Sep 17, 2012 - Chilly Coast - head inland

We decided to go inland for a few days because the fog was rolling in thick, damp & chilly. We headed for Salem, one of our favorite Elks Lodges with full hook ups and wifi for only $17.00 a night. We traveled through more farmland and a little forest, crossing the Willimette River, entering the Willimette Valley which is warmer than the coast.

Aug 23, 2012 - Salem

I went into the office when they opened at 08:00AM and had them write up a service order. At approximately 08:30AM Peterson Machinery hooked up the drive train and took the RV into the shop. They performed a diagnostic and found a couple of fault codes. They found the IAP sensor wiring had not been completely closed and that caused the fault codes. They flashed the ECM and re-ran the diagnostics and everything appeared to be fine – no fault codes were present. We took the RV on a test drive with the diagnostic computer hooked up to the ECM...

Aug 22, 2012 - Salem, Oregon

Mobile Diesel performed a diagnostic scan starting at 11:30AM. The scan lasted less than 15 minutes that showed two faults. Later in the afternoon they checked the engine wiring harness and could not find anything wrong. They finished just before 16:00PM and said there was nothing more they could do and I needed to go to Cat in Eugene. I did a Google search and located both a Cat and Freightliner shop in Eugene. I called a shop in Eugene and they gave me the number for another Cat shop and said I should call them which I did. I explained my...

Aug 19, 2012 - Salem, Oregon

I departed Tillamook at 09:20AM on Highway 101 South. At 09:45AM, just 9.3 miles from the Elks RV Park and just coming into Beaver, Oregon the RV quit again. I was able to pull into a Tillamook County bus turnout and called roadside assistance. Roadside assistance told me that because I was off the highway they would leave me where I was until 8AM Monday morning when they would contact a tow company and take me to the nearest service. I tried to tell them my RV was on a Freightliner chassis with a Cat 350 engine and the best thing to do...

Aug 3, 2012 - Salem, OR

We visited the capitol building while in Salem and climbed to the dome top to meet the Gold Man. We also took Bonnie on a walk over the Willamette River on the Union Street Railroad Pedestrian bridge. She took a swim in the river with her new friend Sadie after our walk in 91 degrees. Then we took a turn through the Saturday Market to pick up some fresh, local fruit and veggies. We also took in some winery tastings of the world famous Pinot Noir (red) and Pinot Gris (white) wines that are crafted here in the Willamette and Umpqua Valleys. I...

Jul 31, 2012 - Oregon's Beautiful State Capital

During the course of our month-long stay here, we have visited downtown Salem on various occasions either passing through to other destinations or to explore some of Oregon’s state capital as well as third largest city – third to Portland and Eugene. The thing that struck us both is how small the city feels and no buildings higher than the state capitol building. Small, quaint and compact would be how we’d describe it – oh, and very easy to get around in and NOT very crowded either! Salem is located in the center of the Willamette Valley...

Jul 29, 2012 - Miscellaneous Around Salem Area

We really have enjoyed our stay in the Phoenix RV Park here in Salem as well as the local surroundings. None of these pictures necessarily fell into any category of some of our visits to areas while here, so this is a mish-mash of places seen along the scenic highways and by-ways. We had more things to see on our list, but weather was not the most conducive to get to them all. Not only have we seen some of the most heavily forested areas while here, but we have also marveled at the amount of agriculture throughout the Willamette Valley –...

Jul 4, 2012 - Happy Fourth of July

Happy Two Hundred and Thirty Six Years America! For the first time since arriving in Salem, the sun is out, the temps are wonderful, no hint of rain and just an absolutely gorgeous day to enjoy sitting outside with a good book! The chicken is in the marinade and it’s barbecue time for us today! To follow-up on our camera saga; the news was NOT good at the Shutter Bug. Seems the “smudge” or “spot” on the camera’s lens was not on the outer lens, but instead located on the inner lenses of the camera and a very rare occurrence we were told!...

Jun 30, 2012 - Salem, Oregon

We arrived yesterday at one of our favorite Elks lodges, Salem. When we went into the bar to register for our RV space, there were some people there that remembered us from our 2009 visit. Last night we had dinner in the lodge with John & Laura, and we closed the place down singing Karaoke. We had a great time! Today was shopping and relaxing, while John & Laura went to see the city, this being their first visit to Salem. We had a little rain this afternoon that resulted in a lovely FULL double rainbow.

Jun 29, 2012 - Moving West to Salem

The perfect type of travel day! Not too hot, not too sunny and mild temps! We got underway a tad before 9:00 a.m., made our usual stop about fifty miles out to check on the car and have a light breakfast before getting underway. Then the unfortunate occurred! I discovered something on the lens of our NEW camera, or only three months old appears to have a scratch or chip on the lens! We have tried countless attempts at cleaning the lens hoping it was merely a smudge to no avail. So, please keep your fingers crossed for us our visit to "The...

Jun 6, 2012 - Gathering necessary items for my trip

Have a few items I need before I take off for my trip. I have my power converters so I can charge my electronics cause for some reason they're all weird over there with their plugs-in and stuff. I thought about taking a phone, I can set one up but in this day and age we have some much tech around us (email, Skype, etc) why spend more money. I will take it just in case though. And of course I have to take a camera and camcorder so that I show everyone back in the states how exciting traveling is to a foreign country.

May 28, 2012 - Salem, OR

We continued our trek north today, after spending one night in Obrien, OR. It was a great place, (Lone Mountain RV park) only 4 years old so all the facilities were new. The owner's wife has a green thumb, and the landscaping was beautiful. At only $22 it was a bargain. The Laundry room was on the honor system... wash clothes, and leave some money in the envelope provided. That's how considerate most RVer's are, you can actually get away with that! Breezy got some added stimulation, because there were at least three very friendly cats...