, not too far behind the 4:30 sunset. Still had enough light to see. Made our turn into the first camp loop, which we thought was Loop ‘I‘. Drove through, found quite a few spaces available, all with full hookups. Didn’t even make a complete loop; found site number I-9, very deep, which would accommodate us and Shawn’s Suburban. Easy entry. We picked it, and backed in. With Shawn’s help I was set up within forty-five minutes. A full load of camp wood unloaded, cooking gear all set up outside, including a coffee pot for us in the morning.

Barbecued ribs, baked beans, and French bread dipped in oil for supper. Worry about registering in the morning; it is quite dark out and we are tired. After a couple of drinks, we all went to bed.

Wednesday, Nov. 25 - For me, up at 7:00AM. Made coffee, waited for Shawn to get up, which he didn’t. Took a walk around the loop with my coffee cup. Met a neighbor walking his dog. He said, “How’s your day going?“ I said, “Just fine, it’s too early in the day for anything to go wrong.“

Finally, I jumped into the truck myself, and drove over to the ranger station to register. They don’t open until nine o’clock (and close at two), so I came back to our campsite. That is when I noticed the sign at the entrance to ‘I’ loop: “REGISTRATION ONLY.” A sinking feeling in my stomach. Back to the still unopened ranger station. Yep, Loop ‘H’ is by reservation ONLY. Oh, yes, we were in Loop ‘H‘, not ‘I‘. No choice but pack up and move to Loop ‘I‘, right next door.

Woke up Miss Sue and we jumped in the truck and went next door to Loop ‘I‘. Found a spot right in the front, squeezed next to a fat cat two hundred foot long motor home ten feet from our selected spot, but so what. Raced back to camp, Shawn was awake and having coffee. Had him take the Suburban next door to I-71 and park it there so no one else would take it. Meantime the rangers came by and informed us that we were in a reserved spot. People were supposed to show up last night, but didn’t. Damn, now that they know we are here, I’ve got to pay for this spot for last night. Well, that’s how the cookie crumbles.

Relocated and set up once again in I-71. Shawn and I went to the now open ranger station to pay the camp fees. One hundred eight dollars, including last night, plus thirty dollars for Shawn’s truck, an extra vehicle. Now, something to do for the day.

Low tide is at 1:17PM. Called Safeco Insurance about that time. Claim number 727783714008. Got to remember that. Now, an excellent time to drive down to the beach, look at the shipwreck, and then drive the beach. It is 11:00, no time for breakfast/lunch; we need to get down to the beach now for low tide activities.

Did that, all three of us in the truck. Drove down the access ramp and onto the beach. Looked at the Peter Iredale ship wreck, which was a very uninspiring gray under the total heavy overcast. Continued on north at the surf’s edge, at thirty-five mph, a nice, smooth ride. Stopped at the edge of the South Jetty, five miles up the beach, parked at the surf’s edge, and we got out to look around.

The surf was rather mild, breaking consistently. Shawn and Miss Sue were wandering around doing whatever; I wasn’t paying any attention to them. I was out at the surf’s edge, looking at designs the receding water left in the sand. It is amazing how the water, running back out, can carve such delicate patterns in the sand, sort of like ferns, or maybe feathers. For the very first photographs with my brand spanking new 18-200 mm six hundred dollar zoom lens I received from B&H Camera last week, I thought maybe I ought to focus on some of these patterns and shoot a few frames of them.

I had just bent over to frame a shot, when I happened to look up and see a ‘sneaker wave’ coming at me. “OH, SHIT!” I turned and started racing back up the beach, but was no match for the speed of the incoming breaker. It hit me, filling my good hiking boots with cold salt water and sand. Next thing I know, it is over my ankles and climbing. I’m still running, but the water is faster. Damn, it is up to my knees, I can’t run, it is step by step, and the water keeps climbing. I look up and see the water up to the center of the front wheels on the truck. All this takes place in a matter of a few seconds.

The damned water is up to my waist. I can’t move. I’m trying to just stand up and not move. The now receding water is sucking at my feet, washing sand out from underneath them. I fight to keep my balance, feel myself losing it, and think, “Damn, here goes a two thousand dollar camera.” Going once, going twice, going, gone. SPLASH! I’m under water, totally, camera over right shoulder, I’m eating sand. Crotch full of sand, hikers full of sand, Filson vest full of sand, no air to breathe. Trying to push up, out of the water. Break through after maybe five to ten seconds. Miss Sue struggling out to assist me, up to her knees in water, wearing her only pair of leather shoes she brought on the trip, extending her hand to help. I see the truck wheels sinking in the sand. After struggling to my feet with her help, my first words were, “The camera is junk.”

As I struggle up the beach, I see Shawn in the truck, engaging four wheel drive, and trying to back it up to the safety of higher ‘ground.’ He said later that after he saw that his Uncle Ronnie was alive and crawling up the sand like a sea turtle, in no real danger of being swept out to sea and seen nevermore, he had best think about saving the truck. A true redneck, I admired my nephew no end for thinking and acting that way in my behalf!

Back in the truck, back to camp, water pouring from every crevasse in my clothing, and me, running all over the leather seat in the truck, soaking the front and back floor, me shivering in my heavy flannel shirt and vest; the shirt soaked with salt water, the vest pockets filled with, and holding, salt water. It’s a Filson, remember?

Stripped nekked outside, crawled into the camper and crawled into the shower. Sand from my hair damned near plugged the shower drain. After the shower and clean, dry clothes, a double Scotch to settle my nerves, then the all-important phone call, “HELLO, SAFECO INSURANCE?”

I fixed a fresh pot of coffee for Shawn and myself. Grabbed the bottle of brandy and poured generous dollops into each cup. Shawn hoists his cup and says, “Here’s to buoyancy, and floating to the top.”

I do have a rider on my homeowner’s policy specifically covering the listed camera equipment. I bought this policy a year ago, when I bought the camera, and I am so thankful now that I did. At $24 per year for the premium, it turned out to be a bargain.

Safeco’s Claims Department took all the information, then told me that an insurance adjuster would contact me within the week. Yes, the camera is indeed junk. There is water inside the lens, and the camera won’t even turn on.

The Canon EOS-40D camera has been superseded by the 50D, so it looks like I will have a new 50D with an 18-200 mm zoom lens. I’ll order it next week. And yes, I’ll keep the rider in effect for the new camera. ’Cepting, I won’t be walking near the surf again with a camera.

Nothing more exciting happened for the rest of the day. But, I don’t know if I have any room for more excitement. We drove around Astoria, showing Shawn several vantage points for photography, and even drove up to the Astoria Column. Came back to camp and started a fire. Opened some Coronas and stood or sat around the fire, talking.

Dinner was grilled pork loins and scalloped potatoes. Rain started during supper and was really coming down at bedtime at 11:00P.

Thursday, Nov. 26 - Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. I got up at 8:30 this morning. No rush, it rained all night long, and is still raining now. Don’t want to take any cameras outside in these conditions; there is a chance that water could damage them! Haven’t got the foggiest what we will do today; guess I will think about that as I drink my coffee.

We finally left camp at 1:00PM, after a fine breakfast of biscuits and pork sausage gravy which, as it turns out, is Shawn’s favorite. Drove out on the beach on the north, or river, side of the South Jetty, then into Astoria for ship watching. Saw a Hyundai car carrier in from Japan pass under the bridge, and Shawn watched the river pilot boat go out to the ship for pilot transfers. Raining off and on all this time.

Drove the Astoria/Meglar bridge for Shawn’s benefit, then back to Fort Stevens. It is 3:30, raining hard, and damn near dark. Drove down to and onto the beach at the shipwreck and parked next to it for maybe ten minutes or so, looking. The surf is rather wild and on its way in, and it is almost dark. Time to go back to camp.

Miss Sue is starting Thanksgiving dinner for us. It will be prime rib, baked potatoes, peas and shallots seasoned with fresh thyme, and pumpkin pudding for dessert. While dinner is being prepared, we are having a round of Coronas with salt and lime. Shawn says, “Here’s to buoyancy, and floating to the top!“ Rain is still falling, but not a problem. A good day for all of us.

Friday, Nov. 27 - It is 7:45AM. Sunrise was fifteen minutes ago, and it looks like we may actually have a few sun breaks today. The day is supposed to be cloudy, with no rain. That is good, as we plan to drive south along the ocean at least to Depot Bay, to show Shawn some of the sights.

The day turned out very well. We left camp at 10:55, heading south along the coast. At 11:02 the cell phone rings. It is Kelly, the Safeco claims adjuster. I told her my story, and what I had lost. She said, “Not a problem, the items are declared on the rider. We’ll pay you $1,350 for the camera and $500 for the lens. And, you can keep the ruined camera. We don’t want it. A check will be in the mail to you next week. Order a new camera whenever you want.” Now that is how I like to do business with insurance companies, if I have to do business with them at all.

We continued our drive south. At Bay City we stopped at Pacific Oyster for about three pounds of baby clams for which to make linguine with white clam sauce, but they had just sold the last of the clams. We will visit a Fred Meyer store seafood department tomorrow for these clams.

Stopped at the Cape Meares lighthouse, then on to Depot Bay by way of the Three Capes route. That was a one hundred thirty mile run, and we got there about 3:30PM. Had time to look at the still-treacherous channel into Depoe Bay harbor, then visit the whale watching center.

The center closed at 4:00PM, the rangers ushering us out the door, so we got into the truck and drove a short distance up the road to Boiler Bay. There, we watched the surf and had a snack of cheeses, crackers, and pepperoni slices, something to tide us over until we got back to camp. Arrived back here well after dark, at about 7:30PM, after a two hundred fifty mile run. Supper tonight was spaghetti with a red sauce and a broiled chicken breast on top, with toasted French bread and a tossed salad. Dessert is baked pumpkin.

Maybe tomorrow will be just a kick-back day. High tide is at 9:20AM, and Miss Sue has not seen a high tide yet this trip (nor has Shawn or myself), so that will happen tomorrow morning. In the afternoon, some beach walking around the 4:00PM low tide.

It is now almost 10:00PM; we are all going to bed.

Saturday, Nov. 28 - Dropped Miss Sue off at the beach above the shipwreck, then Shawn and I went up to KOA for internet connections. Got the ship report, then drove back to the beach fifteen minutes later. Found Miss Sue sitting on a log on the beach, watching the surf.

Through the binocular I saw a large bulker inbound, about ten miles out. From the ship report, it was identified as the An Ho, from China. We drove out to the south jetty to watch it cross the bar. As it passed in front of us, a Coast Guard helo dropped six men to its deck by cable hoist, one at a time. A very interesting operation for us to watch.

On to Hammond for a closer view, then to the public pier in east Astoria to watch the pilot transfers. As it turned out, the ship was anchoring at Astoria, so we didn’t see any underway transfers, but did get to see it drop the hook.

Back to camp at 12:00 so Sue could finish prepping the crock pot of chili she is making for lunch. Just a matter of adding a few key ingredients, and lunch was soon ready.

This afternoon, just before low tide, we drove the beach. In fact, all the way to Gearhart, eleven miles south of the shipwreck here at Fort Stevens. Shawn was impressed with the beach driving; says he may take the ‘burb out there for an ocean shot tomorrow.

Returning, we parked just down from the Peter Iredale and sat, facing the surf and watching the tide start to come back in at sunset, 4:30PM. At 5:00PM we headed back to camp, started a bonfire, and started dinner.

Sunday, Nov. 29 - Our last day here on the ocean, on the coast, on the seashore, on the beach, whatever. Maybe all the terms apply.

Drove down to the beach around 11:00 to observe high tide. Tide was too high for me to drive onto the beach, so we sat up above for about fifteen or twenty minutes, watching the breakers. Actually saw three people in wet suits with surf boards trying, unsuccessfully, to do their thing out there.

The truck was very low on fuel, so we then headed in towards Hammond, or Warrenton, for gas. Since we were that far, we continued on in to Astoria and drove around the boat yard, looking at the good, the bad, and the ugly, all propped up by stilts on dry ground.

Next, over the Astoria/Meglar bridge to Washington and Ilwaco. Our goals were multiple; the North Head lighthouse, the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center, the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse, the North Jetty, and a view of the Columbia River bar. The weather cooperated; it was dry, mostly cloudy, and relatively warm. All of our goals were met.

We returned to camp at 3:00PM for lunch of chicken fajitas and to end the day. The outside of the camper is ninety per cent buttoned up by 5:30PM. Tomorrow morning, just drain and disconnect water, sewer, and power. Stow things inside, hook up, and we will be rolling for Spokane.

Monday, Nov. 30 - Left Fort Stevens at eight forty-five. An easy run home for us, and we arrived at five forty-five. This was an eight hundred seventy mile round trip, with another four hundred eighty miles put on the truck running around the area and up and down the coast. A great (almost) week on the Oregon coast. 870-6