Day 27, Thursday, August 31, 2017 - Wheeler County RV Park, Fossil, OR, Day 5

New Upper Cabinet Lighting

Thursday, August 31, 2017 - Wheeler County RV Park, Fossil, OR, Day 5, 0 Miles, 448.2 Towing Miles For the Trip

A long day, most of which was spent inside the trailer. I now have lights in all the overhead cabinets. I had Escape pre wire the cabinets (although they or I missed the front one) so it was much easier than when I did the 17. On the other hand, there are more cabinets, and at only a few days from my 73rd birthday, I don't bend as well as I did when I wired the 17. In any case, the job is done, even the front cabinet. I still have work there - the wiring for the XM Radio needs to be routed through holes on the cabinet corners rather than out the corner of the door as it is now. I can't believe that adding lights to 7 pre wired cabinets is a full day's work, but it was.

If you look at the photo, you will notice 2 different color temperatures for the lights. I used long strips left over from adding awning lights to the 17 for the longer cabinets, and a pre made 22" strip for the rest. All are on switches; while many use contact or other automatic switches, I like to be able to leave the cabinets open with the lights off to help control temperatures in them.

While all that was going on, my slow cooker made chicken & Anasazi Brothers Cliff Dweller Bean soup. While it was good, it makes far too much for one person. I will freeze one batch, and save the other for tomorrow.

Until next time -

Day 26, Wednesday, August 30, 2017 - Wheeler County RV Park, Fossil, OR, Day 4

Visiting Deer

Wednesday, August 30, 2017 - Wheeler County RV Park, Fossil, OR, Day 4, 0 Miles, 448.2 Towing Miles For the Trip

I didn't do much at all today. Most of it spent reading or listening to the radio. I did dig out some of the projects I have lined up for the trailer, but the only one I got done was mounting the XM Radio next to the bed. I'll probably start on the upper cabinet lighting tomorrow - all the parts are ready to go.

Last night a small herd of deer wandered through the campground. The seemed to be used to people since they didn't run off when I got out of my chair, opened the back door of the truck and got out the camera.

We now have 4 RVs in the campground - a Born Free Class C pulled into the site next to mine.

Dinner was a Bubba burger, Bush baked beans & snap peas.

Until next time -

Day 25, Tuesday, August 29, 2017 - Wheeler County RV Park, Fossil & Shaniko, OR, Day 3

Clarno Unit, John Day Fossil Beds National Monument

Tuesday, August 29, 2017 - Wheeler County RV Park, Fossil & Shaniko, OR, Day 3, 0 Miles, 448.2 Towing Miles For the Trip

Last night was another warm evening. I kept the AC running until 8:00 or so, until it cooled below the 78°F I had it set for.

After breakfast I headed to one of the John Day Fossil Bed sites at the national monument. There are 3 sites, 2 of which I visited in 2014. This time I stopped at the Clarno location along OR 218. I stopped along the way (and way back) for a couple of old building photos. I'm glad I didn't have the trailer; lots of hills & switchbacks. I photographed one of them, but it doesn't show up all that well. I will be taking OR 19 to get to my planned next stop, Clyde Holiday State Park, which, at least on the map looks just as hilly.
After a short half mile hike at the Clarno Unit, I headed on west to Shaniko. Shaniko is described as a ghost town, but there is plenty of people living there (at least for a ghost town - it even has a working US Post Office). Lots of old buildings and a Ice Cream parlor that served a great roast beef sandwich for lunch.

On the way back I stopped for another old building, as well as what I hope is an abandoned school in Antelope, OR, another small town along OR 218.

More photos of the park & Shaniko are at today's LakeshoreImages page.

By the way, I haven't mentioned it yet, but the Verizon connection here at Fossil is one of the fastest I've had on the trip. There is no AT&T service anywhere in the area. I'm thinking of getting a Verizon pre paid non data phone just to cover the many no AT&T areas I've found. I don't like having no phone service. It is good that there is strong Verizon coverage - the only radio station is country western, not one of my favorites. I still have XM Radio, but I do like to listen to a "live" connection, and most of XM Radio is anything but. With the 20GB per month of Verizon, I can listen to on line NPR stations, including WRVO, my hometown station, and the Phoenix classical & news stations - they are even in the right time zone!

After returning to the campground i sat out and finished reading Anita Shreve's The Stars Are Fire.

Since I had lunch, dinner was simple - cheese & crackers.

Until next time -

Day 24, Monday, August 28, 2017 - Wheeler County RV Park, Fossil, OR, Day 2

The Fossil Museum

Monday, August 28, 2017 - Wheeler County RV Park, Fossil, OR, Day 2, 0 Miles, 448.2 Towing Miles For the Trip

I took a couple of photos of the sunset - the smoke turns it into a red/orange ball.

I slept late this morning, then went for a short hike on a trail behind the campground. It provides a nice view of the fairgrounds, as well as the campground. I took a photo of the fairground from the top of the hill behind the trailer and stuck a panorama at the bottom of today's photos.

After that it was breakfast, some reading, both on line & on my Kindle. I have found one annoying thing about the Kindle - you don't have the "store" color book cover or jacket, so it is more difficult to remember if you have read a title by glancing at an on line photo of the book. Still, I have to admit is is more convenient than paperback or hardcover books. (Did I say that?)

After lunch I headed to the Fossil Museum. While typical of small town museums, I did see a couple of things I've never seen before, including a gas powered iron & an early "portable" radio, and instructions for shoeing oxen (they can't stand on 3 feet like a horse). There is a school house next door.

I decided to do last night's dishes when I got back to the trailer & couldn't find the Dawn dishwashing soap. Unfortunately, I finally found it in the back of the under sink cabinet where it rolled around for the drive to Fossil, on its side, and the top cracked open. Now the most difficult mess I've cleaned up in the trailer was a bottle of olive oil that fell out of an upper cabinet & landed open on the floor of the Escape 17. Took a full roll of paper towels to clean it up. Well, the spilled Dawn is a close second! A thin layer of soap covering most of the shelf as well as the bottoms of the pans stored there. A very little Dawn goes a long way. A partially dried layer takes a lot to remove. The kitchen sink water lines added to the thrill of toweling up the mess, although it only took 1/2 a roll. At least I have clean hands!

After that I did some more reading, then cooked a chicken & apple sausage along with a refrigerator peach cup for dinner, and found a way to bungee cord the bottle of Dawn in the under sink cabinet!

Until next time -

Day 23, Sunday, August 27, 2017 - Wheeler County RV Park, Fossil, OR

Stonehenge War Memorial, Maryhill, WA

Sunday, August 27, 2017 - Wheeler County RV Park, Fossil, OR, 130 Miles, 448.2 Towing Miles For the Trip

I headed south on US 97, a pretty drive through very dry rolling hills. I stopped at the Stonehenge War Memorial just outside of Maryhill, WA for a couple of photos. Not as nice a sky as the last time I was here, and there is graffiti on the side I wanted to take the photo from, but the wildflowers were in bloom. Lots of windmills along the way.  Photos at today's LakeshoreImages page.

The plan was to head to the Burns RV Park in Condon, OR, a county park that got good reviews on RV Park Reviews. Unfortunately, while it looked like a nice place, all the sites were booked until Tuesday. I got a bit nervous about finding a site for the upcoming Labor Day weekend since all the state parks I checked were booked solid, so I went to the only commercial park in town, the Condon RV & Mobile Home Park. While they had a couple of spaces, the place didn't ring my bell. So, I continued south and stopped in Fossil, OR. A very small town, but evidently, the home of the county fair. I'm in site 4 at the Wheeler County RV Park for the next 8 nights, full hookups for $18.75 per night. Clean bathrooms with showers, and only 2 other RVs in the park. Not much shade & it is 95°F outside, but the AC works!

I drove to the Fossil Mercantile, and discovered a good, although expensive, supply of groceries. I also stopped by the Fossil Museum, chatted with attendant & a guy towing a teardrop trailer. Since the museum was closing in 10 minutes (even though they were willing to stay open while I explored) I decided to stop back tomorrow.

Dinner was a microwaved Boston Market Chicken Parmesan dinner, the only one of their dinners I like. Not as good as when it it baked, but I didn't want to fire up either the gas or electric oven.

Until next time -