Musings from the Road Episode #4

 8/23

 

Our first full day at Doug and Lynn’s home in Eugene.  We arrived yesterday evening after traversing the Cascades from Boise.  Another visual extravaganza complements of the West.  At this point we are on Pacific Time, three hours earlier than New Paltz.  We’ve managed to negotiate the time change over the past twelve days without much trouble, although Carol did nap for a few hours today.  

 

All across the Cascade Range yesterday, we saw evidence of substantial forest fire damage.  Burned trees both standing and downed, littered the mountainsides for miles.  Nearer Eugene, I noticed charred logs stacked and waiting for transport, the heartwood clearly untouched.  It is comforting to see that much of the wood from these fire-blackened trees can be salvaged and find a home in some new construction project that will be desperately needed when the fire danger has finally passed.  

 

At a decision point in the trip, I had the choice of continuing west on US-20 or taking the shortcut over Mackenzie Pass to meet up with US-20 on the other side. A road sign warned NO VEHICLES OVER 35 FEET.  The Hulk and Mocking Jay together measure 40 feet. I figured five extra feet wouldn’t be a problem so I chose the pass.  Carol, ever watchful, said, “Did you see the sign?”  I told her I had and that I thought it was overly cautious.  At each iteration of the warning, Carol suggested we turn around.  I ignored her.  As we neared the point of no return on the climb, a different sign appeared; this one with flashing amber lights and the statement VEHICLE OVER 35 FEET DETECTED!  I turned around. 

 

We used part of the day to shop for some essentials: food, vitamins, and accessories.  For Mocking Jay: a folding ladder, a longer drain hose, and a gas can to replace the one that leaks.  Tomorrow I have an appointment to have The Hulk’s windshield replaced.  A rock hit the passenger side a few days ago, and the crack is steadily migrating across the glass toward the driver side.  I had hoped to wait until we got home to have the work done, but the progress of the crack dissuaded me.  

 

We’re under an air quality advisory through Wednesday, but the day was crystal clear and sunny with no evidence of drifting smoke from the California fires.  

 

 

8/24

 

 Another beautiful day in Eugene.  We woke at about 0630 and as we made ready for the day, Carol called from the bathroom for me to look out the window.  Three turkeys, a hen and two chicks, were strolling down the garden path (Doug and Lynn have many such paths in their back yard) toward the vegetable garden.  I couldn’t get a picture from the bedroom because they passed under a tree so I scooted toward the back door.  

 

1Cozy Alcove

The folks were enjoying their morning coffee and newspaper in their cozy alcove between the living/dining area and the kitchen.  When I mentioned the turkeys, Doug rose and hurried outside.  Explaining Doug’s quick exit, Lynn said that turkeys can very quickly harvest a garden.  Doug returned reporting that they had left for other pastures.  

 

With thoughts of a nice walk after our morning windshield replacement, I stepped inside Mocking Jay to retrieve appropriate footwear and discovered that the fridge was signaling a problem.  Since the cabin lights were on, I deduced it couldn’t be electrical.  The fridge operates on either electric or propane and makes the decision automatically so, by adept reasoning, I figured it must be propane.  When I stepped outside to check the gauge, the dial lounging in the red zone confirmed it.  Grumbling, I trudged inside and told everyone I would have to hook up and haul Mocking Jay to get the propane tank refilled.  Doug suggested I just take the tank.  Duh! so much for my adept reasoning.  

I disconnected and unbolted the tank and lashed in into the bed of The Hulk. This morning, I had realized that I really did not need a new gas can, since I had purchased a replacement cap and spout for the old one several days ago.  Part of today’s excursion then would involve another trip to Camping World to return it, and now would include a propane refill. 

 

I programmed my phone with the address of the Safelite Autoglass location and we started off.  With about twenty minutes before our appointment, and my phone indicating it was a nine minute trip, I wasn’t a bit concerned.  When we arrived at the address on North Bertelsen Street, we were in a residential block with no indication that there was anything other than private homes around us.  I asked Carol to find Safelite Autoglass on her phone while I tried to locate parking out of traffic to sort things out.  She found the place — on SOUTH Bertelsen!  We arrived about two minutes past our 1000 appointment.  

 

The whole windshield replacement, including the addition of new wipers, took less than an hour.  During that time the tech working on it came into the waiting room and handed me the remnants of my inspection sticker explaining that he could not get it off intact.  Other than that, the replacement went quickly, and the new windshield looks great!  

 

Late this afternoon Carol and I walked to a greenway along the Willamette River, less than a mile from the house.  As we were leaving, Lynn rode up on her bike, home from her almost daily swim in the river. 

 

 

8/25

 

0630.  Another sunny morning, outside temp, 52 degrees.  

 

I spent the morning putting the new nozzle on the existing gas can, restowing some gear that had accumulated in the wrong places, and opening up our new ladder so I could caulk around the rearview camera.  I also completely removed the rooftop antenna from The Hulk and replaced it with a second rabbit-ear 

(I don’t know what else to call it)

to see if the rearview camera signal can be received that way.  It worked!  Now I don’t have check at every fuel stop to retrieve the external antenna from the truck bed and put it back on the roof, where it is supposed to hold via its magnetic base.  I haven’t yet gotten to the caulk.

 

This afternoon Doug took us on an extended tour of Eugene: first to one of the tent cities that have sprung up here, then on a serpentine road up to Pre's Rock — the wall where Legendary runner Steve Prefontaine crashed and died in his MGB in 1975, then to Skinner Butte Overlook for a panoramic view of the city, and finally a drive-by past his old house, its roof barely visible over the board fence surrounding the property.

 

Many years ago, when he lived there, the city wanted to assess the cost of sidewalk repair, which would be the homeowner's responsibility, for his property as well as the rest of the neighborhood. Doug never wanted a sidewalk to begin with and, in typical Doug fashion, reasoned that if it weren’t really a sidewalk it wouldn’t need sidewalk repair.  He covered the walk with straw and other compostable material until flowers started to appear.  Problem solved!

 

There is no sidewalk visible around that property today.

 

We returned to a wonderful Middle-Eastern themed dinner: tabbouleh, falafel, pita, and more.  

It deserves mention here that Both Lynn and Doug are superb cooks!  It would be a mystery as to why they both stay so thin if one didn’t know how much energy they expend every day on their yard — the property is a kind of Garden-of-Eden with fruit trees, vegetable and flower gardens. That and the fact that their primary mode of transportation is bicycles.  I did mention that Lynn swims in the Willamette almost every day.

 

Tomorrow will be our last full day in Eugene.