We've Finally Landed!

It seems like we've been on a long flight and we've finally landed at the place we want to be - Montana! Where the river is bone-chilling and the fish are finicky! There is more snow remaining on the surrounding mountains than we've ever seen. This makes for muddy rivers in some places because of the run-off. However, the river we fish, the one practically outside our door, runs clear from the Clark Canyon Reservoir. There is also a natural spring just upstream from where we fish that makes for some even chillier currents. We fished on Friday the 13th and we both caught fish! It was a great day and one that we have been contemplating for the past 5 months. Here is one very shiny rainbow trout. No, we did not keep it, but as usual, we released it.

Thousand Trails Crescent Bar, Quincy, WA

This TT park, Crescent Bar, is unique. It is located in the high desert near Quincy, WA and overlooks the Columbia River. The sunlight plays off the surrounding basalt cliffs, giving them ever-changing color and dimension. Although the weather was drier and warmer, the wind was ferocious! Our photos do not do justice to this very nice park. This is another TT park we would like to visit again and spend more time.

Thousand Trails Paradise, Silver Creek, WA

When we left Junction City this is the lush, green Thousand Trails Paradise park where we stayed one night. The campsites are well-spaced with lots of open grassy areas. We were especially interested in the 2 lakes which are stocked with trout. We want to visit again when we have more time.

Deer & Elk & Snow - Oh My!

We thoroughly enjoyed our drive from Junction City to TT Paradise and then on to TT Crescent Bar because we were once again on the road to where we wanted to be. And because it was so scenic. When you take a trip you sometimes see the sign directing you to the scenic byway or the scenic route. Well, this entire trip was scenic. I don't think anywhere could be so opposite Arizona as Oregon and Washington are. Green, wet, lush landscapes, moss, rivers, ferns and trees. And rain all the time! Just the opposite of Arizona.

Headed for Paradise - Really

We gathered ourselves together and amazingly all 'things' arrived overnight or express delivery so we are able to travel once again. We left Guaranty RV in Junction City somewhat sad. They are really caring and compassionate people and we truly appreciate their kindness. We started out on Sunday for Thousand Trails (TT) Paradise and it really was a gorgeous camp resort. I will work on a slide show of the park for those TT and non-TT readers who might want to see photos other than what they print in the sales brochures. We only spent one night there, but it was a nice stay.

We departed Thousand Trails Paradise on Monday and drove about 5 hours to the next TT resort - Crescent Bar. We stopped and had lunch in the moho at one of the nice rest areas that Washington provides for travellers. We arrived at Quincy, WA early this afternoon and found the TT park overlooking the majestic Columbia River. One of the biggest rivers I've ever seen. It's so big you can't really tell it's a river - more like a large lake. The park is 8 miles outside of town, with nothing much around. You drive down into a gorge and there is the river. There are some nice housing developments being built near the park and I kept asking Rick who could possibly live out here? Retirees? He read in the newspaper tonight that Quincy is home to at least a few large data centers for large corporations like Microsoft, Intuit, Yahoo, and others. Seems there are many computer techs moving into the area. More about the area later.

I've taken some photos to share with you and Rick also took some very nice shots on the drive today. We saw snow, deer, elk, and crossed many bridges and rivers. And we would have also seen Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Rainier IF the clouds hadn't been hanging around. All in all it was an extremely scenic drive and we are delighted to be able to move on down the road. Life is good.

A Speed Bump on the Highway of Life

Don't Let Your Guard Down!

With all the good luck that we've been having, there was bound to be a speed bump or two on the highway of life. Today we hit a speed bump, unfortunately, a big bump. Today we let our guard down and a bad guy took advantage of us. We remember words of wisdom from family and friends and we've told many also, "do not trust others to always do what's right." We feel really bad for letting our guard down, but we want to share this with you so YOU DON'T DO THE SAME. And I'm still trying to find a positive from this, a silver lining, if you will.

We drove to a big shopping mall in Eugene and I left my purse in the car. I thought it was very well hidden on the floor behind the driver's seat and we were only going into one store and knew we'd only be gone a few minutes. (I was trying to avoid carrying anything since my surgery.) But I know a guy & girl in a truck had parked near us as we parked and they could see that I, who had driven, did not carry a purse into the mall. Rick thinks it may have been our out-of-state plates that also made us a target and they would have done it even if I would have been carrying a purse. Based upon the surveillance cameras, it took about 2 minutes for them to break out the driver's side rear window and reach in to grab my purse from the floor. They also took a rolled up jacket, but left other items not within reach. What's called a "smash and grab".

It would be hard for me to explain the shock of having someone break into your car if you've never been such a victim. It will take awhile for me to get that scene to stop playing in my mind. We have never experienced any type of break-in, auto theft, burglary, etc. And I hope we (and you) never do again. As I approached the driver's side of the car I saw a small business card stuck into my door window. I slowed down and focused on it - not the usual advertising flyer that someone usually leaves on your windshield. In fact, as I reached for the business card the hair on the back of my neck stood on end and I knew something was wrong. The asphalt was crackling under my shoes - obviously it was the broken glass from our window. As I reached for the card stuck in my driver's window, my vision zeroed in on the spider web of a window that remained and I remember thinking how terribly odd it looked. I could see through the sharp edges of the web and see into the car, through the usually dark tinted window. I could see a jacket rolled up on the seat and our papers, but the seat was covered with sparkling black diamonds. I stepped back quickly and went to the back of the car, calmly but urgently saying to Rick as he was getting to his side, "We've had a break-in". He did not speak, but came back around the rear of the car, putting himself between the car and me. I stepped back further from the rear of the car and looked around. No one around us and it seemed we were entirely alone in the gigantic mall parking lot.

I was wrong though, we weren't alone. The mall security truck with its flashing yellow light on top was coming towards us. Somehow they had seen the 'problem' and had already contacted the Eugene police department about the break-in. As they parked I said to them "someone's broken into our car" and they said "yes, we know, we left you the card." Oh, I thought, so that's what that tiny card was all about! Rick opened the car door and I immediately said "my purse is gone". I asked for Rick's cell phone (mine was in my now missing purse) and told Rick I would call the credit card/bank/insurance company if he would talk with mall security.

I got through to our credit card company and reported what had happened in the last 20 minutes - that my card was stolen and we needed to cancel it now. After a few minutes the company verified our last legitimate purchase and said the card had already been used for a gasoline purchase at a station very nearby. I quickly let mall security know and they broadcast that the card had been used at the local station 6 blocks away. (I think I hoped they would jump in their vehicle with the flashing yellow light on top and go catch the bad guys in the act. What was I thinking?) I lost the phone connection with the credit card company and redialed. I adamantly told them not to lose me and what was happening. They said the card had once again been used at a gas station a little further away, closer to downtown Eugene. We had parked our car at 2:00, we had returned around 2:30 and it was now almost 3:00. While still on the phone, the credit card company told me a charge was once again attempted, but this time it failed to go through. Thank goodness!! Finally!! I knew we would not be responsible for the charges, but I did not want these low-life criminals to get away with any more!! The card was now deactivated and when they tried to use it one last time at the grocery store for $65 it came back as lost or stolen. I think it should just say "stolen, call the police to come get this low-life."

We had parked on what we now know is the 'back side' of the mall. We parked very near the entrance of one of the major department stores, Gottschalks, and near a mall entrance and at the very end of the row. We were near the interior roadway that circles the mall. As mall security was broadcasting the stolen card purchases that were happening with our card, the manager of store security for Gottschalks heard the radio broadcast and called the manager of the local gas station for information. She also reviewed her surveillance cameras and could see us enter the mall and park. She could see a small white truck park at the same time and 2 minutes later she could see the small white truck leave the area. However, she could not see any identifiable information on the truck or the driver. They were going too fast! Image that! But it seems to confirm my suspicions that they were the bad guys.

She knew what we were going through and came out to offer her help. She took Polaroid photos for us, brought a phone book, and paper and pen for us to keep. She is a police officer in a surrounding city and has had her car broken into also. She and everyone else we came into contact with were so apologetic about the break-in.

Rick's nice rain coat was also taken, but apparently they could not reach any other items or they were in too a great hurry. Stop now and think if you can name everything that is in your wallet. We are lucky that Rick was carrying his phone because mine was gone. I was able to call the credit card company within minutes to cancel the card. I was able to report the stolen checkbook and ATM card. A couple times a year Rick removes everything in our wallets and scans it, front and back. We were able to come home and see all the missing cards and the phone numbers to get replacements. If you don't have access to a scanner, you can lay all your cards out on a copier and make a photocopy. You may someday be glad you have a record. And we're also lucky that we deal with one company for almost all of this mess. The car window was fixed the next morning and they cleaned up the remaining black diamonds that littered the car. We're also lucky that my phone was replaced at no charge. My backpack purse was a gift from my Mom and she wants to replace that for me (that was the sentimental item I hated to lose. Thanks Mom.) I also kept notes of conversations, names and numbers during the ordeal so when I gave the police report we had details that might have slipped our mind. They called us 2 days later and they said most people haven't even started the process of cancelling accounts or getting replacements. The police interviewer said we were "super heroes" for remembering so much detail and having a description of who we think is the bad guy. The compliment made me feel a little better, but not much.

This has been a very long post, for a very long and tiring ordeal. Sorry for that. I'm ending this post and hopefully it will stop replaying in my mind now. We were on yellow alert last Thursday afternoon, like we usually are while driving, but we admit that we let our guard down. After all, this is Oregon - all green, fresh from constant rain, flowers blooming, with extremely friendly and down-to-earth people. We try to be safe and alert to danger with all we do. We don't usually go to any mall, we don't go into known bad parts of town, we don't even like to be out after dark. We don't know why this bad guy picked us. It is what I call Fate. Fate that brings people together at the same place at the same time. Fate that I turned left instead of right at that exact moment. Fate that I was not carrying the purse that he so badly wanted. Fate that there was not a physical confrontation. Fate that it was us, and not someone else who couldn't handle the loss. Fate that nothing irreplaceable was taken. Fate that the car was not damaged or stolen entirely. Fate that we were given this speed bump to slow us down, making us more aware. Making us alert and able to avoid future dangerous situations. I said I wanted to find the silver lining in this ordeal. Perhaps the silver lining is that YOU will be more aware and alert to danger and avoid it. Please.

Catching Up With 'Life-Stuff'

Thanks to everyone who sends us emails and comments on our blog. It means a lot when you send words of encouragement and inspiration, or just say hello. Sometimes I'll start a post and when I actually publish it, it appears on the date I started it. So check back a couple days and see if I slipped a post in there that you might not have seen before. And I'll try not to do that (too much).

I've almost caught up with our posts, but soooo soooo soooo much has happened in the last couple days, and more Life-Stuff just seems to happen, it seems I'm playing catch-up rather than keep-up. Tomorrow may be a day when I can get caught up and let you know about the latest "ordeal". An ordeal that I'm still trying to find the silver lining of. I'll find some good in this latest test, although it may be tough.

Our health is good, and the doctor released me to travel. Yipeee! So that's some good news to tuck in your pocket. Later...

Road Angels

We've been fortunate and happy to have friends, Tom & Jo, near us recently, but they've now moved off in another direction. We first met them on-line at iRV2.com and actually met them in January at the FMCA Western Regional rally in Indio. They showed up here at Guaranty RV when we were first here and we enjoyed a couple happy hours and a movie together (Ironman), something we rarely do but they do often. The movies. (What a yummy treat that theatre popcorn was, but little did I know what it was doing to my gallbladder.)

It's really nice to meet people that you connect with and to be able to spend time getting to know them. Susan termed them "Road Angels" and it's true, they're angels. Rick enjoyed exploring the storage bays and modifications of their motorhome and talking 'tech' with Tom. I enjoyed the Chocolate Chewie brownies with apricots that Jo brought me from the Saturday Market. Unbelievable that they were FAT FREE, but they are and they're tasty! The flowers they brought back from another trip still cheer me up when I look at them. It's a little sad to see them go, but making plans to meet up again in the future gives us something to look forward to. I know we will "camp" with them again.

It was very nice to get a call this morning from Karen & Jeffrey (a couple other Road Angels) who still live in Arizona, but get out in their motorhome as often as they can. They show mastiff dogs and often have a couple big dogs with them in the motorhome. Their boy, Surf, has been really successful lately in the doggie world. http://www.caninehab.com/newbeginnings/ Oh, Tom & Jo also show dogs, but their 3 are much, much smaller in size. (Big in might though.) Anyway, we met Karen & Jeffrey at a different FMCA rally and enjoyed their company very much. The six of us have all met each other, but not at the same time. I can't wait until we all get together at the same time in the same place. Hey, I've got an idea! We could have a "friends rally" and hope that Jim & Kris and Bob & Jerry and Ron & Becky and Mike & Sharon and Tim & Crystal join us. We would have a blast! Anyone else?

There are soooo many people I've added to our address book who we look forward to meeting again. This is such a great way to meet new friends. We're lovin' the motorhome life!

Zoom Zoom Zoom - A New Camera

I'm not a reviewer of cameras, and in fact, I'm still learning how to use our new Nikon CoolPix P80, though it's pretty easy to get through the basics. It's a 10.1 megapixal with an 18x optical zoom and 4x digital for a total of 72x magnification, wide angle, and image stabilization. Although we thought we wanted a more complex camera with all the interchangeable lenses and manual settings, I think we've made a good choice with this Nikon. There are no lenses to change, but there are manual settings to adjust if wanted. The one downfall I think this camera may have is that it might not be as fast between pictures as others. My friend Kelly Kennedy has some nice cameras and IF I had the passion and talent she does for photographing children I'd need something a little quicker on the rebound. She takes some amazing photos. Here's a link to Kelly's website - http://one3p.com/main.html

My goal is to be able to capture more landscapes and more of the subjects that I cannot get up close to - like hummingbirds! OK, it's not a hummer, but it's a bird. The P80 has a fantastic zoom! The camera is bigger than our Sony DSC-P200, but still very lightweight and easy to handle. It has a big grip on the side and a live view LCD screen. I found out the DSLR's don't have a live view LCD and you have to use the tiny eyeball viewer to see what you're taking. Although that is changing and probably available now.

Here are some samples of the zoom. Remember, I'm still learning.

Rather than me trying to list all the features, here is a link to what I think is one of the best camera review websites available. This link will take you to the Nikon P80, but you can easily navigate to the home page and search their extensive database. http://www.steves-digicams.com/2008_reviews/nikon_p80.html

Animal Rescue

OK, it was a bird and it wasn't enjoying the surf. As we walked along the beach Rick spotted a full grown bird that had washed up on shore and was trying to stand on it's two little feet and looked like it was trying to dry it's wings. If you know Rick you know what happened next. Rick scooped it up, took it to dry land, and hid it amongst some drift wood and branches near the cliffs so the seagulls wouldn't grab it. I'm sure it dried off and is happily flying around the beach. Tweet tweet!

Any suggestions for photo hosting?

Does anyone have experience they would like to share with me on photo hosting (like PhotoBucket) that gives you the ability to upload and store photos, create and share albums, and create and link to slideshows? I really like slideshows so that's important to me. Oh, and I'd like it to be free. Although if you know of a really great site that's a reasonable cost I'd like to know about it. Thanks in advance to anyone with a recommendation who leaves me a comment or sends me an email on this!

Ahhh... Soft Squishy Pillow

This morning we went for a walk across the street to Guaranty RV Service Center and worked on a jigsaw puzzle in their waiting area. Big accomplishment, but don't think it was the highlight of the day. The employees at Guaranty RV are a concerned and caring group. We got to know each other during the weeks we were here getting our warranty work done. Now we're back and they're letting us hang out in their camp lot until the doctor releases me to travel. Hopefully that will be this Friday.

I'd have to say the highlight of my day was going to Subway for lunch and splitting a chicken sandwich with Rick! Yipeee! We then went to Safeway and I contemplated riding the electric shopping scooter around. But instead I sucked it up and pushed the cart. It was a long outing and I was pretty tired when we got back. I was glad to have the soft squishy blue pillow that Darelene gave me almost 3 years ago for another abdominal surgery I had. I used it under my seat belt to protect my incisions. Still a little sore, but today was better than yesterday.

The afternoon was drizzly wet. Gee, I guess it's true that it always rains in Oregon. An e-friend, Susan Carlin, shared a live on-line painting demonstration with me and I really enjoyed watching the artist finish a portrait in acrylics. Very informative and fun.

As a side note, Rick did not tie any fishing flies today, but I did walk.