Thursday, May 30, 2013

RV Park Review: Humbug Mountain State Park, Port Orford, OR

May 20 - May 30 (11 days) - Humbug Mtn. State Park, Port Orford, OR
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RV LIFE:
Our last day at Humbug Mtn. State Park and we saw the sun! The forecast for the next week are sunny skies and in the high 60's to 70's. But, we won't be there. The majority of our time here was overcast and anywhere from morning rain, to drizzle all day, to hard rain all day. We've had a very relaxing time inside. I did a lot of reading since the internet was sooooooo sloooooooow.
We took advantage of our one nice day and we each took a dog and went on separate hikes. Scott took Devin on the Humbug Mtn. Trail which went up Humbug Mountain. and I took Lyla onto Oregon Coastal Trail.  Scott's trail was pretty steep uphill, on a beautiful rainforest feel trail.  My trail was a short trek through some forest, over a little wooden bridge and then onto a paved closed road. It was a good workout since it kept going up and up and up. I had no idea where it led, so after 45 minutes I'd had enough of uphill and turned back the way I came.
Below are some sites along my  walk.
Clover along the side of road

Ferns & moss covered trees

Spotted slug
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CRAFTS:
My final two frying pan protectors.
Can you see the paw print?

Now on to fingerless gloves to keep my hands warm when I'm outside on a cool day on the computer.
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BROWSING THE WWW://
I'm always interested in sites that give info on RV Parks. It's even nicer if lots of photos are included to get a better feel of the layout of the park and sites.
I recently discovered Campsite photos which is a work in progress, trying to have a photo of every site in public and private campgrounds.
Campground Views is a YouTube channel that has videos of driving through RV parks & campgrounds.
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RESTAURANT REVIEW:
Crazy Norwegians, Port Orford, OR
Our rating 4 out of 5
Very small, casual place. We stopped here because of the good reviews on Yelp.
The fish & chips were great. Well, the fish was very good. Nice batter fried, buttery white fish. The chips were french fries, not thick chips and were average.
The combo platter was also very good. Combo consisted of fish, prawn, & clams (with fries). All three items were great. The clams were not rubbery or chewy.
Side of coleslaw was good. The tartar sauce was excellent! Different than normal tartar sauce. I believe they added dill weed to it. I love dill weed.

I had to try their pie. I opted for Marionberry-Raspberry Pie a la mode. The fruit filling was substantial and delicious. The crust was homemade but needs improvement.
We went back later in the week for Fish & Chips take-out. Really good fish.
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RV PARK REVIEW:
May 20 - May 30 (11 days) - Humbug Mtn. State Park, Port Orford, OR
$20./night Site #22

SITES: Decent sized, paved. What made them nice were the bushes separating the sites. Many sites are too short for long RV's, so be careful what you choose.
HOOK UPS: Water & Electric (50amp), Dump station close by
BATHROOMS: Nice & clean. Separate showers.
LAUNDRY: No
PETS: Very pet friendly. Poop bags supplied, lots of trails and the beach to walk dogs.
WIFI: No. Free WiFi in town at Shoreline Motel.
VERIZON INTERNET: Very slow to non-existent
SPRINT INTERNET: No signal
VERIZON PHONE: No signal
AT&T PHONE: No signal
BOOK EXCHANGE: No
ACTIVITIES: Some ranger programs for kids. Beach within walking distance and hiking.
MAIL DELIVERY ACCEPTED: No
AREA/TOWN/SIGHTS: Very small town, but a few decent restaurants. WiFi available at many restaurants. And of course, the Pacific Ocean within walking distance.
Overall, a nice quiet park. Loop closer to Ocean has more shade and some pull thrus.
Photos of sites
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WHERE WE'RE GOING:
June 14 -23, 2013 Armitage County Park, Eugene, OR

WA, ID, MT, ND, SD, WY, then south for the Winter of 2013/214

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Rate your dog food

RATE/GRADE YOUR DRY DOG FOOD

Here's the dog food grading system. It is pretty straightforward. You'll have to have a list of ingredients available to you to do this. That info should be available from Pet Food Direct or your chosen food's web site or package. After the grading instructions there is a list of foods that people have already tabulated a grade for.

Just like in school:
94-100+ = A  Excellent
86-93 = B  Good
78-85 = C  Average
70-77 = D  Below average
69 = F Bad

Start with a score of 100:
1) For every listing of "by-product", subtract 10 points
2) For every non-specific animal source ("meat" or "poultry", meat,
meal or fat) reference, subtract 10 points
3) If the food contains BHA, BHT, or ethoxyquin, subtract 10 points
4) For every grain "mill run" or non-specific grain source,subtract
5 points
5) If the same grain ingredient is used 2 or more times in the first
five ingredients (i.e. "ground brown rice", "brewer's rice", "rice
flour" are all the same grain), subtract 5 points
6) If the protein sources are not meat meal and there are less than
2 meats in the top 3 ingredients, subtract 3 points
7) If it contains any artificial colorants, subtract 3 points
8 ) If it contains ground corn or whole grain corn, subtract 3 points
9) If corn is listed in the top 5 ingredients, subtract 2 more points
10) If the food contains any animal fat other than fish oil,
subtract 2 points
11) If lamb is the only animal protein source (unless your dog is
allergic to other protein sources), subtract 2 points
12) If it contains soy or soybeans, subtract 2 points
13) If it contains wheat (unless you know that your dog isn't
allergic to wheat), subtract 2 points
14) If it contains beef (unless you know that your dog isn't
allergic to beef), subtract 1 point
15) If it contains salt, subtract 1 point
Extra Credit:
1) If any of the meat sources are organic, add 5 points
2) If the food is endorsed by any major breed group or nutritionist,
add 5 points
3) If the food is baked not extruded, add 5 points
4) If the food contains probiotics, add 3 points
5) If the food contains fruit, add 3 points
6) If the food contains vegetables (NOT corn or other grains), add 3
points
7) If the animal sources are hormone-free and antibiotic-free, add 2
points
8 ) If the food contains barley, add 2 points
9) If the food contains flax seed oil (not just the seeds), add 2
points
10) If the food contains oats or oatmeal, add 1 point
11) If the food contains sunflower oil, add 1 point
12) For every different specific animal protein source (other than
the first one; count chicken" and "chicken meal" as only one protein
source but "chicken" and "" as 2 different sources), add 1 point
13) If it contains glucosamine and chondroitin, add 1 point
14) If the vegetables have been tested for pesticides and are
pesticide-free add 1 point

Below are just a few commercial dog foods that already have been scored. Please figure the score on your food and be sure that you know as much as possible about the food that you are feeding.

ALPO PRIME CUTS / SCORE 81 = C
ARTEMIS LARGE/MED BREED PUPPY / SCORE 114 = A+
AUTHORITY HARVEST BAKED / SCORE 116 = A+
AUTHORITY HARVEST BAKED LESS ACTIVE / SCORE 93 = B
BEOWULF BACK TO BASICS / SCORE 101 = A+
BIL-JAC SELECT / SCORE 68 = F
BLACKWOOD 3000 LAMB AND RICE / SCORE 83 = C
BLUE BUFFALO CHICKEN AND RICE / SCORE 106 = A+
BURNS CHICKEN AND BROWN RICE / SCORE 107 = A+
CANIDAE / SCORE 112 = A+
CANINE CAVIAR / SCORE = 121 A+
CHICKEN SOUP SENIOR / SCORE = 115 A+
DIAMOND MAINTENANCE / SCORE 64 = F
DIAMOND LAMB MEAL & RICE / SCORE 92 = B
DIAMOND LARGE BREED / SCORE 99 = A
DIAMOND PERFORMANCE / SCORE 85 = C
DICK VAN PATTENS NATURAL BALANCE ULTRA SUPREME / SCORE 122 = A+
DICK VAN PATTENS NATURAL BALANCE VENISON & BROWN RICE / SCORE 106 = A+
DICK VAN PATTENS DUCK & POTATO / SCORE 106 = A+
EAGLE PACK HOLISTIC / SCORE 102 = A+
EUKANUBA ADULT / SCORE 81 = C
EUKANUBA PUPPY / SCORE 79 = C
FLINT RIVER SENIOR / SCORE 101 = A+
FOUNDATIONS / SCORE 106 = A+
HUND-N-FLOCKEN ADULT BY SOLID GOLD / SCORE = 93 B
Iams ProActive Health Mini Chunks/ 69 F
IAMS LAMB MEAL & RICE / SCORE 73 D
INNOVA DOG / SCORE 114 = A+
INNOVA EVO / SCORE 114 = A+
INNOVA LARGE BREED PUPPY / SCORE 122 = A+
Karma Organic Dog Food  - Score   120 = A+ Kibbles N Bits/ 50 F
KIRKLAND SIGNATURE CHICKEN,RICE,VEG. / SCORE 110 = A+
MEMBER MARK CHICKEN & RICE / SCORE 84 = C
MERRICK WILDERNESS BLEND / SCORE 127 = A+
Natural Balance Potato & Duck Dog Food Allergy Formula  - Score 106 = A+
NATURE RECIPE / SCORE 100 = A
NATURE RECIPE HEALTHY SKIN VEN. / SCORE 116 = A+ Newman’s Own Organics   - Score 122 = A+
NUTRO MAX ADULT / SCORE 93 = B
NUTRO NATURAL CHOICE OATMEAL / SCORE 101 = A+
NUTRO NATURAL CHOICE LAMB & RICE / SCORE 98 = A
NUTRO NATURAL CHOICE LARGE BREED PUPPY / SCORE 87 = B
NUTRO ULTRA ADULT / SCORE 104 = A+
Pedigree Lamb and Rice / 50F
PURINA BENEFUL / SCORE 17 = F
Purina come-n-Get It/ Score 16 F
PURINA DOG / SCORE 62 = F
ROYAL CANIN NATURAL BLEND ADULT / SCORE 106 = A+
SCIENCE DIET ADVANCED SENIOR / SCORE 63 = F
SCIENCE DIET PUPPY / SCORE 69 = F
SOLID GOLD / SCORE 99 = A
Solid Gold WolfKing Bison Dry Dog Food  - Score 109 = A+
TASTE OF THE WILD, PACIFIC STREAM DRY - SCORE 103 = 103 A+
TIMBERWOLF ORGANICS / SCORE 120 = A+
Wellness Super5Mix Dry Dog Food Chicken 30 lb. Bag  - Score 110 = A+

Glossary
Animal Digest: This is the dry by-product of rendered meat. During rendering, all usable animal parts (including fetal tissues and glandular wastes) are heated in vats and the liquid is separated from the dry meal. This meal is covered with charcoal and labeled "unfit for human consumption" before processing it into pet food. Digest can also include intestines, as well as the contents of those intestines, such as stool, bile, parasites and chemicals.

Animal Fat and Tallow: Animal fat is a "generic" fat source that is most often made up of rendered animal fat, rancid restaurant grease or other oils that are deemed inedible for humans. Tallow is low quality hard white fat that most animals find hard to digest, not to mention the cardiac risks resulting.
Chemical Preservatives: Chemical preservatives include BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole), BHT (butylated hydroxytolulene), propyl gallate, propylene glycol (also used in automotive antifreeze and is suspected of causing red blood cell damage) and ethoxquin , are all potentially cancer causing agents that your pets are eating every day.

Chicken By-products: These are ground parts from poultry carcasses such as feet, heads, feathers, intestines, necks and undeveloped eggs and can included any rendered material.
Corn Products: Corn products including corn meal, gluten and grits are cheap, allergy causing fillers and are very difficult for animals to digest.

Food Fragments: Lower end by-products of the food manufacturing process, examples include wheat bran and brewers rice which are a waste product of the alcohol industry.
Ground Whole Grain Sorghum: The feed value of grain sorghum is similar to corn and is grown primarily as a feed grain for livestock.

Meat and Bone Meal: “Meat” and bone meal are inexpensive sources of animal protein. Note that these companies do not clarify the source of “meat”, nor are they human-grade meat. The protein in Meat meal containing a large amount of processed bone may not be digestible and fail to provide adequate nutrition.

Meat Based: A label that say "meat based" may also include blood vessels, tendons, organs and other parts of the rendered animal. Note again that these companies do not clarify the source of “meat”, nor are they human-grade meat products.

Meat By-products: Pet grade meat by-products consist of organs and parts not desired or not fit for human consumption. This can include organs, bones, blood and fatty tissue. It can also include brains, feet, heads, intestines and any other internal parts. Unbelievably, by-products can also contain cancerous or diseased tissue containing parasites, euthanized animals.






Dog Food

May 20 - May 30 (11 days) - Humbug Mtn. State Park, Port Orford, OR
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RV LIFE:
Tick update: The tick on my calf was discovered Friday night. It was very irritated and then the dreaded red bulls eye appeared. Saturday, I called 4 numbers with no luck. Monday was Memorial Day, so Tuesday I was on a mission to find a Doctor. To add to the problem, we have no cell service at the campground. So I had to go a few miles just to get cell reception to call Doctors.
I called a number that was supposed to be right in Port Orford. They stated they had a walk-in clinic. Halleluja! I asked for the street number and it was not what I had. Ends up, this clinic was 50 miles away! Huh? So I asked if they knew where I could go closer. I was told the only place for a walk-in would be the ER in Gold Beach, 22 miles away.
So off to the ER I go. Do I have to contact my insurance provider for an emergency visit? I'll call them when I get there. As I'm heading into town, I pass David & Suzi of Beluga's Excellent Adventure heading the opposite direction. Just before where I'm to turn I see "Walk-ins 10am -4pm". Is that for the Vet clinic? or maybe for the hair salon? Nope, it's a Doctor's office! Halleluja!!!
An hour and 15 minutes later I see the Doctor for 5 minutes. Nice office staff, nice Doctor. I wonder if she (Dr.) doesn't get many tick bites. She said that I need antibiotics. I said yes. She said she had to check what kind. I said Doxy. She said she thought so. She said a 2 week duration is norm. I said not for tick bites. It's a 3 week duration. She said she would verify.  I was right.
With prescription in hand, I said I had to find a pharmacy. The Doctor said, right across the street-the only pharmacy in town! I hope they take my prescription plan.
All worked out. $10.00 co-pay for the Dr. and $3.00 for the prescription. Now I have to hope that this works against contracting Lyme Disease.
FYI, if you're ever in this area.
North Bend Medical Centers 94180 2nd St., Gold Beach OR 97444 541-247-7047
They accepted my Horizon BC/BS
Corner Drug 29670 Ellensburg Ave. Gold Beach, OR 97444  541-247-4544
Accepted my Express Scripts/Medo plan
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PETS:
Dog Foods
When I was a young dog owner, I'm sorry to say, I wasn't a great dog owner. I worked the midnight shift and used to keep my dog outside all day while I tried to sleep. I had a Keeshond at the time and they are known to be barkers. Of course I didn't know that. She would bark and bark and bark. My neighbors never complained, but I'm sure they must have hated me. I also used to feed her Gravy Train because of the "nice gravy" it produced when you added water.
It wasn't until I met Scott and his two dogs (I was dogless by then) that I started to become more educated.  I was so impressed at how well behaved his labs were. They waited to eat, they came when called, they laid down when told to, etc. From then on my attitude toward dogs changed. I always enjoyed dogs, but didn't have that connection with them like I do now. When we bought a Flat Coated Retriever from a well respected breeder, she told us about what quality dog food was all about. From then on, my attitude towards dog food changed. Education, education, education.
The breeder suggested Innova. She explained that there were no chemical preservatives, no protein by-products and a variety of vegetables added. Unfortunately, at the time, the only way to get the food was via distributors (the breeder). So I began my research.

The first HUGE thing I learned was about protein by-products. Some of what is included in protein by-products is just thought to be distasteful or gross to a human's mind. But other portions of protein by-product is unhealthy and I do not want to give to my dogs.

Animal Digest: This is the dry by-product of rendered meat. During rendering, all usable animal parts (including fetal tissues and glandular wastes) are heated in vats and the liquid is separated from the dry meal. This meal is covered with charcoal and labeled "unfit for human consumption" before processing it into pet food. Digest can also include intestines, as well as the contents of those intestines, such as stool, bile, parasites and chemicals.

Chicken By-products: These are ground parts from poultry carcasses such as feet, heads, feathers, intestines, necks and undeveloped eggs and can included any rendered material.

Meat By-products: Pet grade meat by-products consist of organs and parts not desired or not fit for human consumption. This can include organs, bones, blood and fatty tissue. It can also include brains, feet, heads, intestines and any other internal parts. Unbelievably, by-products can also contain cancerous or diseased tissue containing parasites, euthanized animals.

From there, I learned there were better ways to preserve the food without harmful chemicals.
I learned how corn is used as a protein in many cheap grocery store brands. How much protein by weight is actually in corn compared to an animal protein? Not much.

I could go on and on, but I won't too much longer.

From the Whole Dog Journal  I've learned, "With most dogs, the more you change foods, the more robust and capable their digestion becomes."  You should be careful if your dog has a sensitive stomach or if you've been feeding them high fat, low protein grocery store dog food.
We change dog foods quite often, without our dogs having any digestive issues. We usually stick with our one regular brand, and then every once in a while use a different brand. It not only helps the dogs get a variety of ingredients, but also lets us find out what foods our dogs really like and maybe switch them to that for a while.

Our present dog food is Taste of the Wild, Pacific Stream Dry (Salmon). But as we travel, we do try to mix in other brands along the way.  We recently tried Instinct Raw. It is a dry food, but also has freeze dried raw protein pellets mixed in. We give this to our dogs in the morning when we feed dry. They "wolf" it down.

We've had "sticker shock" at the price of decent canned dog food. We only add canned to their main dry at dinner, just to give them some variety. It is difficult to find a canned dog food I am comfortable with for under $2.00/can! So I now have been adding cheap tuna, mackerel, etc. to their food. It gives the food the added zing of an enticing aroma and taste, it's cheaper than canned dog food and if you watch the salt in the mackerel, sardines etc. it's good for our dogs. We only add enough to taste. This not the bulk of their dinner.

My next post will be just a food grade rating chart for you to try on YOUR dog food.
You start with a score of 100 and then subtract for certain ingredients and add for other ingredients.
Anything from around 90  to 100 + is good. Our food Taste of the Wild, Pacific Stream Dry, scored 103.

For more info: Dog food analysis
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MAGAZINE REVIEW:
Whole Dog Journal  
My rating 5 out of 5

I've subscribed to Whole Dog Journal magazine for over 10 years. This magazine is not only an educational magazine about your dog's health, but also your dog's behavior and training. They do not accept ANY advertising, so like Consumer Reports magazine, they can be totally unbiased and state their opinion about products without outside influence.
Annually, in February, there is a large article on acceptable, healthy dog foods.
Whole Dog Journal has helped me with coping with one of my dog's renal disease, have educated me about vaccinating dogs, etc. Every 3 yrs is better than annually.
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PET PEEVE:
Not feeding pets table scraps
Old wives tale that your dog will get fat if you feed them table scraps. NOT TRUE. If you feed them table scraps + their full dinner + dog biscuits through out the day, yes, they will get fat. 
The majority of the time, we save the last bite or two of our dinner for our dogs. We add it to their dinner and give them less kibble. Also, even though our dogs are about 60-70 pounds, they get miniature sized dog treats. They NEVER get a whole sized biscuit. Since we are constantly rewarding them through out the day for good behavior, they would be fat (like Mom). Our treats are broken down into ONE BITE sized pieces. It's like me eating a cookie or two with coffee, then tea, then milk, etc. That adds up to a lot of cookies. But, if I would eat a 1/2 a cookie at a sitting, I would still take care of my sweet tooth, with 1/2 the calories.
Expensive brands names are considered the best.
You silly, silly designer and name brand people! I am NOT saying all name brands are bad. Many times, they are higher quality. L.L. Bean clothes are really well made with great materials compared to Walmart brand clothes. (I still shop at Walmart). But, when you buy an item simply for the name, that is ridiculous. It's a fad, it will soon be taboo.
You women with the Coach pocketbooks. Ugh! They are ugly!!!! I thought they were faux leather because they were so ugly. I did research and they are made out of real leather. But they are still ugly. Plus, I don't want someone else's initials on my stuff. I can get beautiful leather handmades and wallets for 1/4 the price of Coach. I just don't see the draw. 
I have a Suzuki Intruder motorcycle. I don't want a Harley Davidson simply because that is what is "expected" when you say you have a bike. They sound disappointed when I say a Suzuki. What is so great about Harley's except their name, which is just been ingrained into our minds. I'm not saying Harley's are not nice bikes, but why do I need to spend $15,000. on a bike, because it's a Harley, when I can get a similar bike I like for $8000-$10,000? 
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AUDIO BOOK REVIEW:
Sarah's KeySarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Historical novel:
I am fascinated by the history of both Black enslavement & prejudice and the holocaust. I cannot understand the mindset of any race or religion feeling so superior they feel they have the right to take over the lives of others. I am neither Black nor Jewish.
This book opened my eyes to a whole other series of tragic incidents that coincided with the Germans kidnapping the Jews. I had no idea the French did the same thing. Thank you Ms. De Rosnay for opening my eyes.
The book alternates the telling the story of two females, Sarah, a French 10 yr. old Jew separated from her family & taken to a concentration camp in 1942 and Julia, a 40ish American, living in Paris in 2002.
The two families are connected by the apartment that Sarah lived in and where Julia will be moving in to.
This audio book held my interest completely. The narrator did a great job of both female and male voices.
The author reminds me of James Clavell, who wrote Shogun. He did a lot of research of the Japanese Samurai to right his historical novel. I feel Ms. De Rosnay also must have researched the history of French Jews to right this novel. Bravo.
View all my reviews
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WHERE WE'RE GOING:
May 31 - Jun 13, 2013 (2 weeks) - Diamond Lake RV Park, Diamond Lake, OR
June 14 -23, 2013 Armitage County Park, Eugene, OR
WA, ID, MT, ND, SD, WY, then south for the Winter of 2013/214

Sunday, May 26, 2013

Ewwwww!


May 20 - May 30 (11 days) - Humbug Mtn. State Park, Port Orford, OR
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RV LIFE:
Have you all heard of the flooding in San Antonio, TX? We had stayed at Traveler's World RV park a few months back, and were right next to the SA River. Susan from Travel Bug is staying long term at that park also. So check out her experience and photos of flooding at the park.

Speaking of flooding...
The rain and flooding reminds me of a camping trip in PA, when we still tent camped.
In 2003, we were camping near a creek. Our Flat Coated Retriever, Chance, loved to swim, so we always tried to camp near water.
Irish Setter Ryley and FCR, Chance (both passed)
Notice where the creek is above. We had been there about 4 days and only had a day or two left of our vacation. It started raining heavy overnight, and continued into the morning. The creek started to rise. Scott said we'd better start packing. Optimistic Debbie said, let's wait a bit. Scott then put a stick at the shoreline of the creek. He said we'll check on it later to see how fast the creek was rising. Well,it didn't take long before the water was way past the stick. I was shocked and said, "let's get packing!". That was about 10am.
About 10 am

It's rising!
















We're packing and it's rising, and rising.
About 11am












Our tent was still fairly dry at this point amazingly.
Just about 12 noon
 We made the most of it. Chance loved playing in the new pond. We're outta here!

We have been in Oregon for a week and it has rained 6 out of 7 days. Some days it's just been sprinkles here and there, or heavier rain off and on. But today, we have a full on continuous rain. No wonder everything is so green here.
In between the rain, we've had a couple of campfires. It's good weather for that. There's a little chill from the rain, but then it clears up and the dampness lingers, so a campfire hits the spot.  I sat outside by the fire  the other day, with my afghan wrapped around me, a cup of warm spiced cider and a book to read. Ahhhhh.
We have no cell service (AT&T & Verizon). We have very slow or no Verizon internet. Luckily, town is only about 7 miles away and there are plenty of places with WiFi.
I had breakfast at Paradise Cafe because they had WiFi. I've sat in the Library parking lot and used their WiFi. I've been to Siren's Cafe for lunch and spent a couple of hours there using their WiFi, and lastly, I sat in the parking lot across the street from a motel using their WiFi.
I've been typing up my blog on a WordPad document and saving it. When I get into town with WiFi, then I copy/paste onto blogger and add photos.

It's essential I check my email at least every other day since I volunteer for dog rescue processing adoption applications. I am so thankful that our rescue receives quite a few applications weekly that have to be processed, but that also means I am a slave to the computer. It's all worth it if I can help dogs get out of  "shelters", into  foster homes and then adopted and have a family of their own that will love them.

My calf was hurting me the other day. I thought I must have scraped it or bruised it. I rubbed it through my pants and it felt like a scab. I lift my pant leg up to investigate what I did to myself. Hmm, it lookes like a scab that is coming off. I take my finger nail to pull it off and Ewwwwwwww! I think it is a tick!!!!! I think I saw little legs!!!!!!! I can handle spiders, but ticks just freak me out!!!!!
My brother used to get them in his ears. We used to have to go to the doctor to have him get them out. When I was a teenager, I had an itch under my left breast. I went to scratch it and there was a bump. Oh right, I have a mole there. Did I accidentally scratch it and make it bleed? It kind of stings. Upon closer investigation...Scream! Help! Dad! Get it off! I run around the house with no shirt on screaming, "Get it off!!". Dad saved the day and took it off.  Well Scott saved the day and took the tick off my calf. The problem though is I've never had a tick hurt like that. My leg ached. I checked the bite later and...

Yes, classic sign of a tick carrying Lyme's disease. Damn! I hate going to the Doctor. Just a PIA. But from what I've read, I need antibiotics. People who get Lyme disease can be effected only mildly or severely. I don't want to take a chance.
I've got to find a doctor, but we have no internet or cell service. Into town I go to seek out a walk in clinic. They are all over the place in NJ. Good luck in this little town. I stop at Paradise Cafe for breakfast, use their internet and ask the locals about a doctor. Damn! Only one office and they are only open Mon-Fri. On to the internet. I emailed my blogger friend, Suzi and asked if she knew of any walk in clinics in Gold Beach where they are staying, which is about 22 miles from where I am. Between Suzi and my search, I got 4 phone #'s. They all seemed link to "Curry". I had high hopes for the one in town, since they had 3 doctors in that office. I figured one must be working on a Sat. No luck.  I called 4 #'s. Two in Port Orford and two in Gold Beach. Two #'s were closed and two #'s just kept ringing and ringing and ringing. No luck. So I'll have to wait until Monday. Oh, wait, Monday is a holiday! Damn!
So I've been taking some antibiotics I had on hand. Yes, I know, you're supposed to use ALL your antibiotics to make sure that you are cleared up.  These antibiotics were for me to take when I go to the dentist. I have a SLIGHT Mitral Valve prolapse condition. I was to take an antibiotic prior to a dentist visit to prevent a possible infection in my heart. Not sure how that is caused, but ok, I got the script filled and took my pill. By the time I had another dentist appointment 6 months later, the protocol had changed. It was decided people had a greater chance of having a side effect from the antibiotic than getting a heart infection, so the antibiotics were no longer necessary. THAT'S why I have left over antibiotics.
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RESTAURANT REVIEW revisited: 
Siren's Cove Cafe, Port Orford, OR
My rating 4.5 out of 5
I said I would be back!. I returned to this cafe to use their internet and of course for lunch...again. Today's soup was onion & mushroom soup. OH MY GOSH! How can such a simple ingredient soup be so excellent??? The chef has to be the King or Queen of broths. The beefy robust broth would make an excellent base for French Onion Soup. I almost took a container home.
I picked up a couple of sweets to bring back to the RV. A Strawberry Cheese Croissant for Scott & a Berry Lemon muffin for me for breakfast the next day.
Berry Lemon Muffin was very good. There was just a hint of lemon in this buttery muffin with fresh marionberries (similar to blackberries),as a filling rather than mixed through out the muffin. Very good muffin.
Strawberry Cheese Croissant was also good. Light, buttery and just a touch of filling.
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PETS:
English Setter of the week needing a home
My heart is with the senior dogs. They just want to be loved in their less active last years. When I fostered, I usually tried to take the seniors. I knew we may end up having them for a long time, since most people want to adopt young dogs. But they were easy to foster, easy to love, and yes all but one got adopted.
FYI, our rescue has a volunteer transport system in place so even though Tesla is in TN, and you may be in say OH, we can get her there via our volunteers.

TESLA , 9 yrs old
Tesla is a senior girl who found herself in a high kill shelter in KY. We estimate that she is about 9 years old.
She is a wonderful girl and loves attention. Tesla does not have to be crated because she never bothers
anything. She prefers to lie on her doggy bed and take it easy.  The only time she is crated at her foster
home is at feeding time because she likes to steal the other dogs food.
She lets you know when she needs to potty by running to the door. She is very good with cats,
totally ignores them. She is good with other dogs, but does not like for a dog to get right in her face.
Tesla is spayed, up to date on vaccines and heartworm negative. She appears to be healthy. Her
teeth are worn down but she eats OK.  She has gotten a little chubby and needs to lose a few pounds.
This senior girl is now ready for her forever home. She deserves to spend the rest of her life being loved and cherished.  She would be a wonderful addition to a senior's family or for someone who just wants a great companion.

Tesla is in foster care in Manchester, TN.
If you are interested, please fill out an application.
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May 31 - Jun 13, 2013 (2 weeks) - Diamond Lake RV Park, Diamond Lake, OR
June 14 -23, 2013 Armitage County Park, Eugene, OR

WA, ID, MT, ND, SD, WY, then south for the Winter of 2013/214

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Little dog expired

May 20 - May 30 (11 days) - Humbug Mtn. State Park, Port Orford, OR
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RV LIFE:
We've entered another "new" State...Oregon. This is a potential "settle down" State. We are looking forward to spending quite a bit of time here and learning the pros and cons of this State.
As soon as we mention Oregon, people say that we better be able to handle a lot of rainy days. From what I've read, it all depends on which side of the mountains you are. We shall see.  But right now, Oregon is living up to it's reputation. This is our 3rd day here and we've had two days of rain! I've been enjoying  my easy chair and afghan and looking out our rear window at the rain coming down amid the beautiful greenery.
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BROWSING THE WWW://
Hubby subscribes to a couple of computer magazines. He cut out an article about HTTPS Everywhere. This is one attempt at improving web security for browser users.
HTTPS Everywhere ensures that when you visit certain sites, all of your communications are encrypted and secure.
Here's a good article from PC WORLD that covers it and has a download link for HTTPS Everywhere.
To use it, all you need to do is install it. Once you do that, HTTPS Everywhere does it's work invisibly. It works only when the sites themselves use the HTTPS protocol, and works only on a group of specific sites. So it won't protect you everywhere. And it won't protect you when you use other Internet services, such as an instant messaging client, or use client-based email such as Outlook.
I use Google Chrome as my web browser. HTTPS Everywhere has an extension for Chrome, so it was very easy to add. When the sight is encrypted with HTTPS Everywhere, a little symbol shows up at the end of the address bar.  Nice easy protection that performs without any real notice.
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PETS:
Devin just can't settle. There are too many critters around. I haven't seen him this bad since last year in Florida at a park with a lot of squirrels running around. The animals here at Humbug St. Park are more stealth. I rarely see anything, but Devin and Lyla sure can smell them. I have only seen a itty baby rabbit and some kind of large black & blue jay. But Devin is seeing, hearing, and smelling all kinds of things that are hiding in the bushes surrounding our site.
We have a no pull harness on Devin, but that is not even working against the temptation of the unseen critters around. This morning I had to hold his leash with TWO hands! I was afraid he was going to pull me down. Even Lyla was walking with nose to the ground.
Back inside the RV, Devin had not had enough. He was pacing and pacing like a caged animal! Well, I guess he is sort of a caged animal. He'd go from window to window, then try to put his feet up on the dining table to get a better look outside. Then he jumps on the recliner and puts his legs on the recliner arms. I guess he thinks he'll be closer if he has a higher viewpoint? I finally had to get stern and tell him to lay down. Finally....he slinked into the bedroom and settled down for an afternoon nap on our bed.
Poor Devin, he just wants to do what a Setter is supposed to do. Seek out the critters in the field. Back at Lake Tahoe, Devin actually did catch his prey!
Look Mom what I killed!
This is now his favorite toy.  At least he got some sense of satisfaction I hope.
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MISC:
Anyone know what this is?

While growing up, my Dad always warned us to not stick a knife in the toaster to get bread that was stuck in there. He would make us unplug the toaster first. Then we could poke the knife in. Safety first! Years later, when I was living on my own, I picked up this wooden tong device. Now I don't have to worry about getting shocked or ruining the toaster with metal objects. I no longer have to unplug the toaster to get stuck bread out. I just use this wooden tong and voila!

Thanks Dad for teaching me safety and making a happy childhood memory.
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 RESTAURANT REVIEW: 
Siren's Cove Cafe, Port Orford, OR
My rating 4.5 out of 5
What a nice little cafe. After doing laundry in town on a rainy, raw day, I stopped in for some hot coffee and a sweet at Siren's Cafe. I ended up with lunch instead. Small menu, but everything sounded great. I had the cup of soup and 1/2 sandwich for $7.50.
Wonton soup: This was definitely home made. Did not taste like Chinese wonton soup. It was really a chicken vegetable soup with wontons instead of noodles. Nice broth with fresh sliced carrots & celery. 2 or 3 homemade wontons in the broth. Very good and perfect for a rainy day.
Old Standby sandwich: Excellent!!!!! Thin slices of deli turkey, piled on top of a crisp leaf of a dark lettuce, with onion, tomato & mayo. This was in between rosemary focaccia bread which was fabulous. The whole combo was absolutely heaven. I'll be back for that.
My one negative is the coffee menu, and why the 4.5 instead of 5 points. I just wanted a small cup of coffee. No latte, no grande, etc. I don't understand all that uppity up stuff. I just want a good cup of coffee.  Because of their wording (trying to be like Starbucks?), I didn't bother with coffee.
There was also a display case with some baked sweets. Not a lot of items, so couldn't be purchasing for the office, or for a dinner party, but a nice array to choose from with your coffee.
Snickerdoodles: (75 cents each or 3 for $2.00) I picked up 3. These may be the best snickerdoodles I have ever had. Slightly soft, with a great butter cookie flavor sprinkled with cinnamon on top. Yum!
I didn't know they had WiFi until I read it on Yelp. Now that I know they have WiFi, I'll be back for that also, since I have spotty connections at the campground!
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REVIEW-BUSINESS :
Duds n Suds Laundry & Carwash, Port Orford
My rating 3.5 out of 5
Basic laundry. Clean. Had one bill changer machine, which took all bills.
3 sizes of washers double, triple, quad. Nice large dryers.
3 tables for folding clothes.
Somewhat tight by the dryers because there were tables in front.
Overall a decent laundry.
There was an odd ball in there doing her laundry. Which brings me to a Pet Peeve!
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PET PEEVE:
Besides the stupid "starbucks" coffee menu...People who NEED attention.
A girl in her late 20's comes into the laundromat and all heads turn. She is huffing and puffing carrying her load of laundry. Then she stomps over to the change machine talking to herself. She puts her bill in the machine and moans and jiggles and twitches and then says "shit" for all to hear. Tries the machine again and it works and she almost shouts for joy.  Her movements are very animated and she's very distracting. She jam packs her laundry into a couple of machines, the whole time humming, and grunting like it's really hard work. Slam bang, closes the door. While her laundry is going, she hangs over one of the tables, still jiggling and looking around. More grunts and more talking to herself as she continues to look around. I think she was just hoping for someone to make eye contact so she's have someone to talk to. She takes off her hat and even her hair is an attention getter. It's bright red (not unusual in this age), but it's in tiny pony tails all over her head.
She really pissed me off with all her noises. She was just looking for attention...or high on some drug.
Another attention getting pet peeve, is people who jingle their keys as they walk by. Hey, look at  me! I'm jingling my keys so you look up and notice! Grrrrr.
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BOOK REVIEW:
True DetectivesTrue Detectives by Jonathan Kellerman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A missing college age girl's cold case investigation leads to another girl's death and a missing baby.
I enjoyed the interaction between the main characters who are step-brothers. Interesting how they deal with each other and their own way of investigating. Even though they are somewhat at odds with each and have a strained history, they deal with each other in a mature manner trying to work together instead of for themselves. Maybe their is hope for their relationship.
Quite a few stories sprout out of the main story giving us many characters and background stories to theorize "who done it".
Unexpected ending which was a pleasant change.
This book kept my interest, but I would not go out of my way to get this book.


View all my reviews
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May 31 - Jun 13, 2013 (2 weeks) - Diamond Lake RV Park, Diamond Lake, OR
June 14 -23, 2013 Armitage County Park, Eugene, OR

WA, ID, MT, ND, SD, WY, then south for the Winter of 2013/214

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

West Coast

May 8 - 19, 2013 (12 days) - Azalea Glen RV Park, Trinidad, CA
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RESTAURANT REVIEW:
We decided to venture into the little town of Trinidad. Really not very large and not much to see. There is a museum which we did not visit, there's a couple of seashore gift shops, a small but decent grocery store, and a few restaurants...oh and a Post Office.
We stopped at The Lighthouse Grill for lunch. This is the same place that was set up at the Arcata Farmer's Market selling their Mashed Potato cone.
The Lighthouse Grill, Trinidad, CA
Our rating 4.5 out of 5
Very casual little restaurant with no waitress service & clean up your own table. Also there is just as much or more outdoor seating as inside. Unfortunately, dogs were not allowed at the outside seating. So much for the "dog friendly West Coast". They have baskets with blankets available in case you want  to eat al fresco when there's a chill in the air.
Inside there were art pieces for sale, both paintings and handmade jewelry. Scott especially liked this painting.
I liked the light wall sconces.

Scott was in the mood for fish and chips. The fish was your typical batter fried. Typical not meaning blah. They were very good and what we were hoping and expecting. It came with homemade fries which is always a treat.
I knew I wanted to splurge on the homemade fries, so I opted for just a Greek Salad, plus a side of fries.

Excellent salad with homemade croutons. Unfortunately the idea of homemade croutons is nice, but they were so hard, I couldn't bite into them.

The fries were above average, but somewhat soft & saggy. I prefer mine crispier.
The next day we returned for their home made ice cream. They only have a few flavors and it changes day to day according to what they make.
I chose French Vanilla and Dark chocolate in a home made waffle cone. Scott had Banana Cashew ice cream. The waffle cone was excellent. The ice cream flavors were great especially the Banana. Fresh banana flavor with just a touch of cashew. I think walnut or pecan would have been a better choice, but it was still excellent. The vanilla had great flavor but was a little grainy/icy for my preference. The texture reminded me of ice milk instead of cream. The chocolate was very chocolatey. Yum! The chocolate has a better texture also.
I would definitely return for both a meal and desert.
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BUSINESS REVIEW:
Katy's Smokehouse, Trinidad, CA
Our rating 4 out of 5
Very expensive, but this is a small business run behind their home. The seafood is all caught locally and they smoke it all themselves.

We haven't tried everything we bought, so difficult to rate. So far we've had the maple smoked salmon which was delicious.
We also had their canned tuna. Do you remember when you could get the fancy tuna in cans and it actually looked like fish meat? Well that's the way this is. At $7.99 for a 7.5 ounce can, it's pricey, but I think it's worth the splurge..
The man behind the counter was very informative, but also a little gruff. I asked if the smoked fish means I don't have to cook it. He looked at me as if I was stupid. Maybe it was a stupid question, but he shouldn't have shown it. But he did answer my question. Then I asked about the canned tuna and he told us how it is canned and the quality and care taken. He was very passionate about his products. I would definitely buy the tuna on a regular basis if we lived around here.
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SIGHTS/RECREATION/VIEW:
When we arrived at Azalea Glen RV park, we were given a nice cheat sheet of things not to miss in the area. This sheet stated how far from the park the sights were & also if dogs were allowed off leash, on leash or not allowed. We had a number of items checked to explore. We started with the closest spots with the dogs and the next day we would venture further without the dogs.
First day was Dry Lagoon, Agate beach and Redwoods. Second day was to be about 20 miles away in a forest where you have a good chance of seeing Roosevelt Elk. Roosevelt Elk were on the way to extinction with only a couple of hundred left. With conservation efforts, they are now in the thousands.
So off we go to Dry Lagoon...
Stop! STOP! LOOK! Roosevelt Elk are in the field!

I love the way they lay down with their necks all stretched. Reminds me of our Setter, Devin.
After seeing this herd of Elk so easily, I started wondering if they were here all the time and this was not a big deal. When we passed by a couple of days later, the field was empty. So we were very fortunate to see this large herd of over 50 Elk so close. I was surprised at how relaxed they were. There did come a point while I was taking photos that a "bull" took notice of me and kept a watch on me as I walked back to our truck across the street.

Check Elk off our list for the 2nd day. Been there, done that!
Arriving at Dry Lagoon, I was again car sick. Bleck! I can't handle these curvy roads.
We had a great time at Dry Lagoon beach. Totally different than New Jersey beaches. There are flowers growing all along the beach in the sand.












There are huge pieces of driftwood. They are beautiful! I would love to have some in my backyard.
This inspires me to plant flowers in the crevices of this beautiful chunk of driftwood.




Well, if only I had a permanent yard! I'll just keep that garden idea in the back of my mind for potential future use.
Isn't this grain gorgeous??? 
I have no i imagination but this sure looks like it would make a beautiful piece of furniture or art piece. Just imagine it with a layer of poly on it to make it glow! I almost would like to frame this photo above.

Of course, Scott had a couple of geocaches to find while on the beach. You lead Honey, I'll follow. Oh Sweetie, did you plan this ahead of time?
I wonder what the story behind this is.
No Scott didn't plan this, but he did find this stone and gave it to me.
Can we all say Awwww?
There are rocks and stones all over the beach. Ever since New Mexico, I've really gotten into collecting pretty rocks. What's nice about the rocks and stones on this beach is that the sand and Ocean have already started the finishing process.

What kind of rock is this?
Did I fool you? This is actually a smoothed out piece of driftwood, not a rock. It fooled me until Scott picked it up.
Wouldn't that green stone make a beautiful pendent? Hmmm. I wonder if I'll ever get into simple jewlery making and get some use out of my collecting. That would be a great way to use tokens of our travels.
Here's my rock stone stash I collected.
My favorite is the black & white speckled stones.
Check Agate Beach off our list since we got our fill at Dry Lagoon.

MORE SIGHTS:
While visiting the town of Trinidad, we stopped along the beach. In order to get down to the actual beach we had to go down a slew of stairs.






But if we go down, that means we have to climb back up. Ugh!
Don't worry about me Honey, I'll catch up.
My trusty Setter, Devin who loves to pull on a leash will help me up. Don't you know, he did not pull at all! So much for help. I'm so out of shape.
We all had a great time exploring the Trinidad Beach. I'm so glad we took the dogs along. They had a blast with all the smells and rocks to climb.
Both dogs were fascinated with these long things.

But they must taste pretty bad, because Devin would start to carry it around and then suddenly spit it out and look at it like yeck!









At this beach we also saw some animals.
Sea Lions and Seals
??


Starfish











All in all, we've had a really nice time in Northern California. I was definitely prejudiced against California. I generalized it and threw all the bad parts of Southern California to all of California. Northern California is definitely a nice place to visit, but still wouldn't want to live there because of the taxes, government, etc.










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May 31 - Jun 13, 2013 (2 weeks) - Diamond Lake RV Park, Diamond Lake, OR

June 14 -23, 2013 Armitage County Park, Eugene, OR

WA, ID, MT, ND, SD, WY, then south for the Winter of 2013/214

Monday, May 20, 2013

Homeless or Hipster

May 8 - 19, 2013 (12 days) - Azalea Glen RV Park, Trinidad, CA
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Just a quickie post. I just haven't felt like posting, but I sure have been reading blogs! We'll be on our way to Oregon and I'll catch up with you there later. 
RV LIFE:
It's been really nice to stay at a beautiful and relaxing area for almost 2 weeks. This RV park is quiet, lush greenery, with hiking right across the street.
I've enjoyed just sitting outside with the dogs. We even had a campfire a couple of cool afternoons. We should do that more often. I'm still amazed how little time Scott & I spend together. If he's upstairs in the bedroom watching TV, I'm downstairs in the living room reading, or on the computer. Then Scott comes downstairs, turns on the TV, so I then head outside.  I like quiet. So it's nice when we have a campfire. We spend some "quality" time together.
Northern California is a beautiful area of our country.
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BUSINESS REVIEW:
We had more truck maintenance/repairs to be be done. It seems every 2-3 months we're handing over $300-$500. for something. Scott brought the truck in to get the oil changed. The dealer found the water separator drain on the gas filter disintegrated. So we ended up replacing that and the fuel filter, air filter, etc.
Nice dealership started, in the winter of 1912 Harvey M Harper and his family drove a Model T from Phoenix, AZ to Eureka, CA to establish a Ford dealership.  Over 100 years later that dealership is still owned and operated by the Harper family.. 
The part had to be ordered, and were told we shouldn't drive the truck. The part should be in the next day. They have a free shuttle service, so they brought Scott back to our RV and the next day picked him up. This is a 1/2 hour trip each way. Nice service.
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SIGHTS:
"When I drive through Hillcrest, I play a game: homeless person or hipster." 
-- Maggie J. Little Rock, AR
That's exactly how we feel here in Northern California. There are so many people riding bicycles with packed saddle bags or people wearing heavy clothing and carrying large tote bags while trying to hitch a ride. Many are really scruffy looking young people. Are they homeless? Are they here in California for the experience? They mostly look homeless to me.  A lot of hitch hikers!
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BROWSING THE WWW://
You Tube Downloader is a simple free program that enables you to easily download You Tube and some other site videos and save to your computer.  I mainly use this to save Craft instruction videos.
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AUDIO BOOK REVIEW:

The RacketeerThe Racketeer by John Grisham
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Decent mystery investigating the murder of a judge. A little drawn out at times, but interesting to see all the different avenues taken to find who murdered the judge & why.



Wednesday, May 15, 2013

RV Park Review: AZALEA GLEN RV PARK, Trinidad, CA

RV PARK REVIEW:
May 8 - 19, 2013 (12 days)
Azalea Glen RV Park, Trinidad, CA
Site# 37   Price $34./night
Our rating 4.5 out of 5

SITES: Sites are tight, BUT because they have them divided by lattice fence and at this time of the season, covered with ivy, or trailing flowering vines, the sites were beautiful and private.


Our site

HOOK UPS: FHU
BATHROOMS: Very clean and private shower.
LAUNDRY: Nice little laundry room that was clean.
PETS: Pet friendly. Two areas for dog business.
WIFI: Free and very good.
VERIZON INTERNET: Very Good
SPRINT INTERNET:
VERIZON PHONE: Very good
AT&T PHONE: Good
BOOK EXCHANGE: Nice book exchange in laundry room
ACTIVITIES: Relaxing.
MAIL DELIVERY ACCEPTED: Not sure, but I think so.
AREA/TOWN/SIGHTS: Lots to do in the area. Redwood forest, Pacific ocean, lots of hiking.
This park would have gotten a perfect score if the sites were a bit larger.

Owner's were very nice and have a great Golden Doodle. Ed said they hope to have a dog park by next year!
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BROWSING THE WWW://
Regarding my Kindle vs. paperbacks post prior:
Kerri M. commented:
"I also love my Kindle and totally agree that free trumps all. :) That's why if you haven't already you should check out One Hundred Free Books! They offer free or low cost books for your kindle. It give you the chance to meet new authors, discover unexpected gems, and rediscover old favorites. I highly recommend it!"
So I signed up for One Hundred Free Books and I'm already overwhelmed. So much to read! Thanks Kerri for the site reference!
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PETS:
I'm finding that California is not as "pet friendly" as I thought. Many of the campgrounds allow dogs, but charge extra for each dog daily!
Also, it seems the State Parks do not allow dogs on the trails. I was walking in Patrick's Point State Park, which is right across the street from our RV park. I took the dogs with me and followed the paved roads which led me to what sounded like what might be a dog park. I heard a lot of what I thought was barking. But the sign stated, no dogs beyond this point. As I listened more carefully I got so excited! I THINK I'm hearing seals! I thought I wouldn't see them until we went to the Oregon coast. Sure enough, there are seals all over the huge mounds coming out of the Ocean. I'll be back without the dogs for a closer look and photos. Also while in the state park, there were signs for hikes on the rim with distances. So inviting, but again, no dogs on trails. Sigh. 
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WHERE WE'RE GOING:

May 20 - May 30 (11 days) - Humbug Mtn. State Park, Port Orford, OR
May 31 - Jun 13, 2013 (2 weeks) - Diamond Lake RV Park, Diamond Lake, OR
June 14 -23, 2013 Armitage County Park, Eugene, OR

WA, ID, WA, MT, ND, SD, WY, then south for the Winter of 2013/214

Our Travels