Dang RV

One last Thousand Trails park on the way out of Oregon. Had to go for it. This one I heard was the best maintained one in their system and from what I have seen, that is true. The pools are hot tub are the absolute best of all we have been at. The separate adult pool is kept at the perfect temperature to walk right in. It was so wonderfully warm. The hot tub was clean and not too hot but just right. The clubhouse is in beautiful and the showers were fine. They have a well-stocked store and café on a charming wooden boardwalk surrounded by several small buildings all done in a western town theme. I can honestly say the burgers at D~n~D’s Horseshoe Café there are are great and they are known for their smoked meats. Plan on having lunch or dinner there at least once during your stay.

This again is a well treed park. Getting satellite TV is possible but requires selecting the right site. I had to move one site over from my original selection to get both satellites. I and L sections seem to be your best shot to get through the trees. The roads are decent and I highly recommend bringing your bicycle as this is a great place to ride. If you forget or don’t have room, they do have rentals. They also rent kayaks and inner tubes to float down the river that runs past it. Weekends there are planned activities for kids and a craft market. I got to do my favorite activity there, geocaching, as there is a geocache right at the entrance of the park. The fact is, I had such a good time there and I realized that I am heading south a little too soon (heat) so I am spending a week out at a nearby Coast to Coast RV park and am going back to the Bend-Sunriver Thousand Trails for another two weeks before heading out. Can’t wait to get back to that pool!

I went up to the Lava Visitor’s Center one Sunday in Newberry National Volcanic Monument to see my first volcano. Fascinating movies in the center and good explanations of how volcanoes work. Very interesting. I went up to Lava Butte for a good view of the crater and surrounding lava field. You have to get a time ticket to go up there due to the popularity of the area and sparse parking available. The view is well worth it. Being a very hot day, going below ground into a 40 degree lava tube seemed like a good idea so I went over to the Lava Cave. Would have been a better idea if I had a coat and flashlight with me. Oh well. Little things like that don’t stop me. I rented a propane lantern from the forest service there for $5 and down I went into the hole. The lantern did a great job of keeping me warm as well as lighting the way as I walked the mile long tube under Highway 97. With the occasional stop to rest and catch my breath, I made it to the end and back. I passed a few areas where the ceiling and walls had sloughed off a bit over the years and part of it was closed due to the danger. At one point there was a tube in a tube. Signs along the way explained how lava moves. Most of it is wide, high, and flat for walking. A couple more benches to sit on would have been nice.

While I was in Bend, I had the strangest week. It was a week for retreads; my SUV, my feet, and even my cane! I decided to get new tires put on my SUV since my tires were going bad after 5-6 years of traveling thousands of miles all over the U.S. They served me well. I had hoped to get two now and two later but it turned out all needed to be replaced now. Eesh! I could have used a fifth tire too as we discovered my spare was torn up and disintegrating as well. It was fine when it was last mounted under the vehicle but may have been over-inflated by the last mechanic I’m told. I don’t know what happened. We mounted one of the better tires as the new spare for now. The new tires have cleared up all issues with pulling to one side and the ride is pretty smooth now. Some more good news is the brakes look good still and will last a while longer. At the same time, I had worn out the tip on my cane which was slipping and making a metallic sound as it struck the ground. I had to replace that for safety as well. Then, I realized my feet were hurting because my shoes had worn out and I was walking on the sides of my feet in them so I ducked into the shoe aisle at Wal-Mart and spotted my favorite white Velcro strapped sneakers and bought them. Whew! What a week.

For more pics click here.