highdesertranger
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ahhhh, the life. highdesertranger
Van Tramp adventures 2018
- Thread starter Van-Tramp
- Start date
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Van-Tramp said:The 2018 year is all about staying on the West Coast for the duration of the year. And, I am very happy to say we will be in the van the whole time, leaving the trailer behind with family. Our plan starts with another trip into Baja for the winter, then a slow migration up California, Oregon, Washington, and maybe even a little bit of Canada again. So, here goes...
Van-Tramp
Well-known member
Rest area, a guppy, and a whole lot of wood
https://www.van-tramp.com/wp/rest-area-a-guppy-and-a-whole-lot-of-wood/
[size=medium]It’s been a while since we have spent a night at a roadside rest area, but after leaving our forest site and driving for hours to pickup water and trying to find a spot to crash for the night, we settled on the nice rest area just south of Tillamook, Oregon. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t one of those Interstate rest areas full of trucks and homeless either. On the contrary, the neighboring property was a chicken ranch with a gazillion chickens roaming around, none of which were happy to see Moose and I stroll up to take a gander at them in the morning.
Only a few miles away is the Tillamook Air Museum, and I love me an air museum, so after breakfast we popped in for a visit. First things first, the museum is housed in a *portion* of this massive WW2 era blimp hanger sitting out in the middle of green pasture. It is huge! In fact, they say it is the largest wooden structure in the world. It truly was a whole lot of wood.
As for the museum itself – well it was a bit underwhelming. Not really a lot going on in there to be honest. They have such a large space and only a few planes. They fill in the gaps with displays of old vehicles, tractors, and ship models made of scrap construction wood. The real stars of the show is the “guppy” plane sitting right out front and the hanger itself. They are both just so massive it blows the mind.
[/size]
https://www.van-tramp.com/wp/rest-area-a-guppy-and-a-whole-lot-of-wood/
[size=medium]It’s been a while since we have spent a night at a roadside rest area, but after leaving our forest site and driving for hours to pickup water and trying to find a spot to crash for the night, we settled on the nice rest area just south of Tillamook, Oregon. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t one of those Interstate rest areas full of trucks and homeless either. On the contrary, the neighboring property was a chicken ranch with a gazillion chickens roaming around, none of which were happy to see Moose and I stroll up to take a gander at them in the morning.
Only a few miles away is the Tillamook Air Museum, and I love me an air museum, so after breakfast we popped in for a visit. First things first, the museum is housed in a *portion* of this massive WW2 era blimp hanger sitting out in the middle of green pasture. It is huge! In fact, they say it is the largest wooden structure in the world. It truly was a whole lot of wood.
As for the museum itself – well it was a bit underwhelming. Not really a lot going on in there to be honest. They have such a large space and only a few planes. They fill in the gaps with displays of old vehicles, tractors, and ship models made of scrap construction wood. The real stars of the show is the “guppy” plane sitting right out front and the hanger itself. They are both just so massive it blows the mind.
[/size]
Van-Tramp
Well-known member
Cape Lookout State Park
https://www.van-tramp.com/wp/cape-lookout-state-park/
[size=medium]As we drove up the coastal highway we were just about to pass [size=large]Cape Lookout State Parkhttps://oregonstateparks.org/index.cfm?do=parkPage.dsp_parkPage&parkId=134. Although the sign was making a very clear statement with the “Campground Full” sign out, we popped in anyway. Pulling up to the Ranger station I inquired if there was a cancellation in the campground and the gentlemen responded with, “literally, a cancellation just happened. She is still on the phone with the cancellation now”, pointing at another Ranger on the phone. That’s just how it goes sometimes. We immediately nabbed up a single night, even though it was barely past noon.
[size=large]
[/size][/size][/size]
[size=medium]Now we had an afternoon to just relax, so we did just that. Kerri immediately began working on her bag of oysters she just picked up at a roadside vendor. Not much else was done until just before dinner time. Thinking the sun was low enough in the sky to not be so hot, we grabbed the dogs and walked out to the “off leash area” of the beach (BTW, it is so nice that they provide places like this, we all love it).
Along the way we had to walk through the group camp area of the state park. Moose, as usual, pees on just about every tree or bush along the way. As he lifted his leg on a wooden fence-post I hear a man cry out from behind me, “Aw come on! Don’t let him pee on our stuff!” I turned, smiled, and politely responded, “He peed on the post, not your stuff.” I got no response back, but I assume he accepted my response.
Now, I completely understand some angst over a dog peeing on personal belongings, but I wondered – since Moose was clearly no where near his belongings – if he meant that the post was his “stuff”. Does he seriously think that while in a campground, camped on the trail leading out to the “off leash area”, that dogs wont be coming by and marking? Did he realize that Moose only tagged that spot because COUNTLESS other dogs have done so in the past? Bah, never mind…
The dogs had a blast on the beach, as they always do. Moose ran, even into the waters, and peed on more wood. Byron chased the ball into the waves and upon retrieval, just stood there in the water with his tail flopping away like a helicopter blade behind him. I ran them both hard, so when we got back to camp (returning a different way to avoid the group camp) my hope was that they would both nap the rest of the day away, but they did not.
In the morning we set out to tackle the 2.3 mile (each way) trail out to Cape Lookout. It was early enough in the morning to avoid the majority of the crowds, but even then we only just nabbed one of the final parking spaces in the lot. The three of is (Moose included) set out on the hike. I fully expected a cool temperature due to the fog, but was hoping it would clear up during the hour or so before we got to the point. It did not. In fact, the fog was literally coming down on us like a good rain storm. We were getting soaked, and the breeze made it very cold. Kerri insisted on continuing the hike – ignoring the possibility of hypothermia – and eventually we made our way to the end of the trail – to the ‘lookout’ of Cape Lookout… and our view was nothing but fog. {insert eye roll here}
[size=large]
https://www.van-tramp.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/IMG_4011.jpg
Still, it felt good to get off my butt and do something. I will admit that I’ve gotten quite lazy recently and it has taken a toll on me. I needed this hike, and many more in the future, to start the process back to a healthier me.
By the time we returned from our hike, the lot and all the road leading too it, was filled with parked cars. People had swarmed the trail on our way back to the parking lot. Everyone in all of Oregon was on this very trail! We got to Big Blue, loaded up, and quickly got out of the area.
[/size][/size]
https://www.van-tramp.com/wp/cape-lookout-state-park/
[size=medium]As we drove up the coastal highway we were just about to pass [size=large]Cape Lookout State Parkhttps://oregonstateparks.org/index.cfm?do=parkPage.dsp_parkPage&parkId=134. Although the sign was making a very clear statement with the “Campground Full” sign out, we popped in anyway. Pulling up to the Ranger station I inquired if there was a cancellation in the campground and the gentlemen responded with, “literally, a cancellation just happened. She is still on the phone with the cancellation now”, pointing at another Ranger on the phone. That’s just how it goes sometimes. We immediately nabbed up a single night, even though it was barely past noon.
[size=large]
[/size][/size][/size][size=medium]Now we had an afternoon to just relax, so we did just that. Kerri immediately began working on her bag of oysters she just picked up at a roadside vendor. Not much else was done until just before dinner time. Thinking the sun was low enough in the sky to not be so hot, we grabbed the dogs and walked out to the “off leash area” of the beach (BTW, it is so nice that they provide places like this, we all love it).
Along the way we had to walk through the group camp area of the state park. Moose, as usual, pees on just about every tree or bush along the way. As he lifted his leg on a wooden fence-post I hear a man cry out from behind me, “Aw come on! Don’t let him pee on our stuff!” I turned, smiled, and politely responded, “He peed on the post, not your stuff.” I got no response back, but I assume he accepted my response.
Now, I completely understand some angst over a dog peeing on personal belongings, but I wondered – since Moose was clearly no where near his belongings – if he meant that the post was his “stuff”. Does he seriously think that while in a campground, camped on the trail leading out to the “off leash area”, that dogs wont be coming by and marking? Did he realize that Moose only tagged that spot because COUNTLESS other dogs have done so in the past? Bah, never mind…
The dogs had a blast on the beach, as they always do. Moose ran, even into the waters, and peed on more wood. Byron chased the ball into the waves and upon retrieval, just stood there in the water with his tail flopping away like a helicopter blade behind him. I ran them both hard, so when we got back to camp (returning a different way to avoid the group camp) my hope was that they would both nap the rest of the day away, but they did not.
In the morning we set out to tackle the 2.3 mile (each way) trail out to Cape Lookout. It was early enough in the morning to avoid the majority of the crowds, but even then we only just nabbed one of the final parking spaces in the lot. The three of is (Moose included) set out on the hike. I fully expected a cool temperature due to the fog, but was hoping it would clear up during the hour or so before we got to the point. It did not. In fact, the fog was literally coming down on us like a good rain storm. We were getting soaked, and the breeze made it very cold. Kerri insisted on continuing the hike – ignoring the possibility of hypothermia – and eventually we made our way to the end of the trail – to the ‘lookout’ of Cape Lookout… and our view was nothing but fog. {insert eye roll here}
[size=large]
https://www.van-tramp.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/IMG_4011.jpg
Still, it felt good to get off my butt and do something. I will admit that I’ve gotten quite lazy recently and it has taken a toll on me. I needed this hike, and many more in the future, to start the process back to a healthier me.
By the time we returned from our hike, the lot and all the road leading too it, was filled with parked cars. People had swarmed the trail on our way back to the parking lot. Everyone in all of Oregon was on this very trail! We got to Big Blue, loaded up, and quickly got out of the area.
[/size][/size]
Van-Tramp
Well-known member
Abandoned vehicles and a foggy forest
https://www.van-tramp.com/wp/abandoned-vehicles-and-a-foggy-forest/
[size=medium]Oregon has some great state forests which are treated very similarly to their bigger brother, the national forests – at least when it comes to their allowance of dispersed camping. We needed a place to spend our work week again, so Kerri set her keen eye to work on the maps. It didn’t take long before she found a half-dozen possible spots in the state forest land north of Tillamook, Oregon. We spent the rest of our Sunday exploring the gravel roads, and the spurs, of said forest.
The first spot we came across would have been great, if it had not been for one of the locals hauling out their old travel trailer and dumping in in the spot. Not only was the travel trailer gutted and destroyed, it was loaded up with bags and bags of household trash. Seriously people!
We kept exploring, more gravel roads, and more pushing through the ever grasping berry bushes along the smaller spur roads. We would find a fair spot here and there, but one of two things would keep us from staying; either the foliage was too thick and we would not get any solar, or the locals have dumped their trash. So, we would move on to hopefully fond another spot.
Finally, late in the afternoon we came upon a clearing. It was plainly clear that the locals use this area for some target shooting, but it had open sky for the solar and even a view to the sunset- and an abandoned (probably stolen) burned out car. Even without the fiery wreck, it wasn’t really a very pretty spot, but it’ll do for the night so we could explore more the following day.
During the evening we had come up with a few more spots to explore further down the road but it didn’t take us long to find our spot for the week. Barely another half-mile, down a steep and tight spur road, we dead-ended into a spot on the side of the mountain, with a spectacular view over the city of Tillamook to our South. Surrounded by berry bushes and a whole lot of solitude, this is where we would settle into for the week, knowing there was no chance at all of having any visitors. Alas, within just a few hours of our arrival a truck pulled up behind us. It was a local Sheriff deputy, who was not only surprised that we were down this particular road, but happy for us to have such a private spot with the view. He was a nice enough fella just doing his job. We parted ways with a hand shake and a ‘safe travels’.
The four of us settled in for the week. Each day we would work, and each evening we would sit out with a cocktail and watch the fog roll in to cover up Tillamook below us. In the mornings we would watch as the fog would roll back out. The dogs hung out all day, every day. Byron slept, but Moose was on the hunt, killing – and bringing home – two rodents on one evening alone. He was so proud I couldn’t do anything but trade him a treat for the carcass so I could dispose of it.
The temperatures were cool and pleasant with all the solar we needed. It was only on the final day did the fog decide to include us in the fun, covering over us from the previous night through the morning we packed up and left. It was a nice farewell to a great spot. Thanks state forest… and farewell.
[/size]
https://www.van-tramp.com/wp/abandoned-vehicles-and-a-foggy-forest/
[size=medium]Oregon has some great state forests which are treated very similarly to their bigger brother, the national forests – at least when it comes to their allowance of dispersed camping. We needed a place to spend our work week again, so Kerri set her keen eye to work on the maps. It didn’t take long before she found a half-dozen possible spots in the state forest land north of Tillamook, Oregon. We spent the rest of our Sunday exploring the gravel roads, and the spurs, of said forest.
The first spot we came across would have been great, if it had not been for one of the locals hauling out their old travel trailer and dumping in in the spot. Not only was the travel trailer gutted and destroyed, it was loaded up with bags and bags of household trash. Seriously people!
We kept exploring, more gravel roads, and more pushing through the ever grasping berry bushes along the smaller spur roads. We would find a fair spot here and there, but one of two things would keep us from staying; either the foliage was too thick and we would not get any solar, or the locals have dumped their trash. So, we would move on to hopefully fond another spot.
Finally, late in the afternoon we came upon a clearing. It was plainly clear that the locals use this area for some target shooting, but it had open sky for the solar and even a view to the sunset- and an abandoned (probably stolen) burned out car. Even without the fiery wreck, it wasn’t really a very pretty spot, but it’ll do for the night so we could explore more the following day.
During the evening we had come up with a few more spots to explore further down the road but it didn’t take us long to find our spot for the week. Barely another half-mile, down a steep and tight spur road, we dead-ended into a spot on the side of the mountain, with a spectacular view over the city of Tillamook to our South. Surrounded by berry bushes and a whole lot of solitude, this is where we would settle into for the week, knowing there was no chance at all of having any visitors. Alas, within just a few hours of our arrival a truck pulled up behind us. It was a local Sheriff deputy, who was not only surprised that we were down this particular road, but happy for us to have such a private spot with the view. He was a nice enough fella just doing his job. We parted ways with a hand shake and a ‘safe travels’.
The four of us settled in for the week. Each day we would work, and each evening we would sit out with a cocktail and watch the fog roll in to cover up Tillamook below us. In the mornings we would watch as the fog would roll back out. The dogs hung out all day, every day. Byron slept, but Moose was on the hunt, killing – and bringing home – two rodents on one evening alone. He was so proud I couldn’t do anything but trade him a treat for the carcass so I could dispose of it.The temperatures were cool and pleasant with all the solar we needed. It was only on the final day did the fog decide to include us in the fun, covering over us from the previous night through the morning we packed up and left. It was a nice farewell to a great spot. Thanks state forest… and farewell.
[/size]
Van-Tramp
Well-known member
I confess it is wearing me out too. And the van has had it’s fifth minor breakdown this year. Lots of off-road driving so lots of little things giving out: two ball joints, universal joint, coolant temp sensor, and just this week one of the fuel injectors died. All easy fixes, but still.
highdesertranger
R.I.P HDR
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someone needs to find a solution for these abandoned vehicles. wave the lien requirements or something. highdesertranger
Van-Tramp
Well-known member
Ocean Park Moose
https://www.van-tramp.com/wp/ocean-park-moose/
[size=medium]Kerri had this nice area of state forest picked out, not far from Astoria, for us to check for some boondocking. From satellite view, it really appeared that this place was created with dozens and dozens of individual pullouts that are synonymous with dispersed camping. Unfortunately, the entire area ended up being gated off. This time it was me who had a backup; across the bridge in Washington is the Ocean Park Moose Lodge.
At the lodge, waiting for our arrival, was an RV spot with water and electric for $10 a night. After a day exploring the local ‘almost ghost town‘ and beach, we settled in for the work week where we could take a short walk into town for coffee in the mornings and such. The lodge was very active, with beer and food being served all day starting at 9AM. I took advantage of the speedy Wifi to get caught up on some downloading, and played a few games of poker with the locals.
With permission to abuse the address, we had more than a few Amazon boxes shipped in during the week. Mostly little things of the same size importance, but one big thing came in for Big Blue… a new stove. It’s always been a talking point that Big Blue had an oven in it. My CampChef Stove/Oven combo turned the van into a proper man-cave in previous years. While I rarely actually used the oven (about once every other month), the oven space was great to fill with soft items (bread, chips, etc) to be stored. Unfortunately, a recent visit to a truck scale informed us of the harsh reality that Big Blue is severely overweight, and the 40-or-so-pound oven was something I was willing to sacrifice (among many other things) to trim the fat. So it got replaced with a much lighter two-burner stove, freeing up not only the weight but a ton of space.
It was really nice to be a block’s walk away from a small town. During the week we did go into town for a morning coffee and even the local taco truck. One of these walks included a small 1.3 mile detour to go see Pacific Pines State Park which quite literally included a bathroom, a single picnic table, and a short walk to the beach. The park was about 2 acres in size… cute. I’d say it was a waste of time, but those bathrooms turned out to be well timed after hiking the entire way with a cup of coffee in hand.
[/size]
https://www.van-tramp.com/wp/ocean-park-moose/
[size=medium]Kerri had this nice area of state forest picked out, not far from Astoria, for us to check for some boondocking. From satellite view, it really appeared that this place was created with dozens and dozens of individual pullouts that are synonymous with dispersed camping. Unfortunately, the entire area ended up being gated off. This time it was me who had a backup; across the bridge in Washington is the Ocean Park Moose Lodge.
At the lodge, waiting for our arrival, was an RV spot with water and electric for $10 a night. After a day exploring the local ‘almost ghost town‘ and beach, we settled in for the work week where we could take a short walk into town for coffee in the mornings and such. The lodge was very active, with beer and food being served all day starting at 9AM. I took advantage of the speedy Wifi to get caught up on some downloading, and played a few games of poker with the locals.
With permission to abuse the address, we had more than a few Amazon boxes shipped in during the week. Mostly little things of the same size importance, but one big thing came in for Big Blue… a new stove. It’s always been a talking point that Big Blue had an oven in it. My CampChef Stove/Oven combo turned the van into a proper man-cave in previous years. While I rarely actually used the oven (about once every other month), the oven space was great to fill with soft items (bread, chips, etc) to be stored. Unfortunately, a recent visit to a truck scale informed us of the harsh reality that Big Blue is severely overweight, and the 40-or-so-pound oven was something I was willing to sacrifice (among many other things) to trim the fat. So it got replaced with a much lighter two-burner stove, freeing up not only the weight but a ton of space.
It was really nice to be a block’s walk away from a small town. During the week we did go into town for a morning coffee and even the local taco truck. One of these walks included a small 1.3 mile detour to go see Pacific Pines State Park which quite literally included a bathroom, a single picnic table, and a short walk to the beach. The park was about 2 acres in size… cute. I’d say it was a waste of time, but those bathrooms turned out to be well timed after hiking the entire way with a cup of coffee in hand.
[/size]user 15857
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I enjoy following your journey. I live near Tillamook and regarding the air museum - they moved most of their aircraft to the museum in Madras, Oregon. Due to the corrosion and rust endemic to the coast it was too expensive to maintain them. They had quite a collection, but the dry desert was better for the planes. There used to be two of those blimp hangers, one burned years ago, full of hay and straw, it was quite a site!
Van-Tramp
Well-known member
Longbeach – Seaview
https://www.van-tramp.com/wp/longbeach-seaview/
[size=medium]We did not stay the entire week at the Moose lodge, opting to move mid week. We moved just a dozen miles South to visit with the Watsons again (not our first time this year) who were camped nearby. A meetup in town at the Shelburne – the oldest operating hotel in Washington (that’s what they say anyway) – for a meal and drinks while catching up on what has transpired in recent months was our evening.
Kerri and I stayed at the Sou’wester Lodge which included a cool collection of antique trailers one could stay in, as well as a small full-hookups RV park which we called home for two nights. We even got to sneak in a much needed hot shower (they all seem to be much needed nowadays) one evening. Kerri also took this opportunity to book a massage appointment in the Lodge – as if I do not rub her back almost every night. I took the time to visit the local auto parts store to get a few more parts for Big Blue in search of fixing an engine gremlin that re-appeared a few days prior – more on that in a future post.
[/size]
https://www.van-tramp.com/wp/longbeach-seaview/
[size=medium]We did not stay the entire week at the Moose lodge, opting to move mid week. We moved just a dozen miles South to visit with the Watsons again (not our first time this year) who were camped nearby. A meetup in town at the Shelburne – the oldest operating hotel in Washington (that’s what they say anyway) – for a meal and drinks while catching up on what has transpired in recent months was our evening.
Kerri and I stayed at the Sou’wester Lodge which included a cool collection of antique trailers one could stay in, as well as a small full-hookups RV park which we called home for two nights. We even got to sneak in a much needed hot shower (they all seem to be much needed nowadays) one evening. Kerri also took this opportunity to book a massage appointment in the Lodge – as if I do not rub her back almost every night. I took the time to visit the local auto parts store to get a few more parts for Big Blue in search of fixing an engine gremlin that re-appeared a few days prior – more on that in a future post.
[/size]
Van-Tramp
Well-known member
A long airstream, fungi hike, and another breakdown
https://www.van-tramp.com/wp/a-long-airstream-fungi-hike-and-another-breakdown/
[size=medium]We have been lingering near Astoria because Kerri had a hair appointment on Saturday morning. It also gave me the opportunity to offload our just-replaced stove/oven. Saturday officially marks Big Blue’s return to oven-less-ness – back to just a two burner stove. After a few hours of waiting around in a parking lot, Kerri returned with slightly shorter and more colorful hair (I notice these things). A quick visit to the Columbia River Maritime Museum for a round of being a tourist, and multiple stores to restock our supplies then ensued. Finally, with a single hour to kill we popped into Lewis & Clark National Historic Park to walk the dogs before a scheduled meetup with John and Laura of the Long, Long Airstream.
Sorry I have no photos to accompany this post. That’s just how the weekend went.
We pulled into Lewis & Clark Golf & RV Park – where John and Laura were camped – and immediately spotted them parked in the grass. Their trailer is a whopping 34 feet and comes with it’s own zip code. Originally we were only going to hang out for a few hours, grab dinner together, and then pull out under the cover of darkness. However, the grassy area beside that long aluminium hotdog was so inviting. We paid up for a night, socialized the night away with a great couple, and woke the following morning ready to haul out.
However, that morning Big Blue was running worse then ever. While Kerri was still packing up the interior, I successfully replaced the already replaced coolant temp sensor (again) and the oxygen sensor, which I picked up the day prior. That appeared not to help. We were headed back to the National Park to hike and mushroom hunt but in that few mile drive, I knew we were going no where until Big Blue’s problem was found and replaced. So, I sent Kerri off on a hike all by herself while I pulled the hump and got to work replacing plugs, cap, and rotor just in case it was a simple fix. It was not.
I kept hunting, referring to both my service manual and the Internet, and checking item after item. This is why I hate computerized vehicles – all you can do is *hope* it is not the computer itself, which it often is. This day it was not, finally finding that one of the two fuel injectors was not spraying properly. Well that would explain all the behaviors the van has been emitting in the past week!
Kerri returned with a couple large fungi (death plants if you ask me) and some berries. Then we slowly drove the van the four more miles back into town where an auto parts store who *said* they had the part over the phone, did not (as usual). So, I had to order it and wait. By this time the injector had completely failed and Big Blue was literally running on only half his motor. A four cylinder engine does not propel Big Blue very fast and that was all we had now. We returned (barely) to the Golf and RV Park, paid up for another night, and awaited for the part to arrive in the morning only to repeat the drive back to the parts store on that half-motor. The part did arrive first thing in the morning, and within just five minutes it was replaced. Big Blue was back and firing on all eight!
This makes the fifth breakdown (all minor) this year alone (1, 2, 3, 4, and now this one)… not including the fire. I’ve never had so many issue with the van before. I suspect all the rattling and bumping down long and pot-hole-infested roads might be some of the cause. Old frail parts is another part of course. At least he has been giving me these problems in easy locations (knock on wood) to fix them.
We had enough time in the day to get the heck outta town and back into the free-to-camp State Forest just across the state line… whew, what a busy weekend.[/size]
https://www.van-tramp.com/wp/a-long-airstream-fungi-hike-and-another-breakdown/
[size=medium]We have been lingering near Astoria because Kerri had a hair appointment on Saturday morning. It also gave me the opportunity to offload our just-replaced stove/oven. Saturday officially marks Big Blue’s return to oven-less-ness – back to just a two burner stove. After a few hours of waiting around in a parking lot, Kerri returned with slightly shorter and more colorful hair (I notice these things). A quick visit to the Columbia River Maritime Museum for a round of being a tourist, and multiple stores to restock our supplies then ensued. Finally, with a single hour to kill we popped into Lewis & Clark National Historic Park to walk the dogs before a scheduled meetup with John and Laura of the Long, Long Airstream.
Sorry I have no photos to accompany this post. That’s just how the weekend went.
We pulled into Lewis & Clark Golf & RV Park – where John and Laura were camped – and immediately spotted them parked in the grass. Their trailer is a whopping 34 feet and comes with it’s own zip code. Originally we were only going to hang out for a few hours, grab dinner together, and then pull out under the cover of darkness. However, the grassy area beside that long aluminium hotdog was so inviting. We paid up for a night, socialized the night away with a great couple, and woke the following morning ready to haul out.
However, that morning Big Blue was running worse then ever. While Kerri was still packing up the interior, I successfully replaced the already replaced coolant temp sensor (again) and the oxygen sensor, which I picked up the day prior. That appeared not to help. We were headed back to the National Park to hike and mushroom hunt but in that few mile drive, I knew we were going no where until Big Blue’s problem was found and replaced. So, I sent Kerri off on a hike all by herself while I pulled the hump and got to work replacing plugs, cap, and rotor just in case it was a simple fix. It was not.
I kept hunting, referring to both my service manual and the Internet, and checking item after item. This is why I hate computerized vehicles – all you can do is *hope* it is not the computer itself, which it often is. This day it was not, finally finding that one of the two fuel injectors was not spraying properly. Well that would explain all the behaviors the van has been emitting in the past week!
Kerri returned with a couple large fungi (death plants if you ask me) and some berries. Then we slowly drove the van the four more miles back into town where an auto parts store who *said* they had the part over the phone, did not (as usual). So, I had to order it and wait. By this time the injector had completely failed and Big Blue was literally running on only half his motor. A four cylinder engine does not propel Big Blue very fast and that was all we had now. We returned (barely) to the Golf and RV Park, paid up for another night, and awaited for the part to arrive in the morning only to repeat the drive back to the parts store on that half-motor. The part did arrive first thing in the morning, and within just five minutes it was replaced. Big Blue was back and firing on all eight!
This makes the fifth breakdown (all minor) this year alone (1, 2, 3, 4, and now this one)… not including the fire. I’ve never had so many issue with the van before. I suspect all the rattling and bumping down long and pot-hole-infested roads might be some of the cause. Old frail parts is another part of course. At least he has been giving me these problems in easy locations (knock on wood) to fix them.
We had enough time in the day to get the heck outta town and back into the free-to-camp State Forest just across the state line… whew, what a busy weekend.[/size]
Ooops, time for a new van? I have to say that I am happy with my van travels, especially after seeing so many people trying to negotiate those monster rigs around various places. I was just up in several high Sierra eastern drainages, some of which you can't pull a trailer up those roads very easily.
Your travelogues are great. As Oregon is my 2nd favorite destination, behind a combined central Idaho and western Montana, you are showing good destinations for next year. Of course, the Cassandras will start wailing on how this will attract so many boondockers that the authorities will start closing everything down. So I better go soon,
.
Your travelogues are great. As Oregon is my 2nd favorite destination, behind a combined central Idaho and western Montana, you are showing good destinations for next year. Of course, the Cassandras will start wailing on how this will attract so many boondockers that the authorities will start closing everything down. So I better go soon,
.
Van-Tramp
Well-known member
No new van for me. I prefer this old guy because at least I can fix anything it throws at me. Even though Ive had a few issues this year, Ive fixed them all myself and all combined repairs have totalled under $500. That amount wouldnt have fixed a single issue in a modern rig
Van-Tramp
Well-known member
True. I do haul some small parts with me to avoid being stuck down some dirt road too. Haven’t had any of the parts Ive installed since 2010 give me any grief. So far it is all the 30 year old original parts slowly failing
Van-Tramp
Well-known member
Hitting up some Washington Forest
https://www.van-tramp.com/wp/hitting-up-some-washington-forest/
Finally, after a long weekend, we broke free of the Astoria area. We didn’t make it far though, only a half-hour or so across the border into Washington. Actually, we were further North last week when we stayed at the Moose Lodge in Ocean Park, but we were content to be free of the recent issues with Big Blue and back on the road.
Once again, Kerri had a few spots in the State Forest picked out for us to explore. It didn’t take long for us to find a spot that we could have called home for the work week. Then another, and another. Nice boondocking spots are sprinkled all about these state forests as long as you are willing to get off the asphalt and risk a few potholes and paint chips. After passing on a few, we eventually settled in one a spot that was very similar to our last spot in Oregon, at the end of a small spur road on the side of a hill. If it were not for the thick brush blocking it, we would have had a spectacular view as well. The fog rolled in each morning only to give way to the sun by noon to top off our battery.
The first two days of our stay we woke early and got out for short hike each morning before breakfast. There are two established free-campgrounds on small lakes nearby, so we walked to them to give them a peak. Pretty, of course, but otherwise already occupied with other campers. We both were happy to have a little spot all to ourselves a half-mile away from the crowd. The crowd being two or three other campers.
All in all, the week was quite relaxing and refreshing after the past week camped in and around towns. But, once the weekend arrived and we started moving to our next destination, Big Blue was complaining yet again! This time from the left-front suspension. I guess I will have to pop that wheel off and poke around in there some more.
embedded Instagram images at https://www.van-tramp.com/wp/hitting-up-some-washington-forest/[/SIZE]
https://www.van-tramp.com/wp/hitting-up-some-washington-forest/
Finally, after a long weekend, we broke free of the Astoria area. We didn’t make it far though, only a half-hour or so across the border into Washington. Actually, we were further North last week when we stayed at the Moose Lodge in Ocean Park, but we were content to be free of the recent issues with Big Blue and back on the road.
Once again, Kerri had a few spots in the State Forest picked out for us to explore. It didn’t take long for us to find a spot that we could have called home for the work week. Then another, and another. Nice boondocking spots are sprinkled all about these state forests as long as you are willing to get off the asphalt and risk a few potholes and paint chips. After passing on a few, we eventually settled in one a spot that was very similar to our last spot in Oregon, at the end of a small spur road on the side of a hill. If it were not for the thick brush blocking it, we would have had a spectacular view as well. The fog rolled in each morning only to give way to the sun by noon to top off our battery.
The first two days of our stay we woke early and got out for short hike each morning before breakfast. There are two established free-campgrounds on small lakes nearby, so we walked to them to give them a peak. Pretty, of course, but otherwise already occupied with other campers. We both were happy to have a little spot all to ourselves a half-mile away from the crowd. The crowd being two or three other campers.
All in all, the week was quite relaxing and refreshing after the past week camped in and around towns. But, once the weekend arrived and we started moving to our next destination, Big Blue was complaining yet again! This time from the left-front suspension. I guess I will have to pop that wheel off and poke around in there some more.
embedded Instagram images at https://www.van-tramp.com/wp/hitting-up-some-washington-forest/[/SIZE]
I'm sill doing my seasonal job and have gotten to lazy to even get my oil change done. Thanks for reminding me things are generally easier done while sitting in familar places. Lots of prep work before I hit the road again this fall. Hope yours is an easy fix. At least your boat isn't leaking! LOL!!!
Van-Tramp
Well-known member
Bruceport County Park
https://www.van-tramp.com/wp/bruceport-county-park/
[size=medium]We had the weekend and a few of the following weekdays to burn before arriving for our reservations at a RV Resort outside of Seattle. We were really just going to take it easy during these days after another run into town for supplies and laundry. It would be our last chance to get clean clothes (or so we thought) for two weeks, so yeah… fun Saturday!
Being the nomads we are, we didn’t want to return to the same spot we just left, but we also had good reason to not travel much further – the heat. Even a few miles inland meant temperatures we really did not wish to content with. So, we drove to the next area of public land (Bone River Natural Area Preserve) about four miles up the highway from our last spot, and settled in at the end of a dirt road. The road was lined with massive blackberry bushes just full of plump berries just ready to be picked. I’m not the biggest berry fan, but even I sneak a few in my mouth at times like this. As usual, Kerri grabbed her basket and set out for a mushroom hunt.
Unfortunately, the place was not all that great. A heavy population of baby mosquitoes really ruined the nice setting. We knew we were not going to stay here for the work week, but it was a nice one night stand. We moved on in the morning – only five more miles – to the established Bruceport County Park & Campground right on the bay. Here we could avoid any heat waves that may appear and enjoy sea-like breezes and views for our work week. The campground is quite beautiful for a county park, with the sites well manicured and separated. When they designed this campground they obviously wanted to cut down the fewest number of trees possible, so the sights are small but lush. The only problem with that was the lack of solar, so we really had to conserve our battery banks, which started the week very low. Our conservation efforts didn’t work. We spent one work day at a full-hookup site so we could plug in. That saved our butts, giving us enough power to make it through our work week.
Before settling in for the week, we made a run into the nearby town of Raymond to have an auto shop put eyes on my front suspension. Things were not great under there, but they said nothing was critical. It is in need of a complete rebuild of all the joints and bushings, but I’d prefer to wait until we are back with family to tackle that task. The shop wanted $800 to do the job… something I can do myself for well under $300 and and afternoon’s work.[/size]
https://www.van-tramp.com/wp/bruceport-county-park/
[size=medium]We had the weekend and a few of the following weekdays to burn before arriving for our reservations at a RV Resort outside of Seattle. We were really just going to take it easy during these days after another run into town for supplies and laundry. It would be our last chance to get clean clothes (or so we thought) for two weeks, so yeah… fun Saturday!
Being the nomads we are, we didn’t want to return to the same spot we just left, but we also had good reason to not travel much further – the heat. Even a few miles inland meant temperatures we really did not wish to content with. So, we drove to the next area of public land (Bone River Natural Area Preserve) about four miles up the highway from our last spot, and settled in at the end of a dirt road. The road was lined with massive blackberry bushes just full of plump berries just ready to be picked. I’m not the biggest berry fan, but even I sneak a few in my mouth at times like this. As usual, Kerri grabbed her basket and set out for a mushroom hunt.
Unfortunately, the place was not all that great. A heavy population of baby mosquitoes really ruined the nice setting. We knew we were not going to stay here for the work week, but it was a nice one night stand. We moved on in the morning – only five more miles – to the established Bruceport County Park & Campground right on the bay. Here we could avoid any heat waves that may appear and enjoy sea-like breezes and views for our work week. The campground is quite beautiful for a county park, with the sites well manicured and separated. When they designed this campground they obviously wanted to cut down the fewest number of trees possible, so the sights are small but lush. The only problem with that was the lack of solar, so we really had to conserve our battery banks, which started the week very low. Our conservation efforts didn’t work. We spent one work day at a full-hookup site so we could plug in. That saved our butts, giving us enough power to make it through our work week.
Before settling in for the week, we made a run into the nearby town of Raymond to have an auto shop put eyes on my front suspension. Things were not great under there, but they said nothing was critical. It is in need of a complete rebuild of all the joints and bushings, but I’d prefer to wait until we are back with family to tackle that task. The shop wanted $800 to do the job… something I can do myself for well under $300 and and afternoon’s work.[/size]
