"Snowbird Wanderings"

RV TRIP to ALASKA - Last Minute Preparations

2009-05-27T12:03:00Z

RV TRIP to ALASKA - Some last minute preparations to the RV and then we are off on our ALASKA ADVENTURE ...
We' re scheduled to leave in a week, and it certainly would have been less stressful to have gotten started on these things much earlier, BUT the rainy weather hung around Salem,OR , longer than usual this year. ... We couldn't get started on the new carpet for the RV until we had a dry work area in the carport, in which to do our lay out and cutting.

Mechanically:  Our older motorhome, with it's big ol' Dodge 440 engine, seems to be in pretty good running condition and should get us thru Canada and then on to Alaska.
The front brakes, brake lines, and tires were replaced, so I think we're in good shape there . ... We put in new batteries. ...
The front fuel pump was extremely noisy so Ron replaced it ... Also, there was an electrical issue which caused the engine to miss and hesitate, but he found the broken wire in a plug-in and was able to get a used plug replacement from a nearby junk yard. ... Ron hates doing mechanical work, but is aware of how much money he can save us by doing some of the simpler mechanical jobs on the RV. ... Replacing the fuel pump was not very difficult.
He then took the RV to have the oil changed in the engine and also the Onan generator. ... When he got the "old girl" back home and started up the generator, it sounded real smooth. ... Then suddenly it quit !! ... My heart sank as I thought
"OH NO" something else to deal with, and time is getting too short . ... Around this time of year, it takes 2-3 weeks to get an appointment to service or repair your RV ... Well; Ron checked to see if the generator was getting fuel and found that
IT WAS NOT ! ... After pulling out the sliding tray, he saw what the problem was ... It seems that the guy that changed the oil had pinched the gas line when he shut that tray !! ... What a relief to have found that simple answer. ... The generator is working fine now. ... We hardly ever use it but we can't head for Alaska without the generator in working order.
What's that old saying ?? "If you want something done right, Do it yourself " !!

NEW CARPET For The RV: I had REALLY wanted to put down vinyl or Pergo floor but the metal plates crossing over the floor made that an impossibility. ...
In checking around to have someone install the new carpet in the RV, we got a big shock when the first guy we went to, wanted $2800. !!! But that was because he was gonna charge us his, RV repair shop, rate of $80. an hr . ... That being out of the question, I got hold of a regular carpet installer. ... He wanted $600. to do the job. ... Even though we knew it would be alot of work to install the carpet around the "doghouse" area in the RV, we still felt like that was more money than we wanted to pay. ...
In his earlier years, Ron had layed a little bit of carpet in remodeling some mobile homes and houses, so he decided to lay the carpet in the RV himself. ... After alot of cutting and measuring,  he stapled the carpet around the outside edges of the plywood floor. The staples hardly show. The job is almost done, but Ron will not be able to get finished before we take off. ... His knees and back took alot of stress. ...( OH the joys of getting older ! )... He has left the "doghouse" area until we get back. ... But the floor sure looks good. ... The old carpet was the original moss green shag from 1978, so the RV feels so fresh and clean now. ... Now I'll hate to see it get dirty. lol ... I figure it will be dirty and muddy at times, at the campgrounds or other places we stop on this Alaska trip, so I bought some runners to help keep the new carpet clean.

Shopping: I have decided to stock up the RV with as many groceries etc. as possible, for 2 reasons. ...  We will be gone for several months and stores probably will not be as convenient as here at home. Also, we don't have a sales tax here in Oregon and I know they do in Canada and ALASKA. .... We're towing the car, so I 'll have lots of room for extra stuff. ...
I found the cutest thing. called "Liddle Griddle", made by Presto. ... It's the first time I've seen a griddle so small, and the only place I've ever seen it, was at Bi-Mart, which is where I bought it . ... I figure it will fit good in the RV. ... Since it is electrical, I will use it when we're parked and hooked up so I can cut down on the propane usage. ... I also bought a single electric burner for that same reason. ... I didn't want an electric skillet because they all seem to be too big and awkward for my little RV kitchen sinks.

We are movie buffs. ... So I have stocked up on DVDs. ... Being Christians, we prefer Good Wholesome Movies ...
One of the challenges when we travel, is finding the good old family movies on TV. ... We don't have a "dish", and the channels are limited with hook ups at most campgrounds. ... Click above to see some of my selections.

OLDER MOTORHOME - Gets some new PLUMBING .

2009-04-24T22:26:00Z

Our OLDER MOTORHOME needed a new bathroom faucet after 30 years. ...
SO; my husband thought he'd try his hand at plumbing and here is how things went ...

I wanted gold/polished brass because that was what the RV originally came with,and the rest of the trim around the lights and mirror were in gold.... Also, I wanted a single handle faucet instead of the existing 2 handle one. ... Well; it turns out that gold faucets are not popular anymore ( Polished nickel is the rage). The old faucet was 6 inches across, which is a standard size for house bathrooms, so I thought Lowes or Home Depot would have my new faucet ... NOT SO !! Neither did a local plumbing supplier. ... So we bit the bullet and drove 30 miles up to Camping World - RV & Camping Experts Since 1966 ...They DID have my beautiful gold, single handle faucet. (just one left) , and on sale too! $62. ugh.. Plumbing fixtures are not cheap !! ... The next day my hubby set out to install it (why pay an RV dealership $90. an hr when you can do the work yourself), and GUESS WHAT ??.. The fittings on the new faucet were too shallow for the fittings attached at the end of the water line in the RV. ... I went back to the plumbing supplier and we came up with an adaptor set up, by adding 2 couplings, but my hubby elected to cut off the copper tube that was sticking out too far on the existing RV water lines. .. He had to be careful because the only way to do it, was by hand with a little hacksaw. ... When he was finished cutting, the new faucet and old motorhome fittings came together just fine. ... Isn't it pretty !


After checking under the kitchen sink, a small leak was discovered. ... It seems that one of the plastic/PVC "nuts" in the drain pipe assembly had developed a crack. Since the size was not household standard, and the drain assembly was all one piece, we had to order a whole new assembly  from the RV dealer. The cost was only $11.00. It arrived in 3 days, and took my hubby just 15 minutes to replace .

If you do it yourself, refitting plumbing in an older motorhome can be a bit of a challenge, but well worth the effort .
Remember, " Where there's a will, there's a way "
As for my husband, Doing the work himself gave him a sense of accomplishment and saved us lots of money.

The next project is new carpet ... I got a "STEAL" at the local " Habitat for Humanity" store ... I found a  piece of commercial grade carpet that is 8'X30'  (that should be plenty for the RV). ... It only cost me $15. !! ... It's a good thing I got it so cheap 'cause I'll bet getting it put down will cost 3 fortunes..lol.. Our "old girl" has the step up and dog house in front, so alot of work to lay carpet around everything.
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    I saw this the last time we were out on the road with the RV and decided that I must have it.
                 I seem to always lose those clamps for the table and these are the only bench covers I have ever seen.
                                   I think a good value for ONLY : $6.99

PORT ORFORD- My 1st Trip

2009-04-09T00:58:00Z

I just got back from my 1st trip to Port Orford,Oregon, but I certainly intend to visit again when I can spend more time to see the many areas of interest.
The friends, with whom we are going to Alaska in June,  recently bought a 5th Wheel which is parked at Port Orford.
" The Oldest Townsite on the Oregon Coast " .. and they needed to run down with a truck load of their belongings. ... They asked if we wanted to go with them. Well !! nobody has to ask us twice if we want to go somewhere !!.. So we packed our toothbrushes ( lol) and off we went !

The first part of the ride was south on I-5. It was wonderful to see all the pastures and fields green again after the long winter. Wild flowers, cherry trees and dogwoods were all in bloom, and we must have seen thousands of sheep grazing with their little lambs so cute. We turned west on Hwy 38 following the Umpqua river for a good bit of the way . Oh! the scenery here in Oregon is so very majestic. Just before we got to Reedsport , we came upon Dean Creek Elk Viewing Park. We stopped for a few minutes to see a nice herd of elk . This is a also good place for bird watchers ... It is a marsh area that had disappeared but now has been restored.



Next leg of the journey was south on Hwy 101.. There are places on 101 with spectacular views, but from Reedsport to Port Orford ,you really don't get much ocean view. . What we DID see was all the Scotch Broom in bloom ..Their was yellow covered hills and fields.. It was a sight to behold .. The Skunk Cabbage also has big yellow blooms ... Pretty but stinky .!
From Coos Bay to Port Orford, Beautiful yellow flowers everywhere !!



We also saw  lots of cranberry fields as we got into Port Orford.
The 5th wheel was parked at Camp Blanco RV park , a nice little place owned by a lovely couple.
Here is the link :  www.campblanco.com/. ..  Dinner was at GRIFF's, a litte fish restaurant on the dock looking out over the blue Pacific ocean and Battle Rock. The food was great . I had fresh dungeness crab and scallops. The others had delicious fresh fish and chips. It was a little pricey and not real large servings, but fresh was good !! ... We spent a quiet nite in the 5th wheel at Camp Blanco. In the morning we headed back up the coast a way until we turned east on Hwy 34 .. ( We like to take different routes coming and going so we can see it  all). ..
For lunch we stopped at Three Rivers Casino. I highly recommend the buffet. The price was only $9.99.. I have paid much more at other buffets and not gotten nearly as much or as good food... It was exceptionally good.
Hwy 34 was a very good road following the Alsea River most of the way ... Again a pleasant ride with lots of beautiful scenery. We came across this covered bridge in Alseas ... I think covered bridges are so-o-o neat ! .This is the Hayden Bridge crossing over the Alsea River, just outside of the town of Alsea. Originally built in 1819 and, I believe, restored in 2003.



            The drive continued thru Corvalis and then home to Salem .... Just a short trip with friends to see the sites .

EXIT GUIDEBOOKS and TRAVEL GUIDEBOOKS

2009-03-30T23:27:00Z

  I find an Exit Guidebook to be a REALLY useful book. I got mine at a truckstop. When traveling in that big ole RV, it's not easy getting on and off at exits,( as you probably know), so I like knowing what businesses are at the next exit, Especially useful if I'm looking for a particular store or restaurant.
Sometimes I use a travel guidebook and sometimes not ...depending on the trip.
Our trips, whether by motorhome or car, are probably not as organized as some other people's trips might be ...
Most of the time we sort of " fly by  the seat of our pants " lol .. and we like to drive back roads....
I came across the following article by : Adam Jaylin. I found it to be informative, and I thought I 'd share..

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Traveling is regarded as one of the preferred options by most of the people to stimulate their tiring souls. Exploring unknown places can be very exciting as it helps the people undertake adventurous tasks to overcome the hurdles of daily life. However, it is also very absurd to start traveling without having any prior knowledge of the concerned place or locality.

A particular place incites our curiosity only when it is very popular or has some unique feature. This kind of activity is basically undertaken by a person when he or she wants to take a break from the daily hectic schedules. As such a person should careful plan to enjoy his whole trip. It would be very irritating if the travellers get lost in the midst of their journey. As such the travel books are carefully written to guide the readers to the right path.

The Travel Books perfectly depict the records, events, people and the history of the concerned place. These books form a different genre in literature. However the readers should not get confused with the travel literature and the travel guides. But both of them are useful for the travellers as they offer huge chunks of information regarding the hotels, major sights, restaurants and travel tips etc. These books are specially written after extensive research and survey. The writers in most of the cases travel to these places and share their experiences in these books.

Reading the travel books will not only guide you in your journeys but can also help you to enhance your knowledge about a particular place. These books efficiently help the readers to wander in those wonderful and exciting places in their imagination. These books superbly depict the histories of those exciting places and the habitation of the people who reside there. They can perfectly guide the readers to undertake adventurous decisions to have thrilling experience throughout their journeys.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Adam_Jaylin

3 Good Reasons to Keep Your Older Motorhome/RV

2009-03-23T14:16:00Z

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1.... IT IS PAID FOR : In todays uncertain economy , who wants to be saddled with a $700 to $1500 payment on a new motorhome or RV ? .. For the average person, whether retired or working, this kind of payment seems unthinkable! ! ... While repairs might cost some money once in awhile , the money won't add up to anything like that huge monthly payment . One thing about repairs and replacements is that I know what work and/or replacements have been done.
By the way , If you need financial information or assistance, here is a very helpful link : http://www.christianmoney.com/. .

2... It is probably BUILT BETTER : As most of you would agree, many years ago the industry built autos,trucks and RVs with better stonger materials...We have a 1978 Dodge Sportscoach. The construction of a Sportscoach Motorhome was considered 20 years ahead of it's time. They featured full steel, welded frames, roll bars to protect occupants and a bonded sidewall construction.

3.... It SERVES THE PURPOSE : ( My hubby thought of this one ) .. I had to agree with him.. As much as I'd like to have a new RV with slide outs and some of the other new features ... this one DOES serve the purpose .. It provides us with a home on wheels, our VERY OWN bed and potty, and a place to store our stuff while we travel .

So there you have it ; ... I choose to keep the "old girl " for now .. In my opinion, just good common sense. This is not to say that when I win the lottery, I won't treat myself to a new one !!!

"Snowbird Wanderings" - A snowbird's Travel Journal etc.

2009-03-14T22:56:45Z

I guess I'm a gyspy at heart, because I have always loved to travel, and thru the years have moved many times..
As a snowbird, my wanderings have recently taken me and my spouse on a 15 K mile trek from Salem,Oregon to Ft. Lauderdale, Fl. and back again. Going thru Branson,Mo. of course... This particular trip we were set up to stay in various time share condos for the 1st six weeks of the 2009 yr., so we left the RV behind and traveled in our Chevy Malibu which gets 30 MPG on the road . Certainly our gas cost was cheaper this trip!!
One of the days we were on the road for 14 hrs !!!( we must have been nuts !!)... I am absolutely certain of this one thing; that my butt would not have made the trip ( Ha Ha. ) if it were not for the Super-Comfortable Gel Cushion that I bought just before leaving. What makes this different from all the other cushions I've tried , is the gel center.. Try it ,you'll love it !!

We left Salem on Nov.15th .. Taking I-5 to the Hwy 199 cut off just south of Grant's pass. The drive was beautiful . . Then got on Hwy 101 down to Orick, CA ... We like to see wildlife, so we were thrilled to see the herd of elk on the way... The next day we arrived at a Thousand Trails Campground ( we're members) at the Russian River in Cloverdale, Ca. and spent 3 nites in agreat little cabin.. The campground is beautiful with river frontage... Located across the river from the hwy, so the noise is muted by the trees and river. I just love hearing the sound of water running down the river . We visited the Petrified Forest , Ca's "Old Faithful" geyser , and the pretty little town of St. Helena . Then on down to Riverside, to see relatives.. Next it was over to Tucson , then NW to Dallas,Tx., where we stayed with my daughter for 3 days..I got to see my 2 grown-up grandsons ....

Next is was up to Branson to see the stage production of " NOAH " . .. After Christmas we headed to Florida for 6 weeks of enjoying the warm weather... If you are ever near Orlando or Daytona around the middle of Feb.,, take the time to go to BLUE SPRINGS STATE PARK to see the manatees. They come up to the springs with their calves to hang out in the warmer water. ... Back home by way of Bella Vista,Arkansas, Texas again ,Tucson and Ca., .. Stayed in Palm Spgs for a week and rode the Tram up to the top of the Mt. while we were there ... What a fabulous view !! .. We took I-5 home and frankly I was surprised that it was in such good condition ,( MOST OF THE WAY ).. Believe it or not , the trip was great !! All the nut trees in the San Joaquin valley were in bloom .. acres and acres of pink and white blossoms and wildflowers galore. The beauty of it all made me really sorry I hadn't brought the camera . I had not wanted to go that route but now I am so very glad that we did !! Arrived home safely on Mar. 7th .
Because I just started this blog I am skipping alot of details , but from now on I'll take pics and give a better account of our trips.

BUT we may not go south for this coming winter because we have decided to see ALASKA this summer... We're scheduled to leave around June 1st , this time taking the RV ... We will be going with our travel buddies who lived there for 14 plus yrs. ... It is our first trip and We are sooo--- looking forward to it .
There are so many trips I want to take in the warmer months... I have always had a thing for trains and there are some wonderful train trips available, so maybe NEXT summer .