On the road again....Happy Holidays

Finally, ahh, finally we made it out of Junction City, Oregon.....where our Homey was born. What a long trying time it was waiting for parts...getting things done and updated on Homey. But alas and hooray...we are done for now.

I will have some pictures of our new addition in a future post.....
We are currently in Florence, Oregon....on the coast....picked up our dining chairs that were reupholstered and now as I type a carpet is being put in our bedroom. Jeff ran off to the casino...so I stayed behind to run the slide room in and out for Jose who is installing.
We will leave here late tonight or very very early tomorrow to make it to Sebastopol, Ca. to spend Christmas with friends. It will be a long 10 hour drive.

In the meantime I am very happy to be on the road again and enjoy our new addition. I watch it all the time. And listen to the nice sounds it makes. Every now and then I Change it.
Anyway stay tuned for pictures of the new addition
can you guess what the new addition is?
the correct answer gets a prize..

.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah

Still Here..........

Darn,
We are still here In Junction City, Oregon. The New 32 inch HDTV..is almost installed... I will include some pictures of the TV when it is done.

We have lots of loose ends to tie up before we head south. I am getting frustrated..., I could be at the coast picking juicy boletes instead of hanging out here in the smog. boo hoo... well enough of my crying....

We went to a fun Light parade in town ...below is the video....

I forget the name of the artist of this picture...darn....he is the same artist that did the picture of the two cats and me on the bottom left of my blog page....ha...well I like to think it is me......anyway, when i know i will post it...that is me sleeping in the leaves...did you see Ballie there?
The artist is Jean-Paul Avisse.

Hanging out in and around Eugene Oregon, Thanksgiving Dinner with new friends and Coach owners

Wow has it been a whole month without blogging... what the heck have we been doing?

Well we have been hanging out in this part of Oregon for over a month now.(Maybe too long..Jeff is looking kind of fishy) Having various things done to fix Homey and all the normal check up type appointments that Homey needs.... nothing major....just all these things take time...

We are out of the homey most days when it goes into service....so our lives are a bit disrupted...we leave and the cats leave with us...they stay in the car all day. Sometimes we hang out with others in service...sometimes we go out and about. Picked some mushrooms to replenish my stock.

I am ready to move on, but we cant just yet.
we love hanging out with our friends here, but we are tired of living out of our homey all day...and tired of living in disarray.... . Next week we will have the TV put in...then after that we go to the coast to pick up our chairs and to have new carpet installed.

I am now sitting with Jeff in a Coffee shop, just had a maple nut latte. Christmas music playing, Nutcrackers sitting on display on the upper level, Christmas tree in the corner, Icicle lights in the front window. LOVEY
Just finished watching, on the computer, the last episode of Survivor that i missed, great episode.
Jeff is working on his crossword puzzle..and occasionally interrupts me and asks me too look up something on the Internet to help him with the puzzle....LIFE IS GOOD..

Jeff with fish head above...went to a McGraths fish restaurant and that is what they would put on your head if it was your birthday ..so Jeff decided it was his birthday....he got ice cream too.
I couldn't help taking the picture below...the kitties all cuddled up in that small bed. The little girl

liked that too.



Below are two videos....one is our thanksgiving dinner..Tammy and Mom wanted pictures of Jeff's plates ....so they got them...
sorry guys about no videos lately...but i see no one is complaining too much...Ha
Hopefully i will do more in the future....

Mt. Pisgah Mushroom Festival, Eugene Oregon

This is a great one day Mushroom Festival. I wish it was longer. Very Festive event. Music, Food, Books, Plant sale, Scarecrow contest, Walks, Mushroom Id, mushroom displays, some arts and crafts.









It was a pretty cold drizzly day, perfect for the mushrooms, and we were ok with our rain pants and rain coat.
We had wild mushroom and steak stew served in filo dough bowl with a salad. and the shared a wild mushroom soup...Yummmm
Wish you were there....

Eugene Saturday Market

This is a great Market...

sorry about the video..might try to capture again next week a little slower and more detail...

Anyway the produce is wonderful, the arts and crafts and food great as well.
Lots of Organic stuff.

Yachats Mushroom Festival Day 2

This was the second day of the mushroom festival we attended last week. We had a great time, but felt the festival lacked the excitement that the previous festivals had.

Check out the Mt. Pisgah mushroom festival that i will Blog soon. That festival is held in Eugene and is one day and allot of fun.

Mushroom Festival weekend, Yachats, Oregon

Well this is Yachats Mushroom Festival Weekend, Jeff and I have been to three of these so far and always look forward to the next one we are able to go to.

We stay south of Yachats....pronounced yah hots...at Sea Perch RV park, which is on the ocean.
Today we walked the bea
ch, and then went mushroom hunting with our friend Jim, who lives in Yachats.

In the evening we went to the Mushroom Festival Dinner....cake raffle, and silent auction.
Tomorrow we will go on a few guided mushroom walks and maybe a lecture. or two.

Black Butte Hike, Sisters, Oregon

This is the hike we did yesterday...Black Butte Trail it was a good short exercise hike, 4 miles round trip. Click on the highlighted text and you can see pictures of what we should have seen. We happened to go on a overcast, chilly day, so not to many distant views for us.
It was good to get the exercise, as we just hung out and did nothing the day before.

I also got to try out my new shoes...with new insoles. So far so good, I will need a longer hike to get the real story. I now have the Keen Targhee II eVENT mid hiker. I was told to get a certain insole, 30 dollars I might add. but they seem to work they are the sof sole stable trac.
I also have new hiking poles from REI they are shock absorbing and were on sale. I like the poles too...I only used one to hike most of the time.....

Jeff and I both love to buy things here in Oregon as there is no sales tax...
We ordered a GPS Unit from Walmart.com which should arrive next week.
..this is a must so we wont get lost, again.
The unit I ordered is the Garmin 60 Csx
it has good reviews and it was 100 dollars less at walmart then anywhere online.
My Iritis in my left eye seems to be healing well...lets hope no more episodes. Today Jeff and I arrived in our second home Eugene, Oregon. we will be here for a few days at Cummins getting engine and generator check ups. Then onto the Yachats mushroom festival for the weekend and back to Eugene area to have work done on Homey.....I cant wait to get to all my old Haunts.....
tofu cheescake from the SWEET LIFE is calling my name....

Canyon Creek Meadow hike, Mt Jefferson Wilderness, Oregon

This was a very nice hike, not to difficult and the weather was great.
We saw a few new birds, red crossbills, Black backed woodpecker and Chestnut backed chickadees.
The hike went by a small pond, thru a burn area of forest....many acres, and then to a meadow, which i imagine is wonderful when the wildflowers are blooming, from the meadow we went onto a glacial lake, very nice green color, and glaciers.
We met three nice young gals, 2 from Portland, Oregon area, one from new york that is considering moving to Oregon. Other than that we only saw one other person and their dog on the trail.

pictures of the hike here

Sisters, Oregon

We are now in Sisters, Oregon. The town name comes from the three mountains(volcano's) that are a beautiful back drop to the area. We plan to stay here a few days and do some hiking.

Jeff golfed today...i walked around town, some fun shops, and got my hair cut and colored.

We are parked at Sisters city park, nice location in town, I can walk to everything. The sites are large, but there are no hookups. Our generator does just fine for times like this.

Lava Hot Springs, Idaho

Went to Lava Hot Springs Pools for the weekend after John finished his job in Soda Springs. We were wondering why there were so many people in town...but then realized it was Columbus Day weekend...So we chose to go to the pools in the evening both Friday and Saturday nights. Friday it was rainy...it was fun to sit in the hot pools and have the cool rain. Saturday was just cool and the hot springs refreshing.

We did a short hike up the hill behind the town...we had intended to do the hill on the opposite side of town but couldn't find an access....seemed like it was all private land.

This is a very small town and it looks like the hot springs is what makes it survive...
The pools are great...four of them, that vary in temperature...the hottest being around 110...ouch...

Here's a little history on the Pools.

Soda Springs, Hooper Springs and Formation Springs and Cave

Today started out rainy, so we stayed in till we met Barb at the hotel at 12. Hung out there and John joined us for lunch. After lunch Jeff, Barb and I headed out to See Hooper Springs, with the intent of bottling some of the carbonated water...but it didn't taste that good.
Soda water from these springs was known nationally after rail service reached this resort area in 1882.





We then went to Formation springs and Cave. Very pretty area this time of year with the fall colors.

This Nature Conservancy Preserve, a few miles outside of Soda Springs, was established to protect the crystal-clear pools and a unique wetland complex at the base of the scenic Aspen Mountains. The cold springs that feed the terraced pools and creek system deposit high concentrations of travertine (calcium carbonate), which gives the site its unique geology.

We finished off the day with some mexican food and a beautiful sunset.



pictures

Intro to Soda Springs Idaho

We are now in Soda Springs, Idaho. Well sort of. We are outside of town one mile, parked outside of the Supper club restaurant and The Oregon Trail Golf course.

We didn't intend to stay here, but after inspecting the few RV sites they had in town we decided to stop here and see if they would let us park Homey and stay here for a few days. The owners of the Restaurant were kind enough to let us stay here for a week for a reasonable fee.

The parks in town were run down trailer parks , dumpy and no views. We were also considering staying 20 miles away in lava springs....but after driving to soda springs from there felt it would be too long of a drive....besides there seems to be a few more things to do in this area.

We will go back to lava springs for a good soak in the Hot spring pools.

We plan on doing some birding on the birding trail they have mapped out, want to see some Sandhill cranes. Also this is a Historic byway, the Oregon Trail went through here among other interesting historical stuff. We also want to fill up some jugs with naturally carbonated Hooper springs water. And of course hang out with John and Barb when they have free time.

Rabbit Ear and McDonald Creek Hikes

We did two hikes today, Rabbit Ear and McDonald Creek. It was cool the start of Rabbit ear hike...then slowly warmed up to hot.

Rabbit Ear featured views of the Colorado river and the LaSalle mountain range and the mesas.

It was very Hot when we hiked McDonald creek, ugh...the Indian rock art was nice to see.
other wise it was hot...I think the low 80s.

So it is time to move on anyway, cooler climates,
fall weather. We leave tomorrow to meet John and Barbara in Idaho.

Rough Canyon and Mica Mine Hike

Great Hike via a stream bed in Rough Canyon and to a Mica Mine in Bangs Canyon.

In Rough Canyon we did allot of bouldering. Good work out for the arms and legs. Found some rock art.


This picture is Jeff standing near some native American rock art.

The Mica Mine was allot of fun, big chunks of mica, and tailing's of white quartz.


photos

music by Baka Beyond

Pollock Bench Hike

Today we did our last hike in the McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area.

We hiked Pollock Bench and a bit of the Flume trail. It was sad to say goodbye to this wonderful area we have been hiking.

It was another great hike, hot day, in the high 70s. Nice Rock Formations.

Some very cool homes made into the rock formations. Check out the Picture below.

Tomorrow we plan on hiking to an old mica mine. Hopefully we will find some nice specimens.

pictures

Rattlesnake Canyon Arches Hike

Today we hiked Rattlesnake Canyon Arches Trail.
We had intended to do this hike yesterday, but when we read that it was a 14 mile hike from where we had wanted to start we decided to take another route. It was suggested that the 14 mile hike is best done in two days. So we opted for the long 11 mile drive over bumpy dirt roads and a six mile hike instead.
It was a beautiful clear day in the mid seventies. The rock spires and arches were amazing to see.
We saw a golden eagle, and many bunny rabbits.

pictures here

Devils Canyon Hike

Today we hiked Devils Canyon.

It was a beautiful day. Started out cool but then warmed up and was in the 70s.

I was able to hike in a tank top and Capri's.
That's what I'm takin about.
No clouds in the sky.
It was all about rocks today.....
saw a coyote too.

7 mile round trip hike...easy compared to what we had been doing.

Tomorrow we plan on doing a 12 mile hike to some arches. I am excited about that one....will look on the ground again for arrowheads.

pictures

Hike into Monument Canyon

Today we Hiked Monument Canyon.
It was a 7 mile hike for us. Not much elevation change , 600 feet. So an easy hike for us today.
It was a pleasant day, in the high 60s. I looked for arrowheads. If I found one i wouldnt be able to keep it because this is a National Monument.
OH Well.
The red rock formations are amazing.

pictures here..

music again by Baka Beyond

Fruita Fall Festival

Happy New Year to all our Jewish Friends and Family.

Today we didn't do to much, Jeff watched the Ryder cup in the am. Then we went to the Fruita Fall Festival for a few hours. Good Music, Some good crafts.
Went out for Pizza...Pablo's Pizza.
It was fantastic pizza..thin crispy crust. We had the Sophia, and
the Yogi Way Salad. Wow..both great.
Now we have to Hike big time.

We plan on doing a twelve mile one tomorrow into the monument area.

What Pizza and salad show we order next?

Colorado National Monument Drive

Well today was rainy all morning and afternoon, so I worked on my music library and Jeff watched golf....or excuse me...he watched the Ryder Cup.

Late afternoon when golf was over and the rain stopped we went for a drive into the
Colorado National Monument.

A very Cool place. The rock formations beautiful.
I look forward to the next week of hiking in this place. I just hope it gets warmer.

check out the pictures here

Now in Fruitia, Colorado near Grand Junction

Howdy,

Yeah we moved on...away from the scarey Black Canyon...ha...

We are now in Fruita.
We are staying at the Colorado river state park
We are close to Grand Junction and the fruit orchards,
Colorado National Monument
and
McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area

There seems to be lots of hiking here so we may stay here about a week..
We will go to the Fruita Fall Festival this weekend.

So far Looks like a very fun area to be in.

Thanks to you all for your comments on my blog.

Crystals and Chocolate

Well it was a cloudy and rainy day, so I took time to take pictures of the Crystals.


Then went into town to get supplies and check out the Russell Stover chocolate outlet.

Drive to North Rim of the Black Canyon and Green Mountain Hike

YIKES....again I say YIKES...
I dont know about you but I get this strange sinking feeling in my legs and butt when I get close to the edge in a high place....and this was high and straight down....too scary for me.

I couldnt stay near the edge very long.

Needless to say I didnt have the most comfortable day.

The scenery was amazing. I think I would rather be in the canyon looking up, as far as comfort is concerned.







click here to see pictures of the trip

Now In Montrose, Colorado

Howdy,
We have moved to Montrose
a bit lower in Elevation.....so it is a bit warmer. In the seventies today and tomorrow the same.
We are staying at Kings Riverbend Park. Nice RV park...with a river running by it. Free Wifi.
We plan on touring the Black Canyon while we are here and doing some more hiking.
Tomorrow we plan on taking a 2 hour drive and then hiking.


Jeff also would like to hike down into the canyon and fish. I am not sure about doing that hike. I hear it is very difficult. So we will see.

Bridge of Heaven Hike

Well this was quite a hike. 3000 plus elevation gain, 8.4 miles. Wonderful mountain top scenery.
Crystals on the mountain top. It was sooo cold starting the hike and again when we got to the bridge of heaven.
my fingers got numb.

Link to pictures of the Hike

Crystals for my family.....Yipee

Hanging out and Portland Mine hike

Well this video is two days in one... yesterday we just hung out. It was a rainy cold day. I got my hair colored, jeff worked on the computer and read. I am two pages away from finishing lonesome dove. The second part of the video is our hike we did today to the portland mine and some of the crystals and rocks we picked up...we got a late start, too bad...I would have liked more time hunting crystals....boo hoo.

Box Canyon Falls and Rockhounding

The forecast for today wasn't so great...rain, so we decided to stay in town and do a few things.
We had breakfast, went to the Coffee shop that has great Organic coffee.

Then took our previous rock findings to the Rock shop and found out that we are Fools...ha we aren't rich...we have Pyrite...

But that's OK...we will find the mother load soon.

We then went to the falls...very nice. After that went out for lunch, did a little drive thru town and then to an old mine site and looked thru the rocks. Found some rocks with small crystals on them.
link to pictures of the day

WARNING you might want to turn the volume down on your speakers when I get close to the falls...
very Noisy

Blue Lakes Hike

It was a nice warm day. Great huff puff hike. I was a bit tired to start but I hung in there and it was well worth it.

The first lake was sooooo Blue.
I think we had about 2000 foot or so elevation gain. My feet didn't mind going up...but they weren't so happy going down.


click here to see all the pictures

I wanted a John Denver song for this last video..but alas I didnt have one on my computer.
I guess I need to subscribe to some music download thingy...or buy an album..