Time to blow this Popsicle Stand!

After 15 nights in this parking lot, I’m ready to go!  I had a knock on my door this morning as I was preparing to head out on another scenic byway.  The new levelers had just been delivered from Wisconsin.  To heck with the scenic byway!  I told them I’d have the rig packed up and ready to move to the repair bay in half an hour, and I did it!  That was not an easy feat, as I’d been here for two weeks and had quite a lot of stuff to stow.  Emma looked befuddled as I rushed around pulling in slides, and getting everything road ready.  I hadn’t expected the parts to come in for another couple of days, so you know how that goes.  I had stuff scattered all over.  I think that’s the fastest I’ve ever gotten everything ready to go, both inside and out.  :)  I didn’t have time to do the dishes, so I just crammed them in under the sink cover.
As they worked on the rig, Emma and I spent a good portion of the day, once again, out at the picnic table.  It was a little brisk to begin with as we had a frost last night, but at least the sun was shining, and I was pretty well bundled up. 

It took them well into the afternoon to get things done, and as I tried leveling the rig after they returned it, there was still a problem.  :(  I went back to get the technician to come to the rig, and after some time everything was resolved.  To make a long story short, it turned out that I knew a few things about the levelers and the fluids that the the technician did not.  Imagine that!  I made sure to point that out as they began to work on my bill.  Since it was about 3:00 by that time, I decided to remain for one more night, and head out tomorrow morning. 
My plan is to pull out of here by 9:00 tomorrow morning, so I hope they have the paperwork done by then! 
The overnight shipping charge for the new levelers that they told me about was ridiculous, so I’ll see if that can be resolved tomorrow.
Emma and I took one last evening stroll around the parking lot tonight, and noticed the changes in the foliage during our stay here.  It’s definitely time to move on!

Thanks for stopping by….talk to you later,  Judy

“Mama said there’d be days like this…”

“There’d be days like this, my Mama said…”  Remember that tune from the 60’s?  Well, my Mama never said there would be 10 days like this in a row!  The saga continues…The sealer kits for the levers actually arrived this morning, and the rig was taken off to have the back levelers removed.  The tech told me he’d bring the rig back as soon as he could so I wouldn’t have to sit in the car with Emma while it rained outside.  He could work on installing the new seals without the rig.  I appreciated that.  It’s a lot easier to while away the time in inclement weather inside the rig as opposed to being cooped up in the car.

I spent my time mapping my next stop on my way to Anahuac NWR in Texas.  Along about 2:30, Sean, my contact in the service department, came knocking on my door.  I hopped up to answer fully expecting that he would want to take the rig back to have the levers reinstalled.  It was not to be.  It turns out that the levelers wouldn’t hold a seal because of grooves on the legs.  Okay, so what does that mean?  It means I have to have both levelers replaced.  They don’t make these things ahead of time.  They only manufacture them on an as needed basis, and it takes 7 days to make them at Power Gear in Wisconsin.  OMG, tell me it isn’t so!  So, dear friends, to make a much longer story short, I will continue to reside in the Camping World parking lot for about the next ten days.  To put it bluntly, this sucks big-time! 

However, I have to tell you that these delays have not been the fault of Camping World.  They wanted to order new levelers from the beginning, but the extended warranty folks said no; try the seal kit.  Power Gear was also remiss in not sending out the kits on the day they were ordered, but waited four days!  The folks here at Camping World have been quite accommodating, and not only took the rig to dump the tanks (after being here 8 days), but filled the fresh water tank, and provided me with directions to the nearest laundromat.   I’m sure they would like to see me gone as much as I’d like to be gone.  So, I’ll be looking for more touristy things to do for the next week or so.  At least I’ve got 50 amps and the DISH set up.  :)

There were a couple of comments left on last night’s post that helped to lift my spirits.  JB made me chuckle with his comment about holding the record for being the longest RV visitor to Boise since Idaho became a state.  Well, JB, looks like I might just get there!  MARGIE also gave me the advice to just go out and take some photos to calm down…so, late this afternoon, I did.
I had replied to Margie that there wasn’t anything left to take photos of in this parking lot, but after the further happenings today I thought I’d give it a try anyway.  Hence, the collage of license plates from the parking lot.  :)
I also went back to check on the milkweed pods after two days of rain.  They’re looking a little different now.
Dandelions do seem to carry on through three of the four seasons!  :)
The view of I-84 and beyond from the top of the small rise behind the rig.  There are traffic sounds 24/7, but I don’t hear them much with all the windows closed.
I even found a small marshy area near the road with these maturing cattails.  Thanks, Margie, I’m a little calmer now.  :)

Thanks for stopping by….talk to you later,  Judy

Ack!! The parts didn’t come in.

Even though Camping World ordered the two seal kits for the back levelers last week for delivery on Saturday, the parts were still not here this morning.  After checking into it, the service guy found out that they weren’t sent until today.  That means they’ll not arrive until tomorrow.  It probably also means two more nights in the parking lot.  I am not a happy camper.  :(

I  sat around all day, and didn’t learn the reason for the screw up until this afternoon.  I’m trying to take this in stride, but I have to tell you that I’m tired of being here.  And that’s all I have to say about today.

Thanks for stopping by….talk to you later,  Judy

I think I need another shower :)

Well, I was at the service desk at the crack of 8:00 this morning hoping to get things started.  Along about 9:30, they came and got the rig.  Emma and I spent the morning at the picnic table.  It is astounding how many rigs go in and out of this place everyday!  There are six double bays, and three guys spend their whole days just moving rigs in and out.  It turns out, the technician that fixed the awning (yes it is fixed!) and checked the levelers is not the person who does the oil changes.  So, along about lunchtime they brought the rig back to me since there was a back up at the oil change bay.  I appreciated that since I was getting hungry.  :)

As he dropped off the rig, that technician announced that they don’t have the parts to fix the levelers (needs new seals) so maybe I’d like to continue down the road and get it fixed elsewhere?  Uh, no sir.  I’d likely be told the same thing down the road, so order the parts and I’ll wait.  I’ve got a good spot here with 50 amps, so I’ll just take up knitting or something (not!) until the parts come in. 

After lunch, I headed back to the service department to talk about the seals, etc.  They will be ordered.  Then, Emma and I went back out to the picnic table and a couple of hours later the guy came to take the rig in for the oil change.  Time began to drag a little, so…
I opened up the book I grabbed at lunchtime, and began to check off all the places listed that I’ve already been to.  Not too exciting for an afternoon, but each time I checked off a location or event with the year I was there, it brought back many sweet memories.  My dates ranged from 1952 (Mammoth Cave) to Sept. 2010 (Malheur NWR).  What a walk down memory lane that provided!  I haven’t covered all of the states and provinces yet, but I think I’ll have time to finish in the next couple of days.  :)

After they finished the oil change, I received more unwelcome news.  While doing the oil check and overall inspection of lubes and liquids, the technician found that my right front wheel has a bearing oil leak.  Uf-dah!  What else can go wrong?  But, as KERI commented, sometimes bad things come in groups of three.  My mother also believed that.  So, water pump, levelers, wheel bearings; I sure hope those are my three things for this trip!

I’m thinking, maybe I should just go out this evening and stand in front of the sprinklers so I can get giddy again when they turn on!  :)

Thanks for stopping by….talk to you later,  Judy

PS…While Emma and I spent the day out by the picnic table, I did see two pheasants, three red-tailed hawks, and a bison!  No pictures, however.  :(  Maybe tomorrow.

Working on a plan

I found it hard to believe that I had 29 visitors this morning!  Wow!  That’s quite a few people out here in the middle of the high desert of Oregon on a Tuesday morning in September.  I was busy enough that I couldn’t call the fix it place in Idaho until after lunch, but I’m all set up to get the levelers fixed next Tuesday.  At first the service department asked me to bring the rig in on Monday, and leave it for three days.  After I told them that I lived in it, they revised their plans and told me to come in on Tuesday.  I asked if I could pull in on Monday and stay in their parking lot for the night, and they said they had several spots for that with electrical hookups.  Alrighty then, I’ll be there fairly early on Monday since the sites are first come, first served.  :)  I haven’t decided yet if I’ll leave Malheur on Sunday or Monday.  We’ll see what the weather forecast is before I decide.

In the meantime, I’ve been trying to decide what route I’ll take from Boise to Houston.  It could be anywhere from 2500-3000 miles to get there depending on which way I go.  I put it on the GPS, and it routed me through Wyoming and Nebraska, but I’m thinking I might like to go through Nevada so I could maybe still stop at Death Valley NP on the way.  The GPS kept me on a lot of Interstates, but I’m wondering how US 95 or US93 might be through Nevada instead.  Have any of you traveled those roads?
I didn’t have very many opportunities to get out of the VC for photos today, but I had a few.  The resident fawn has just about lost it’s spots, and I’m wondering if maybe it is a male since I can sort of see those buttons on it’s forehead.?
I did get another chance at a pic of the black-throated gray warbler today in a more natural setting than the plant cage of  yesterday.  Man, those little warblers barely sit still for a second!
The white-crowned sparrows have arrived from the North, and really take advantage of the seeds from the bird feeder that get spilled on the ground.
I’m still filling the bird baths daily, and this robin stopped by for a dunk.  I haven’t filled the hummingbird feeders this week since they all seem to have headed for warmer climes. 

I’ve got one last day to work the VC tomorrow, and then I’ll have a couple of free days to explore and get things packed up.  I may try to do the Steen Mountain drive and hit the farmer’s market for one last haul of home grown tomatoes.  :)
                                                                    THE END!

Thanks for stopping by….talk to you later,  Judy

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush

That’s a famous old saying, but today I felt like I had a (so to say) bird in the hand and two in the bush!  :)  When I checked my email first thing this morning, I was given the address of the nearest fix it shop to repair my leveling jacks.  (that’s my so called bird in hand)  It is back in Boise, Idaho, but that is only a one day drive from here.  That will change my original plans of traveling down the Western side of California, but I can deal with that.  I’m sure there will be other things of interest along the way as I leave Boise and head towards Houston.  I’ll be working on the changed route over the next few days.

As usual, I packed my camera and took it with me as I headed in for a day of work in the VC.  I really wasn’t expecting anything new or exciting since I’ve taken it with me every work day for the last month.  However, I was in for a couple of surprises.  I’m not exactly swamped with visitors (23 today total), so in between guests, I sit out on the VC deck with my camera hoping for some action. 
As I was reading one of the interpretive signs for the hundredth time, a Townsend’s Solitaire (a type of thrush) flew up and nearly landed on my telephoto lens!  He was as shocked as I was, and immediately flew off into the bush, hence my first bird in the bush.  :)  This was a bird that I had never seen before, but I knew immediately what it was since I was hoping to see one!  He’s rather drab in appearance being mostly gray, but has a big white eye ring and white outer tail feathers.  Of course, I chased after him for these two shots.  Too bad about the shadows, but I’m thrilled never the less.
A young Northern flicker (red shafted) flew into the same tree, and off went the Townsend’s Solitaire.  :(  Don’t you just like those polka dots?  Reminds me of a dress my mother wore when I was a child. (Women always wore dresses in those days)
The shrubs and trees were just bubbling with little migrants this morning.  That’s a yellow warbler on the left, and a female common yellowthroat on the right.  The yellowthroat was shaking all it’s feathers like a dog shakes while it held onto a little worm in it’s beak.

I kept running in and out of the Visitor’s Center as folks arrived.  I didn’t give them the bum’s rush, but I was anxious to return outside after each visitation.  :)
At one point, I just sat outside on the steps leading up to the deck, and as I looked over at one of the cages surrounding a planting to protect it from the deer, I saw my second new life bird of the day!  Here was a Black-throated Gray Warbler.  Oh my goodness!  That was certainly not a bird I ever expected to see here…my second bird in the bush.  :)

I didn’t think the day could get much better than this, but it did.
Soon there was a great racket coming from the skies, and the Sandhill Cranes began to fly overhead.  They never seem to be silent, and I just love listening to their trilling chatter back and forth.  These cranes are one of the major reasons that folks come here in the fall.  What a nice display they put on.  It’s just a shame that no visitors were on the deck at the time to enjoy this with me.  Five minutes later, folks stopped in and asked me where they could see some cranes.  :(

As expected, bird activity slowed down in the late morning and early afternoon, but…
I was able to catch a glimpse of this Lincoln’s Sparrow that was taking a little afternoon rest in one of the trees.  It isn’t always easy to identify sparrows, but you can tell this is a Lincoln’s by the gray face and buffy wash on it’s upper breast.  It has a nice little eye ring, too.
I have seen many Black-billed Magpies in my time, but they have always alluded me when I have my camera ready.  Finally, today I got a photo of one.  I suppose now they will appear any time I take my camera out.  :)  That’s the way it always seems to go.  You look and look to see something, whether it be a bird or some other animal, and then once you finally see one, they appear before you every time you turn around! 

So, today turned out rather well…much more interesting to me than I thought it was going to be.  What can tomorrow bring?

Thanks for stopping by….talk to you later,  Judy

Leaving already??

Some folks have commented that it seems like I just got to Malheur NWR.  In a way that’s true.  When I leave here next Friday, I’ll only have spent four weeks here.  I usually spend three months at a time at one our refuges.  Turns out that this time I was just filling in for someone who had to leave early, so it was only a one month assignment.  I don’t feel like I’ve had a chance to truly see everything I wanted in the area, but considering I’m stuck inside the Visitor’s Center for all my work days, I’m ready to move on.  I don’t mind working the Visitor’s Center, I just don’t care to do it every day.  This is a great refuge, but it didn’t turn out to be the assignment that I thought it was going to be, and if I’m fair about it, it’s probably because I was filling in for someone.

Others have asked where I’m going next.  Well, I’ll be making my way to Anahuac NWR which is near Houston, TX.  I can’t believe I’m volunteering there for the fourth time; my usual limit is two times (because there are so many places to see in this country).  However, Anahuac has been gracious enough to allow me to store my rig there while I go on my almost three week cruise in November that culminates in Galveston.  I also really like what I get to do there, and Stephanie, the volunteer coordinator, is super to work for. 

The big question is how will I get to Texas from Oregon.  I’m a very planful person, and this question is weighing heavy on my mind.  The problem is getting the leveling jacks repaired.  I’m awaiting an email from the manufacturer to find out the nearest repair facility.  That will determine my direction of travel.  With only six days to go before departure, I usually have my route pretty well mapped out.  Not so, this time.  I have about a month to get to Anahuac, so I’m really not stressing out about it, yet.  :) 
As Joanne, another volunteer, and I headed out early this morning for the farmer’s market in Burn, I noticed a golden eagle on a fence post as I was zipping down the highway.  I planted my foot firmly on the brake pedal and did a U-turn to go back and see if I could get a picture.  Of course, just as I slowly approached the fence post, it decided to not pose for me.  There was also a raven on a neighboring post, and they both headed for the hills together!  Kind of an odd couple, as the raven was not trying to harass the eagle.  Dang!  I sure would have enjoyed getting a good close up of the eagle.  :(

I scored big time at the farmer’s market, and carried back about twenty pounds of fresh produce to the car for myself and Sue.  Sue is another volunteer, but she always has to work on Saturdays, so I shop (and haggle) for the both of us.  :)  She is a vegetarian, and is always excited to see what goodies I’ve been able to find for her and her husband.  You sure can’t beat the fresh veggies I’ve been able to get every Saturday!  This week’s haul included tomatoes, cucumbers, corn, squash, pears, plums, apples, carrots, cabbage, and broccoli florets.  Mmm!
Late this afternoon, Emma and I hopped in the car and took a drive down the Northern half of the auto tour route to see what we could see.  There was one lone Western meadowlark still singing his heart out.  :)
Two feet away was a song sparrow enjoying the concert.  :)
As we turned down a side spur, I spotted two families of sandhill cranes feeding in one of the fields.  Each pair had one juvenile with them. (the juveniles don’t have the red on their foreheads yet)
They all suddenly looked to the right, and the second bird from the left began to call out.
I thought they were just communicating with another bunch of cranes further down the field.
But what I didn’t discover until I got home and was editing the pictures, is that there was a coyote watching them looking for his supper!  The young of the year are able to fly now, so it was probably wishful thinking on the part of the coyote.  It’s survival of the fittest out in the wild, so you just never know…

Speaking of coyotes, Emma is now pacing the rig with her hair up as we are being serenaded by some very close coyotes.  They have been leaving “calling cards” around the rig for Emma in the middle of the night.  Isn’t it nice to have friends come calling??  :)

Thanks for stopping by….talk to you later,  Judy

Fall rolls on…

When I take Emma for her first outs each morning around dawn, I’ve noticed the increasing silence as the season progresses.  There is no longer the exuberant cacophony of the dawn chorus of birds that we experience in spring and early summer.  Now, only a few Western meadowlarks sing a few notes.  The nighthawks no longer roost in the trees overnight, and today I brought in my hummingbird feeder.  Last week’s cold front passage persuaded many of my avian friends to take flight for warmer climes.  I, too, shall take flight in one week and head South.

The warblers that nest up North in Canada are streaming through the refuge, and serious birders are haunting the paths around the visitor’s center early each morning.  The tall trees around headquarters are a magnet in this desert for those little travelers needing a place to rest and refuel on their long journey.  We haven’t had a hard frost yet, so there are still abundant insects to build up fat reserves.
The 200+ sandhill cranes that nest on the refuge are beginning to congregate, and are being joined by others from up North.  They will soon be heading off to central California.
The red-tailed hawks are still soaring each afternoon in the skies, and they are being joined by other raptors that will winter here.  It is a time of change and movement.  For everything, there is a season…

This noon, there was a luncheon at the Narrow’s Saloon for those of us volunteers that will be migrating on in the next week or so.  Thanks was expressed for our contributions to the refuge along with wishes that we would return.  It was a nice ending to my time here.  I still have a few work days left, but most staff members will not be around next week.  It will be up to us volunteers to keep the refuge running.  :)

On the more mundane side, Judd, a fellow volunteer, stopped over this afternoon to see if he could find the elusive hydraulic leveler dip stick that I have been unable to locate.  Before retiring, Judd spent 40 years with his own mechanics shop and was very familiar with this sort of thing and big equipment.  After I told him what the Winnebago tech had said, it only took him about two minutes to find the dip stick.  Of course, unlike me, he knew what he was looking for.  :)  I’ll be buying more fluid tomorrow to replace the stuff that leaked out, but at least now we know where to put it.  Then it will be a matter of getting the rig to a qualified repair shop to get the leak fixed.    I have e-mailed the manufacturer of the system requesting a repair facility location.  That will pretty much determine my route out of here towards Texas.

Thanks for stopping by….talk to you later,  Judy