Wrong Turn, Wagon Train & Rain Dance

July 8, 2015

Mountain View RV Park
Baker City, Oregon

We had an interesting trip to Baker City.  We missed our turn and decided to just take the next road across the mountains.  Our GPS kept telling us to turn around, but we didn't think an unknown dirt road would be much better so we just kept going.  We ended up going over the pass on a very narrow road.  We were fortunate to not meet many vehicles so finally made it to the other side safely.  I now have to figure out know how to get the fingernail impressions out of the armrests.

We enjoyed visiting the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center today.  It was an excellent museum with a very knowledgeable staff preforming living history programs.

We have not had a single day of rain since we left Arizona so our truck was very dusty.  We treated it to a wash and as soon as we got back to the RV we had a torrential downpour with small hail.  If we had realized that a truck wash was all that was needed for rain, we would have washed it in California where they really needed the rain.

4th of July

July 5, 2015
Olde Stone Village RV Park
McMinnville, OR

Every place is so crowded this weekend we haven't been doing too much, just taking it easy. 

This is a sculpture of a salmon swimming through the corner of a building. Naturally it's on Salmon St.

Columbia River Gorge













Right next to the RV Park is the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum.  Inside is the original "Spruce Goose".  The best part is the 4th of July it is free so we saved the $24 admission.  The fireworks were great and we could watch right from the RV.

The Spruce Goose is so big it was difficult to photograph.

Dave flew in a helicopter like this one when he was in the Navy.


















Dave doesn't look too relaxed at the prospect of being a passenger while I drive the cheese van.

Back on the Road

July 2, 2015
Olde Stone Village RV Park
McMinnville, OR

We hit a detour for about two weeks while I battled some unwelcome intestinal organisms.  It sure was convenient that we travel with our own bathroom.  Hope that is enough of the unpleasantness for a while and we can now get back to our adventures.

Mysteries, Traveling Shopping Carts & Computers

June 18, 2015
Elks Lodge #522
San Jose, California

We arrived in San Jose on Monday and plan to stay for about a week while we tour some of the sites.  First on our agenda was the Winchester Mystery House.
It's impossible to describe this house that was under construction 24 hours a day for 38 years.  This 160 room mansion was built by Sarah Winchester, widow of William Winchester (rifle manufacturer) without the benefit of an architect or blueprints and under personal guidance received daily at a seance.


There are enumerable unique aspects but I especially liked the car wash.  We toured the basement hoping to catch a glimpse of the most popular spirit residing in the house, the wheelbarrow man, but he failed to make an appearance while we were there.

There are some strange things in this town.  The Target stores have TWO STORIES!  Target even has escalators for the shopping carts. 




















Yesterday we went out for the day stopping first at the Computer History Museum.  It was also the last stop because I couldn't get Dave out of there until it was closing. 

This automatic computing engine was designed by Charles Babbage in 1849.  It was fascinating to watch it in operation.

Dave used to work on just about everything in the museum and he really enjoyed talking with the docents and exchanging stories of days gone by. 

 This museum even had a fully functional IBM 1401 system in a demonstration lab.  Don't you miss the days of punch cards?

Inside a 1403 printer

I entertained myself checking out the Google self driving car.

Mountains and Tarantulas

June 14, 2015
SKP Park of the Sierras
Coarsegold, California



We spent the last four days at this park and have really enjoyed our stay.  We drove up to Yosemite several days and enjoyed the cooler temps in the mountains. 
I have always heard so much about Yosemite but after living in Colorado, it really wasn't much different. 

 

I was going to go out on this rock to get a better photo, but I was polite and let these young men go instead.

Half Dome

The waterfalls and streams were very low.

Yosemite Valley

El Capitan

This trip we traveled along the western slope of the Sierras and hope to see the eastern section of the mountains on another trip.

Tenaya Lake

Coarsegold is a very small town but has lots of attractions including an historic townsite, museums, farmers market, craft fairs, parks and an annual Tarantula Festival.  I can't tell you how disappointed I was that we didn't time it right to attend the festival.  I have also been very carefully watching every step I take in anticipation of meeting up with one of the creatures.

Kings & Generals

June 10, 2015
Elks Lodge #1298
Visalia, California

We spent the last couple of days exploring Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Park.  Cooler weather in the parks was a welcome change from the 104 the day we arrived.  The southern side of Sequoia was very dry with lots of dry land and yucca.  It reminded us of Arizona except for the gigantic trees.  Luckily at the higher elevations it was greener.

One tree known as General Sherman is the largest tree ( by volume) in the world and estimated to be over 2,200 years old.  We felt pretty young to be around these "old timers".











Dave looks very small standing next to this tree and it isn't even one of the largest ones.

The truck looks like a toy coming out of the "tunnel".

Wildlife was a little scarce due to the drought but we were lucky to see some bears in some of the greener meadows.  This mother bear was eating something in the grass very close to where we were walking. 








 She seemed completely unconcerned about us but her two cubs got scared and ran up a dead pine tree.
 










Another black bear (looks blonde to me)

We were a little concerned about the high prices for fuel in California before we left Arizona.  It's nice that our truck gets such good mileage (it helped that we were going downhill).







 

Laundrying Money .... Again

June 8, 2015
Elks Lodge # 1298
Visalia, California

It had been so cold and foggy along the coast that we decided to head inland today.  It was 57 when we left Oceano this morning.  Before we had driven a half hour the temperature was 92.  When we got to Visalia, CA in the early afternoon it was 100.  We decided to do the laundry while the RV was cooling down.

We were lucky to find a nice air conditioned laundry very close to where we are staying.  Our luck ended there.  I accidentally put a roll of quarters in the washer along with the clothes.  After the money came out of the roll it created quite a racket.  We rushed over to the machine to find the quarters settled in the rubber seal and water and suds pouring out of the front of the washer.  Dave didn't let me forget that I was the one who had accidentally put the quarters in to be cleaned.  His attitude changed quickly when I got all the clothes out of the machine.  In the bottom was a camera battery he had forgotten to take out of his pants pocket.  They say memory is the first thing to go.