Flasher in the camp, white bus issue

I have a new neighbor, a solo woman who is tent camping and arrived yesterday morning.  She quickly set up her camp and drove away for the day.  When Katie and I passed her on our walk in the evening, I said "hi" and kept walking.  I got my Kindle and sat down outside for some reading, and a little while later she came over with a beer in her hand, for a visit.  This is Ginny:

Ginny from Reno

Our Kindle reading set-up - that chair is so comfortable!

Ginny is an artist, on vacation from Reno, NV and we had a nice chat.  The moon was coming up when she went back to her camp - it will be full soon.

Almost a full moon

This morning, Katie wanted down earlier than usual, so I got her down and we went out for a short walk.  I saw Ginny, so we walked over to her, and she was really upset.  Two things were going on.

The first is that she went to the restrooms at 6:30 that morning, and was flashed by a young man.  She insulted him and walked away, but kept her eye on him. Afterward, he came toward her campsite and sat under a tree watching her.  While we were talking, around 9:30, the guy was coming out of the men's room again, and walking away from us, sat down at a table in an empty site, and just sat there.  I went and got my camera and phone for Ginny to call 911.   The man walked past us on his way to the men's room again, and I got some good photos in case he was gone when the sheriff got there.

The alleged flasher

I know what you are thinking, I shouldn't have done this, it might have set him off.  We weren't this close, I had my camera at the highest magnification.  But... I also had Katie and the dog deterrent spray with me, and would have used it if needed. Ginny was there, it was daylight, and other people were there in the park close by.  It felt completely safe.  We didn't know that a Park Ranger was also watching.

The Park Ranger came over to us.  He said he figured we were calling the police when he saw us with the phone watching the man. He had been watching him for a couple of days, and had some previous reports.  But this is the first time he has flashed someone, at least that he knew.  Since Ginny reported what he did, that was a reason to get him out of the park.

Beyond Ginny's tent are the restrooms with the Sheriff and flasher

A Sheriff's car came, and he drove around and then came back and parked by the restrooms.  Then another Sheriff's car came into the campground and parked.  They both went over to the restrooms and talked to the man for a long time, then brought him to their cars and put him in one of them.

The Sheriff came over where we were waiting and took a report from Ginny.  She was kind of nervous, wanting to make sure he wouldn't come back and be there tonight.  What the Sheriff said was interesting.  The man is apparently schizophrenic and seemed drunk.  He had an ID, but only a couple of dollars on him. He is homeless with no transportation.  There is nothing they can do except drive him somewhere else and drop him off on a street corner.

The fact that he exposed himself to someone is not enough to hold him.  He had to have said something to her, or made a gesture, something other than just standing there with his pants down.  He admitted to the Sheriffs that his pants came down.  They are held up with twine, and he said they just fell down.  So there is nothing that can be done.  The Sheriffs did tell him not to come back here, or he will be arrested for trespassing.

Hopefully they will drop him off far away, and he won't make his way back to this park.  Ginny is leaving tomorrow morning.  She's going to Florence today, and I told her to stop and get a whistle to keep with her. She doesn't have a phone or anything to use in case of an emergency, I told her to think about getting a deterrent spray of some kind and a whistle that will wake some people in the campground and hopefully scare away anyone near her tent.

The second issue Ginny had this morning after coming out of her tent before 6:30 am involved the old white bus that I pictured in a previous post.  They've been back for a couple of days in the same spot one site away from mine.  Ginny said they were up, too, getting ready to leave.  The dad brought out their porta potty and proceeded to dump it on the ground (I showed her the sewer and she said that's probably where he dumped it).  Then he proceeded to rinse it out with the hose and dump the rest on the grass.  She said she could smell it.  They are gone now, with rice and apple slices and other pieces of food on the grass around the sewer hole.

She mentioned that , also, to the Park Ranger who came to talk to Ginny about the flasher.  Ginny told him the kids were filthy and someone should call Social Services.  He said this family comes and goes and has for a while, and Social Services has been out three times.  I guess they aren't doing anything actionable, although I don't think dumping their waste from a porta potty into an unsealed waste receptacle and then pouring out the rest on the grass is legal.  Before Ginny left for Florence, she went over to the office and told the Camp Host about what she saw.

The old white bus is back

I, for one, would be happy if they don't come back to this State Park.  I feel very sorry for the two young girls, but looking at the big picture, they are getting food, dry shelter, and two parents living under one roof along with their dog (who just had puppies - I wonder what will happen to the puppies), so maybe they are more fortunate than many little kids in our country.

Quite an interesting morning.  Katie and I are staying in camp today, doing our usual thing.  I may take off again, though, and find a supermarket where I can get little things like milk, coffee creamer, and cereal - not a Costco, I need regular sizes.  I'll need to dump later today, probably, my tanks are getting full, and once I hook up the sewer hose, I'll probably keep it hooked up until we leave next week and dump both the tanks again.  So I'd better shop today.

I love their water here.  When I tested it with my little Water Purity Tester, it registered at the lowest end of the scale - so few impurities, it was in the range of "water filtered using reverse osmosis, deionization,  microfiltration, distillation."  Pretty clean water!

I'm looking forward to a nice, easy day, and also to hearing about Florence from Ginny when she returns.  That's a place I plan to visit, myself.  I've heard good things about Florence, OR.

From Me and My Dog, have a great Wednesday, everyone!  : )

River walk, an emergency, Therapy

Welcome to three new followers:  Russ and Donna, HeyDuke50 and Laurie and Odel.  I know you all have blogs, because I've been following you since I started lurking over a year ago, then signed on as a  follower of your blogs.  So, I thank you all for signing on to follow me and Katie on our new adventure.  It's been over two months already, but we really just started traveling, and I'm glad you're coming along.

SATURDAY

Katie and I found the riverside path, which is a beautiful walk.  We walked along the path to boat ramp where it ends, and someone was ready to launch their boat.  It was a perfect day, just beautiful.  Here are some photos of the path, and the boat launch:

The path goes right along the lake.

Lots of shade on a warm day

There are places along the path where you can get down to the water 

(if you're a 12-year-old boy).  We didn't risk it.

The path ends with the boat launch. 
There is a boat on the right edge of the photo.

 

Beyond the boat launch is an overpass, with a beach on the other side of it.

Here's part of the beach.

A company was having a large family party in one of the large grassy areas.

SUNDAY

We took the same river walk, and when we got to the boat ramp there was an empty Search and Rescue emergency vehicle with a boat trailer there.

Emergency vehicles were waiting at the top of the boat ramp with about a dozen firemen and EMTs waiting. I didn't want to take their photos, so I snapped this fire engine that was waiting at the top of the ramp.

Paramedic Engine Company

Springfield Water Rescue boat speeding back to the boat ramp.

Eugene Water Rescue Team

I talked to a woman having lunch with her family right above the boat ramp.  She was pacing back and forth with her phone in her hand, really worried.  I asked her what was going on, and she said her family was coming down the river in two separate groups, and she could only contact one of them, and was afraid the search was for the others.

According to the news,  "Nine people were floating the McKenzie River on inner tubes when they hit snags and logs.  They were ejected and swept off their floating devices they had put into the river.  A couple of them were able to jump onto a log, which you should do.  The main thing is that they had their life jackets on, which had a lot to do with the outcome today."

I don't know if these people were the woman's family, but they were safe.  The news report said the people only suffered some bumps and bruises, and that the group was made up of kids ages 6 to 16 and adults. 

A little excitement today that ended well.  : )

I just love looking at the trees here - there are so many weird looking, weird shaped trees to see.

This is all one tree

 This is the beach at the other end of the pathway.

The beaches both looked rocky, not sandy. 

 There are lots of blackberrries in the park and along the river. 

They are just starting to ripen.  I tried a really ripe, soft one, and it was SOUR!

MONDAY

I unhooked The Palms and did a little shopping at Costco - I was craving cherries, so I bought two cartons, and also a bag of avocados.  Kind of overkill for one person, but I'll bet none of it will go to waste.  I also broke down and bought three of their double dipped ice cream bars with chopped almonds - the ones you buy at the food court.  If you haven't tried one, they are fabulous.  You can literally make them last for three desserts.  I ate half of one last night and it was too much.  (I was kinda sick afterwards - 1/2 is too much.)  But they are so good. Hopefully they will last me a couple of weeks.  Ice cream is my downfall, so I try to be good with it.

Then I went to Pet Smart to get an animal deterrent spray to carry on our walks, just in case.  While we were there, I had the vet clinic cut Katie's toenails.  They were really long, and the clinic does a really good job for less than $13.  It's worth it to me to have it done professionally once in a while, so they get cut really short.

After shopping, we visited Donna and Russ at their house.  We sat in their beautiful, huge back yard.  It was a cool day, and they had a small patio heater that kept us comfortable.  We didn't meet Poppy, but Rusty came outside, and he is a great dog.  Very calm and sweet.  Katie loves Donna and Russ, but wouldn't warm up to Rusty, so he just wandered away and did his own thing, then went into the house through the dog door.  Really kind of didn't care, such a cool dog!

I didn't bring my camera in with me, so I don't have photos of our visit, but you've seen us all before, and our dogs, too, so you shouldn't miss photos.

I had a tour of Therapy - what a sweet rig!  It's amazing how different each motor home is.  Therapy is really warm and comfortable.  I liked how it was laid out, it would be very easy to live in.  Of course, Lazy Days RVs are one of the best companies, so everything looked top notch.  Donna has photos in her blog of everything, but it was nice seeing it all in person.

Thanks for the great visit and the tour of Therapy, Donna and Russ!

TUESDAY

Today will be a quiet day - more river walks, blog reading and Kindle.  I downloaded a few books that I actually paid for, and am looking forward to getting into one today.

From Me and My Dog, have a great Tuesday, everyone!  : )

We had our first Visitors!

I was sitting at my computer, trying to figure out if there was a TV program I could watch on line.  Then I saw a car drive into my driveway.  At first I thought they were just turning around, but when I saw their faces, I recognized them from their blog, Travels in Therapy.  It was Donna and Russ.  What a nice surprise, and what a delightful couple.  We had a nice visit, and Katie was in heaven with all the attention. 

Donna and Russ

They were on their way home from dinner, and live about ten minutes from this RV park, so they stopped by.  They have an annual pass for the day-use side of the park, and take their dogs there for walks.  It's a beautiful wooded area.  Donna's suggestion to me in a comment that I try out this campground came in handy when I left the last park, I had made a note of her comment, looked it up, and here I am. 

Donna and Russ, thanks for stopping, it was so nice to meet you both, and I'm looking forward to seeing you next week.

Other than our surprise visitors, it was a quiet day.  Katie and I took a couple of walks, we walked over to the dog park when it was empty.  I brought her tennis ball and was planning for Katie to have a good run, and pay some ball with her.  She loves chasing the ball in The Palms, but obviously from the couch to the kitchen isn't much of a game, and I was looking forward to her being able to really run after it, which she loves.

Unfortunately we didn't get much past the entrance gate.  She just wouldn't run, wouldn't chase the ball, all she wanted to do was sniff the posts and grass tufts, etc., smelling all the great dog smells.  Finally I put her leash back on and we took a walk around the park again.  I guess our regular walks are going to be the thing, rather than dog parks.  

Here's Katie right outside the dog park - the green grass had small daisy shaped flowers all over it, and it was really pretty:

Then we came home and sat outside for a while, I read my Kindle - I'm reading the most boring book and just can't read for long.  I'm reading some of the free books I downloaded from Amazon. Most aren't bad, a few were awful and I deleted them right away, but some, like this one, are just good enough to keep reading, but not good enough to keep reading for long.  I think I'm ready to delete it and actually buy a book to download.  

Then I came inside and paid some bills, read some blogs, and that was about it until Donna and Russ arrived. 

A nice quiet day at The Palms.  I love it.

From Me and My Dog, have a great Friday evening, everyone!  : )

This is my 200th post : ), new back-up camera

When I clicked the New Post button, I noticed I had 199 posts, so this is my 200th.  Who knew?  I'm really enjoying posting my adventures, and I was thinking about "followers" this morning.  When I travel alone, I meet people and have nice conversations, but there are lots of days that I don't talk to anyone but Katie.

I feel like I'm talking to you all, while I'm typing my posts. Somehow it gives me a voice, and when things are good, I can share my happiness; when things aren't going so well, I can whine or rant, and once I've hit "publish," I feel better.  So, I thank you all for reading my blog posts, and making me feel like part of a large family of people who care.  : )

Okay, here it is:

 Back-up Camera, mounted on dash

I was at Quality Coach Services in Eugene, OR at 8:30 sharp, and Jason got started right away on the laundry list of things that needed to be done, small things, as well as the installation of a new wired back-up camera and three roof vent covers, and replacement of my toilet bowl seal (which wouldn't hold water in the bowl), and repairing my bathroom fan (that Camping World said they "don't repair, they just replace" them. They would have charged me to take out the old fan, the price of the new fan, and installation of the new fan.)  Jason just switched out the fan switch.

I love the camera, I had never seen one in action before, and it's exactly what I needed.  I was originally going to get a wireless camera, but changed my mind and had a wired one installed.  Jason said it's pre-wired in case I want to get the side cameras that show the blind spot on each side behind the passenger and driver's doors.  I didn't want to pay extra for those, but if I decide in the future that I want them, it will be easier and cheaper to install them.

 Vision Stat 5.6" Wired Digital LCD Color Monitor

I wasn't sure what Katie and I would do all day, and maybe part of tomorrow, but they have a comfortable couch in the office reception area, a plug for my computer, and Internet that I could connect to.  I brought in some snacks and water, my computer and Katie's bed.  It was a little chilly first thing in the morning, so I got our quilt and put that over her in the bed, and she burrowed down, completely covered, and slept most of the morning.

I was expecting to have to come back tomorrow, which would have been okay, but fortunately Jason finished the entire job by 3:30, and I was back on the road to the RV park.

Everything was fixed and installed, and my total bill was more than $200 less than the original estimate, which made me doubly happy.  Jason and Robert, the co-owners of Quality Coach Services, were both great to work with, and I would highly recommend this company if you need any repairs or installs and are in the area.  (541-343-1120)   They are also rated A+ with BBB.

That was about it for our day.  We got home around 4:00, and amazingly I was really tired, and Katie was, too.  After sitting all day.  I was even too tired to take Katie for a walk.   It sure is nice to have everything working, and the installs done!  And tomorrow is another day.

Here's my new map - Thanks Rick! -  Since I've only been in two states with The Palms, I gussied it up a bit.  It was pretty sad looking just plain.  I'll have three when I cross into Washington. 

From Me and My Dog, have a great Thursday night, everyone!  : )

We are re-located and happy!

Thank you all so much for your supportive comments!  I'm not confrontational, and would rather walk away or "take it" than confront someone, but I think it's different when it's our kids or pets.  We'll stand up for them and protect them, for sure.

I wrote a note to the manager of the park, explaining that I was checking out, and why.  I knew she wasn't in the office early, and I wanted to be out of there.  A little before 8 I pulled up to the office, envelope in hand to put in the box, and she was there with her husband.   She thought the envelope contained my rent for the next month, but I explained to her that I was leaving, and told her why.  They were both completely surprised by what I said,  they had no idea there were dogs running around off leash, and wanted to know which sites and which dogs.

I told her who and where, and they said they would definitely take care of the problem, that unleashed dogs were NOT allowed, and they seemed really mad.  They also said they understood completely why I felt I had to leave, and that they were really sorry, this had never happened before.  I was glad I was able to talk to them, and hopefully the problem will be taken care of for future campers.

We drove about a half hour away and checked in at Armitage, and we have a 2-week reservation here. It's a really nice park, full hook-ups, good TV reception, free wi-fi that's really strong and fast (five bars), and lots of room between camp sites.

Our new campsite

The greenery in the park is beautiful, the roads and the RV pads are paved, and the camp sites are surrounded by grass.  It's going to be easy to keep things clean here.

The bus below came in today, and it was interesting watching them unload.  They have a German Shephard that has puppies, two or three kids that ran out of the bus and started playing ball and drawing pictures on the drive with chalk, the dad climbed up on top and opened that big wooden storage thing and brought stuff down.  The mom came out and started organizing.

Neighbors, one campsite away from us

They must be living in the bus, and seem to be a nice, quiet family.  There is a camper on a truck next to us, and it blocks my view of this bus, I took this photo on our walk this afternoon.  Most of the rigs here are very nice, large Class As or trailers, so this one stands out. I'd love to see what the inside looks like. They have all the hook-ups connected.  This park is $30/night, so it's not cheap, and I'm surprised to see such an old RV here.

Twenty Canada Geese just flew overhead in their V-shape formation, honking along.  I wish I had my camera out and ready.

Anyway, Katie and I did a lot of walking today.  Next to the campground is a day-use park, and it fronts the McKenzie River. We walked over there and checked it out.

 I loved this moss covered picnic table.

No one at all was there, I forget that most people are working and it's the middle of the week.  It is a beautiful location,and I'm sure we'll do lots of walking over there.  We were above the river, but I could see a pathway right next to it, below us, and I want to find that path so we can walk along the water's edge.

 The McKenzie River

 Weird tree - huge trunk and lots of smaller trunks

 This is an unusual campsite table - isn't the extension a great idea? 

It's all one piece, made that way.
(NOTE: Judy commented that the extension is so that people in
wheelchairs can access the table - makes sense.  
Thanks Judy.  It is in the handicap site.)

We also checked out the dog park, it's really big and looks nice, but I don't want to take Katie there unless there are no other dogs in the dog park.  I want Katie to be able to run and chase her ball without worrying about another dog scaring her.  I'll take it slow and see how it goes.  It's right across the road from us on the other side of a large lawn area.

 Dog park

I had a conversation with a man who was there with his dog - a transplanted Los Angeles resident - and he told me about a really nice campground/spa.  Gave me the name and phone number from his phone contacts, and I wrote them down and will check them out for future reference.  He said $18/night, sounds good to me!

Katie is loving all the walks she got today, and so am I.  At home in San Diego I had to make myself walk, it was such a pain and I never really enjoyed it.  I told myself I did, but it was really a pain.  In a place like this, walking is effortless, interesting, and fun.  I was so tired at 5:30, though, I gave in and konked out on the couch, and took an hour long nap.  Really deep sleep, I think the stress of yesterday and the relief of being here also did me in.


I also got an e-mail from my buddy, Fred, who sends me tips from time to time.  He had some good boondocking places for me to try out in the area, and I've made a note of those, too.

It's so nice to get referrals from people who have "been here/done that."

Jason at Quality Coach Services called today and I have an appointment at 8:30 tomorrow morning. Everything is in, even the back-up camera, and he is going to try to get everything done tomorrow.  If not, he will finish up on Friday.

I was thinking today - I wasn't sure how this was going to work without a toad, but so far I'm finding it very easy to camp with hook-ups and unhook when I want to drive to town.  I don't hook up the sewer until I need to dump the black tank, so all I have to do is unplug the electric and stow the cord and take off the fresh water hose and leave it there.  Only takes a few minutes to do, and I'm mobile again.  I think I might be okay without a toad.

You would have been so proud of me backing up - so far.  It was really easy here, but in the last campsite, there was a water post on one side and the decks on the other, with about a 6 to 8 inches clearance on each side.  I nailed it both times I backed in.  I know this is different than a truck and trailer or fiver, but I didn't know how I would do until I did it, and I was happy it is so easy with this little rig.  The only thing that could have been better would have been a back-up camera to see when to stop.  Without it I had to get out and see for myself.

This is such a learning experience - every day I learn something new, or notice something different.  I got an e-mail asking if full-timing so far is everything I expected it to be, or if I was disappointed.  I have to say, so far it's better than I expected.  I love sitting in a beautiful campground, the peace and quiet and beauty, and great places to walk with Katie.  We're getting a lot of exercise.  I also love driving - I feel a certain excitement going down the road to our next destination, even if I don't know where we'll end up.  Once I have my Sirius receiver installed and set up the service, it will be even better because I won't lose radio stations as I travel from place to place.

Even if we are in a rest stop or a parking lot for the day (or night), my intention for full-timing wasn't to "see the country" or do a lot of sightseeing, although we have actually done some so far and will probably do a lot more, especially since I'm finding it so easy to drive off and return to our camp site.  I guess it just goes with the territory.  What I wanted was to be able to live in different places and move when I'm ready.  Do what I did at home in the condo all day, and that's what I'm doing so far. 

From Me and My Dog, have a great Wednesday night, everyone!  : )