All last night there were downpours. It started with some nifty lightning and thunder early in the evening and then the weather transformed into squalls and lulls. Many spots in the RV park where the civil engineering was, shall we say, questionable were flooded. The flooded areas were very close to surface drains but it appears the drains were installed in the high spots. That must keep the maintenance costs down.
The rain continued through the day today so we mostly hung out in the trailer. However, Peggy did make a call to Luigi’s, a restaurant in the Empire district of Coos Bay. Two days ago we went to Luigi’s, only to find it closed due to break-in and theft the night before. They did not think they would open before tomorrow but fate was on our side and they opened today. We shot right over and both ordered a sandwich they make called a Garbage Grinder.
Garbage Grinders are large sandwiches with salami and pepperoni and a couple kinds of cheese and, in Peggy’s case, an assortment of garden vegetables all assembled and then toasted. I am positive the grinders I get are very bad for me and I shouldn’t eat them and they are unhealthy but they sure taste great.
With the rain continuing, we fueled the truck, dumped the waste tanks, disconnected from park water and prepped for our departure from the Mill RV Park tomorrow.

Back when I still had a viable digestion system, we used to visit a sandwich shop here in Coos Bay called Luigi’s. They make an absolutely delicious sandwich with an assortment of Italian sausages and cheeses entitled a “Garbage Grinder.” The fully-assembled sandwich is then placed into an oven for a while, leaving a luscious, gooey mass of heart-plugging yumminess that is unforgettable.
I had certainly never forgotten about them and today we drove over to the Empire district of town to acquire some of these savory, but quite possibly unhealthful, sandwiches. I have been jonesing for a Garbage Grinder ever since I pulled into town but Luigi’s is closed on Sunday and Monday so we were obliged to wait for today to head over and have our aortas blocked.
Our impeccable timing being what it is, we pulled up at Luigi’s with my saliva glands doing exactly what Pavlov predicted but, regrettably, found a little note on the door indicating that some creep had broken into Luigi’s and stolen “everything” and Luigi’s would be closed until after our departure from Coos Bay. Bummer. Heavy sigh. Drooling, desolate but probably healthier old people departed, heartbroken.
In disgust, we drove away to find another restaurant but we knew the food elsewhere would be no match for Luigi’s dangerous, but very tasty, sandwiches. We found a place called Vinnie’s Smokin’ Good Burgers and Sandwiches not many blocks away. Their food was nominal, at best. They are “smokin’ good” in name only and little else. Their fries would have been okay if they had cooked them fully.
After the disappointment of Vinnie’s, we decided to go see something that was spectacular so we headed for the coast. The weather today was rainy and blustery and we knew the primeval, rocky coast of southern Coos County was always a good bet for terrific scenery when under the onslaught of nasty weather. We elected to go to Shore Acres State Park, where Peggy and I got married under a garden arbor on a beautiful, sunny August day back in 1979.
It was magnificent. We got caught out in the rain a few times as we strolled through the park, but it was certainly worth the effort. The gigantic storm surf was smashing into the rocky coastline and cliffs, exploding into huge blasts of spray. The jagged, stark bluffs show stratified geological formations that have been cleaved by the ocean, exhibiting fanciful, bizarre shapes. Huge colonies of seals and sea lions can be seen and heard on the offshore rocky pinnacles where they have hauled out to avoid the chaotic, churning surf. It was stunning. There was no recreational swimming near the coast today – definitely a Red Flag surf day.
To make things even better, there is a gorgeous botanical garden within the park, a remnant of the old Simpson estate that used to occupy this property. Peggy and I were married in this botanical garden and it was just as beautiful today as it was all those years ago when we tied the knot. We had little inkling then that decades in the future we would return and be just as amazed at these superb surroundings. We found an observation building near the bluff tops and another gazebo in the botanical garden where we could take shelter from the periodic rain squalls. The views were brilliant and we love this place even if it does now cost $5 to park.
If the zaniness of computers and phones have not stymied me, there should be some pictures available to see by clicking here

Last night there were a couple fiberglass-rattling downpours but the temperatures outside are very mild. Recently we have been in unseasonably warm weather in Eugene, Florence, Remote and Lakeside and the cool weather here is joyous to me. Peggy wears a coat.
We have recently been dazzled by driving up Oregon’s gorgeous river valleys and, even though Peggy and I both lived here back in the Pleistocene, we decided to drive up some of the valleys in the Coos River watershed. When I was young and erroneously believed I was Invisible, invulnerable, talented and handsome, I worked for Weyerhauser in the logging industry and drove either up one or the other river road every weekday for almost 10 years. Back then, I could tell you what every approaching corner looked like and the maximum possible speed for successfully rounding it.
Today was my chance to affirm my firm belief that my memory of these roads was absolutely crystal-clear and I would be able to regale Peggy with tales of who lived where, which corners were tight and the location of former good friends’ mishaps into the rivers. We had barely started up the Allegany side of the river when I noted that a considerable amount of the scenery seemed very pretty but mostly unfamiliar. Further explorations reinforced my new belief that I can remember a puny fraction of the places I passed through hundreds of times in the past although there is the caveat that the trees and brush are now 35 years older. So are the houses that are still standing. We drove up both the Allegany (north side of the Coos River) and the Dellwood roads to the gravel where we turned around. We spotted some turkeys. On the Allegany side, we also spotted some enormous fields of high-grade marijuana growing with little happy men tending them. The smell downwind, where we were, was luscious. There certainly wasn’t this much bud stock growing in plain sight when I lived here. It was illegal then but since then the clever Oregonians took care of that problem by making it not illegal.
When I was working on the Dellwood side and was a logging newbie, I was sitting next to a guy named Jay Scanlon on the crew bus (an ordinary conventional school bus but with no discernible suspension system and referred to as a “crummy” in logger parlance) as we watched the sharp rocks of the immediately adjacent road cuts pass within inches of the side of the crummy. Scanlon commented that the driver was really talented to round round the narrow curves without grinding the crummy against the dense sandstone. Right then, there was a massive bang and subsequent horrible scraping, giving all the passengers a quick re-seating along the green vinyl schoolchild benches lining the left side of the crummy. It was only after we got off and told the driver to continue without us that we noted as the crummy drove away that there was plainly a problem with the rear suspension making the vehicle crab to the right. The river was coming up on the right so we were happy to catch the next crummy to town.
Weyco abandoned ship here about 25 years ago. Their facilities along Coos Bay, in addition to a 200,000 acre timber farm east of town, were a credit union, an administrative building, an infirmary, a 3/4 mile long sawmill, a big plywood mill, bay side wharves and a bark-burning steam powerhouse which used to emit massive columns of suspiciously pinkish steam around the clock. The land where Weyerhauser used to have their massive bay side sawmill in town was ceded to the local Indians and they razed the mill and built the RV park where we are currently camped. A small remaining part of the former Weyco plywood mill sits across the parking lot from The Mill Casino, Hotel and Tower which stand where most of the plywood mill and powerhouse used to engage in vigorous commerce.
The afternoon weather started looking ominous so we took the long way back to our park and hunkered down inside the Barbarian Invader. Peggy is making soup as I write and the savory odors coming from the stove are quite distracting. The End
We got some photos, including the reefer, that you can see if you click here

When we awoke, the gentle thumping of rain on the fiberglass parts could be detected. Fortunately for us, it quit early and we closed up our RV, hooked the trailer to the truck and departed from Osprey Point RV Park in Lakeside, OR. It was nice at this park; the wifi was pretty good, the amenities were extensive (even a bar), roads were good, the staff was responsive and friendly, it is located on a lake shore and the surroundings are peaceful and gorgeous,
Our travel plans for today were unambitious and we soon arrived at The Mill Casino and RV Park in Coos Bay. The Mill RV Park is about 20 miles from Osprey Point. The Mill RV Park has good wifi, a nearby audible highway, adjacent Coos Bay Rail Link tracks used early in the morning and with considerable air horn work, a neighboring casino, a great view across the Bay, tree-filled horizons and full hookups. Spaces are adequate, but cozy. We pulled into our space, set up and were all squared away by noon. I envisioned a cocktail and a nap. Peggy had other ideas and went out for an excursion with her sisters in the afternoon.
Peggy said they were going to a quilt show, but you know how those sisters can be. By universal acclaim, they promptly went to lunch at a Mexican restaurant called Herradura. Peggy reports good food except their enchiladas were inside out. Strangely, the enchiladas Peggy got had salsa verde (green, for the gringos) on the outside and salsa rojo (the red stuff) on the inside. Christmasy. We generally see the tomatillo or tomato sauce on the outside, but not here.
Then the trio popped in at the Coos Sand & Sea Club quilt show and I can speculate that Peggy and her sisters gave all the work thorough scrutiny. Then they sort of went house shopping before heading over to their childhood home to gaze upon it one more time before the new owners get it, which may be happening right now.
While cruising around, one of Peggy’s sisters stated that she feels much better after nearly crapping out recently. A trip to the hospital in Salem got her back on her feet, primarily due to the ministrations of her new cardiologist with the unfortunate name of Ashit, allegedly pronounced Ah-sheet. I don’t know if that is his first or last name but it seems he would have suffered mightily during his junior high and high school years. Uhh…Uhhh.. I can’t resist! Is his first name Take, C., Give, Yuur or I’m? In any event, he is reported to be a great cardiologist. I’m not kidding.
Peggy got a picture of her sister having a lemon and a quilt you can see if you click here

We took Charlotte out for a test drive today. During the drive, we did not witness any clouds of smoke belching from the tailpipe but there may be a rattle from the tailpipe assembly that needs to be addressed. I’ll climb under Charlotte’s ample bed and give the exhaust pipe a sniff.
We stopped by the Umpqua Lighthouse again, mostly because I like it there so much. We checked out the camping at nearby Tugman State Park and it is quite nice. We cruised through the town of Winchester Bay, passing a cannery on the docks that emanated an acrid smell of rotten fish that was almost biblical.
Finished in town, we headed out onto 101 and then east on OR-38 for another glimpse of the elk herds in the Dean Creek Elk Viewing Area about 3 miles from Reedsport. It was a little early for elk (they seem to dine around late afternoon or early evening) so we passed the elk viewpoints and continued up to the road for Dean Creek which extends south from OR-38.
We had barely gotten started up Dean Creek when we came across a very impressive bull elk chaperoning his harem of cows and they were magnificent-looking. Dean Creek was also very scenic although we chickened out and turned around about 5 miles later when the road turned from asphalt paving to gravel.
We even got in a trip to the grocery store to stock up on vittles. We will be leaving Lakeside and the Osprey Point RV Park tomorrow and heading south again, this time to Coos Bay.
We got a few pix. Click here

This was the day for us to take Charlotte into Coos Bay’s Tower Ford for some exhaust system repair, namely a replacement DPF which stands for diesel particulate filter or double priced fubar. The poor girl has been periodically emanating vast clouds of white smoke for the enjoyment of all but we didn’t like it.
We had an appointment for the truck to go up on the rack at 2:00 PM. We also had an agreement that a loaner would be available for us because we did not want to spend four hours in their little waiting area with uncomfortable furniture.
The truck finally got raised off the ground at 3:10. The way we found out it was late going in for work was because we were still hanging out in the waiting closet. The loaner we were to drive apparently did not exist except in the service writer’s imagination.
Along about 5:15, the four hours of labor paid for was completed in a record 2 hours and 5 minutes. The Ford book that lists job durations and costs seems to be rigged in Ford’s favor because our bill still made us pay for the full, imaginary cost.
We headed back home to our RV park in Lakeside after being skinned by Ford. Not surprisingly, when we turned into our park, the tailpipe assembly made a funny rattling sound. It also made the sound when Peggy would slam the passenger side door. I was pretty pissed so I kicked the tailpipe but, after that, the tailpipe quit making the sound when the door was slammed. Maybe I fixed it. We will find out tomorrow when we take Charlotte out for a low-speed cruise in the coastal Oregon forests.

We were slugs today. We got up late. The weather was gorgeous. We had a sizable breakfast. We took long showers. Peggy whipped up a savory evening meal involving turkey and Gorgonzola. It was great.
We did get the laundry done. I should probably make that “Peggy got the laundry done and I was in the laundry with her.” The best part about the whole day was the total lack of remorse we had about being lazy.

Today was the day to address Charlotte’s flatulence problem. Our 2008 F-250 has a 6.4 liter engine made by Navistar, which I think is a code name for International Harvester, longtime purveyor of substandard diesel heavy equipment. Back in the dim past, I worked for a logging outfit that used IH (read “Cornbinder”) bull dozers and they were spectacularly mediocre in performance and economy. Now I find Ford farmed (and that’s no idle descriptor) the engine manufacture in their 6.4 liter-equipped diesel to Navistar .
One of the terrible aspects of the motor system is that it requires a DPF (diesel particulate filter) in the exhaust system and, not surprisingly, it eventually plugs up and begins highly wonky operation. Our poor Charlotte has recently liberated some truly impressive clouds of white smoke, always in town where we can let other motorists and air breathers enjoy the design as much as we do. Sometimes the giant miasma of smoke pours out of the twin tailpipes for miles, bringing joy and burning eyes to the masses.
Accordingly, we took Charlotte to Tower Ford in Coos Bay. The mechanic, Ron, pretty much explained what ramifications there are for folks like us who have bought F-250s with the 6.4 liter Navistar engines – replacement of the overly complicated and poorly designed DPF system or, more plainly, $3,306.
Maybe I should reconsider my ardent touting of Ford products based on my wonderful experiences with Charlotte’s motor. We bought the truck used, but it was in great shape. Initially, the motor worked perfectly. We have been into the Pacific Northwest three times, once all the way around the country counter-clockwise, into the Great Basin in early 2016, once to Vegas and a quick 7,000 mile trip to Texas late in 2016 and early in 2017. Up until 2017, the engine did quite well but things have been a bit crummy since. Our first Navistar engine took a shit in Amarillo, Texas, and we were obliged to replace it with another, new Navistar engine in Santa Fe. That cost $21,000+ if we don’t count car rental, inconvenience, additional travel or costs for an extended stay in New Mexico while the engine was changed out. This last May we had to replace the alternator but the little whirring unit had 180,000 miles on it and I can forgive that. Now we are going to replace the DPF system for three grand and a couple month’s allowance. We are scheduled to have our money extracted Friday. This repair will now make the cumulative costs for repairs exceed the purchase price of the truck. As Donald Trump tweets – “Sad.” Might be time to consider (shudder) Chevrolet or, frighteningly, Dodge.
A good part about yesterday was we got to see my brother’s widow who lives in Coos Bay. To make things even better, she took us to a great fish place called Captain’s Choice for dinner and paid. The red snapper was very tasty. So was the clam chowder.

We drove about 60 or 70 miles south to Powers, OR, where we own some vacant land. We were thinking of maybe getting sewer, water and electrical service re-installed at the lots so we can park our trailer there and hang out during the gorgeous summer months. We don’t want to be here in the winter. It rains here from mid-September to the 4th of July and we want no part of that.
We met the guy that controls public works in Powers at our property. After a short chat, we wandered over to city hall to fill in some forms to get the work started. We’ll get back to them in a while. The last time we asked the city to do something, nothing happened so we will have to wait to tell if anything is cooking over in the government building this time.
We spent the rest of the day wandering around Coquille Valley roads. While cruising, our truck started emanating smoke at certain times and it looks like it needs to go into the dealership to make it quit. I hate it when the equipment fouls up – the engine is under warranty and it may not cost us anything but I still don’t like it when the tow vehicle isn’t working perfectly.
Back at our RV park in Lakeside, we were treated to a spectacular sunset. I like this travel stuff.
There’s pix. Click here

We had such a great time up the Umpqua yesterday that we returned today. About 15 miles up river from Reedsport and US-101, we turned off to see a place called Loon Lake. I lived near here back in the Stone Age but I had never been to Loon Lake, at least not that I remember. The road to Loon Lake from OR-38 (the highway that follows the lower Umpqua River) is pretty narrow and has many tight turns but it is beautiful anyway.
At the top of the 7 miles up to the lake, the road passes through a big field of massive boulders (3 bedroom house sized) that let you know you have reached the end of a steep canyon that the lake empties into before running into the Umpqua. The lake is very pretty. There is an RV park up there that must cater to the extremely brave because they are the only ones that would pull a big RV up that road.
After Loon Lake, we got back on OR-38 and resumed our eastward drive up to Wells Creek, basically a pullout along the road where my Dad used to live before he died. Somebody bought his place and they don’t appear to be using the property. The blackberries are going to eat the house. It is kind of sad when I think about how much work my Dad put in at this place.
We then returned toward the ocean, passing by the elk pastures I mentioned yesterday. In Reedsport we spotted a place called Ellie’s Chainsaw Art and it appears Ellie is pretty good with a saw. The town has apparently decided that Ellie is talented, too, because they have chainsaw-created wooden statues all along the sidewalks of the main drag. They also have giant flower arrangements attached to all their streetlights and the flowers are open for business this summer.
See some pix. Click here