Trolley

Schizophrenia

2012-01-30T23:18:00.000-08:00

        We set sail this past weekend in a torrent, headed to Yachats for my Sunday night gig, and a planned overnight stay at Tillicum Beach Campground. Halfway there, on Highway 34, the rain got worse. The highway, in many places, seemed more like a lake than a road. Fortunately, there was no flooding, which happened all through the Willamette Valley and the Central Coast just two days after we returned from our last trip (the snow trip). We did see, however, all along Highway 34, all the places where the road was closed for several days two weeks ago because of mud and rock slides due to snow melt and extraordinary rainfall.
        The large hood and the forward roof that hangs over the cab of Trolley keeps the view through the windshield to basically straight ahead—no up, down, and to only forty-five degrees left and right. We’d have never seen a boulder or a wall of mud coming at us.
        Nothing so dire happened, but the wind in Waldport slowed down Trolley considerably. We pulled into Tillicum Beach Campground around 1:30 p.m., fired up the heater and raised the curtains so we could watch the Pacific Ocean roil with massive white waves. The rain snapped vertical, and Trolley rocked in the gusts, which I have discovered came at us at 43 miles per hour.
        Our friends arrived not too long after, and we joined them in their RV for some snacks, wine, and various flavors of Rogue beer, while we listened to the near-typhoon pummel our little rigs.
        It is so cool to sit warm and dry, with good friends, tasty food, and superlative beer in the middle of a magnificent ocean storm. What’s even cooler: Trolley took on no water this trip!
        The gig was great, we made some new friends at Drift Inn, and then we headed back to the campground for our usual evening of pinochle, wine, cheese and crackers, and more beer. As is most often the case, the male dominators once again dominated the card game, and when it was over T– and I returned to Trolley and bunked down. I don’t know about T–, but I slept like a corpse. For me, Trolley is just a comfortable time, asleep or awake.
        Sunday morning, the sun wanted to come out, the wind died down, and the temperature rose to 53ºF. T– and I and our friends took our dogs down to the beach and walked for hours. Passing houses all along our stroll, I could only think that, even with all the repair and maintenance issues we have with Trolley, keeping our little RV going is probably a lot less stressful than owning a home on the beach that is close to falling into the ocean, or is in such need of repair from the weather and climate that it will take years just to prepare the house for a sale to some idiot who doesn’t recognize the power of Mother Nature.
        All during this trip, we stayed warm and dry. I’d bet that a few folks who live on the houses near Tillicum Beach did not.

(Before the trip even began, I discovered Trolley leaking gasoline... lots of it.

Fortunately, it was only a loose hose. For the first time, we made it to the coast and back

on just one tank of gas, with one gallon to spare.

I think our gas mileage problems might have been due to a leak.)

To Get Away

2012-01-17T00:46:00.001-08:00

Beads of hail ricochet off the tin roof of Trolley. The clamor drowns out the sound of my thoughts. Eight-thirty in the morning, but the coastal sky rolls across our inland camp as dark as twilight. The only idea of anything resembling light is the white upon the forest floor.

My two Chihuahuas did not mind moseying though the winter ground cover. The chill of the air set them to scratching at the RV door when they finished their morning constitutionals. They ate, lingered beneath my fingers for a while, and then scampered back up to the bunk where my wife still sleeps. I boiled water on the stove, made coffee, and sat with a desire to work on my novel. Instead, I am forcing myself to write this blog post while glancing out the window.

Were I to take this moment to work on my book, I would achieve at least the four hundred or so words that will probably fill this entry, might even complete a particular scene. The point to the morning, however, does not involve achievement. I get great pleasure just sitting in Trolley being completely satisfied.

We started this weekend in a serene, semi-secluded spot. My original idea was to explore the land between Salem and Lincoln City, but my plan got nixed. Because of where we ended up, however, I didn’t mind. The world along Elkhorn Road is beautiful, and quiet. We were coaxed into pulling up stakes for a jaunt back to the highway and Ona Beach, and wound up the second night in Newport, which is all right since it’s my favorite town in the whole world, but hanging around town doing town things defeats the purpose of having the Trolley, and we ended up camping along the roadside on a wide turnout. Granted, the old boy has wheels, and I suppose some folks do use their RV’s to get them here and get them there, but I bought Trolley and am tolerating the expense to get him up to speed for reasons other than driving.

For me, I just need the six wheels to get me somewhere that is not the same thing I could do at home, and once the spot is found I just want to hunker down and enjoy fixing vegetables on a stove, in the quiet of a forest… or with an oceanfront view.

The second night along the roadside was not completely weird, however. The clear sky marveled me with stars. Even with binoculars I could make out the Seven Sisters, every appendage and accouterment of Orion, all of Cetus, all of Canis Major, several planets… and just a few hours later the sky marveled me with four inches of snow.

Third Time's A...

2012-01-16T17:30:00.000-08:00

Looking through our Trolley journal, my wife and I were surprised to discover that, since our first outing in October, we’ve made only three overnight trips—this weekend near Ona Beach being one of them. Maybe it only seems like more because I wish there had been more. Maybe it’s because we’re beginning to figure out a few things.

We have learned to put stuff away immediately, in its proper place. Trolley provides us enough space to walk around and get things done—eating, sleeping, playing games, playing with the Chihuahuas—but only because as an unwritten rule, we keep the place tidy and organized. If we didn’t, trips in the Trolley would probably not be as much fun, particularly since the folks who made Trolley did not intend his inhabitants to stand over six feet tall.

One of the first things to be removed will be the air conditioner, which sits in the center of the ceiling, near the stove. I have a difficult time avoiding it when I’m cooking or making coffee.

The trip this weekend came with an expected surprise. We did know the weather would be foul, but we did not expect the weight and water content of the snow—something around four inches I think. Two of the leaks I thought I had fixed returned, and we sprung a new one (a faulty vent). My guess, however, is that we would not have taken on water again if we had dealt only with rain. Sunday night, camped along the Yaquina River, snow began to fall around nine thirty, and it didn’t quit ’til long after we went to bed around one in the morning.

I woke around seven and took the Chihuahuas out for their morning constitutionals, and I thought about removing the snow from the roof. I didn’t. I should have, because I am convinced that the water content of such a heavy, wet snow is why we sprung our leaks. But we did not start taking on water until the snow began to melt.

Women and Children First!

2011-11-22T23:12:00.000-08:00

        It’s not like I have several loaves of bread to bake for the Thanksgiving feast I’m attending at my wife’s boss’s house this week, or need to record fifteen songs for my new bandmates up in Salem so they can practice for our rather big gig at the State Fair Grounds...
        ... but just when I got the window leak fixed, I discovered a section of carpet submerged in a puddle of water, a drip coming from the ceiling, and several drips coming down the walls—one near the door, and one in a cupboard.
        My buddy brought over an infra-red camera, and we found the most likely spots that needed to be patched, so in the cold and pouring rain, I went up on a ladder and spread goo across the roof of Trolley, while my buddy secured the ladder. We got soaked.
        I still haven’t fixed bread, or gotten anything recorded for my bandmates, because this evening, though it seems that the roof leaks may be mitigated (if not 100%, then perhaps 95%), I found that the window I fixed now leaks in all the places where I didn’t caulk. So... I spent the evening smearing the interior of the forward window with caulk. I no longer care about aesthetics.
        The problem is that the rain is not expected to abate anytime soon, thus the weather is not conducive to drying out the interior to see whether my and my buddy’s labor will bear dry fruit.
        Oh yeah... and the tires I bought last week that cost $550 plus some change. We got Trolley for what we thought was a steal, $3000, but we’ve already come close to putting that much into him, and right now I am way behind in some things that I have to do. I need to bake, and I need to record, and I need to practice for the gig for which my wife and I need Trolley this weekend.
        At a certain point, if Trolley goes to hell between now and when my wife and I need him... well, we’ll just drive home after the gig and maybe leave Trolley parked underneath a tarp until the two days next summer when it will be dry enough to take a road trip, because I no longer have time to spend time fixing what keeps breaking, particularly since I really don’t know what I’m doing.
        I do however, know how to make a mean loaf of bread... and I’m not bad with a set of guitar chords.
        Maybe my wife and I are over our heads, because right now we’re drowning.

Every Weekend

2011-11-06T23:59:00.000-08:00

        Determined to get Trolley (and us) up to speed, we took a chance against no rain today, because we wanted to get Trolley back on the road so that we can continue to get used to it—driving windy mountain roads, and learning what bare necessities we will need for spontaneous traveling.
        Our daughter and her fella wanted to travel in Trolley, so we took another trip to Newport. We ate breakfast (brunch) along the waterfront, and then parked again at the Don Davis Memorial Park, where we took the dogs to the beach, and then sat inside Trolley with two bottles of the new Rogue Brewery Pumpkin Patch (one great brew).
        We got rain, but not much—enough, however, that I did find out from where the water is leaking through the forward window. I do believe I can fix it without taking out the entire window... but we’ll see.
        The unfortunate thing about this week are all the reasons that Theresa and I bought Trolley—the artificial world of retail looms too large, and won’t give me enough time off this week to get any serious hours into Trolley repair.
        One of these days, I’ll convince Theresa to scrap it all and hit the road.

Water Worries

2011-11-01T10:34:00.000-07:00

Damn. I’m getting bad feelings about Trolley maintenance. I checked the forward window that I caulked this morning and found a small puddle of water in the interior window seam. I have no idea from where the water is getting inside.
I’m thinking that I may have to remove the entire window and reinstall it with a better seal. And then I’ll re-caulk the outside glazing.

The Boy and a Dike

2011-10-31T23:28:00.000-07:00

It took the entire day to find the window glazing that I need to replace the old, crumbling stuff that we have around the forward window, which left me little time to cut the rubber glazing and glue it on Trolley, and to then caulk the whole window before sundown.
I covered Trolley with a tarp to keep off the water, but I am concerned that the chill we now get every evening will keep the caulk from setting well. I’d like to think that I got the water leak fixed, but I’ll see in the morning, just before I head off the land of dreaded retail.

Taking On Water

2011-10-30T22:30:00.000-07:00

        Our second voyage with Trolley gave us a glimpse of what it’s gonna take to keep Trolley afloat.
        We set off this morning for Newport in torrential rain, with the idea of staying the afternoon on the coast, though leaving open the possibility that we would stay overnight if things went well. Unfortunately, they did not. The forward window (sleeping quarters) let in water, which soaked our bedding.
        Theresa and I were bummed,, because we had a ball being able to park at the Don Davis Memorial Park in Newport and just sit around in a storm as if we were at home (which we were). Our two Chihuahuas thought it was the greatest thing.
        A shame to return home—staying at the ocean during a storm is an awesome way to spend time.

Maiden Voyage

2011-10-24T23:30:00.000-07:00

My wife and I have always loved camping, but growing older we got tired of lugging gear, sleeping on hard, cold, rocky ground, and then lugging everything back out to whence we came.

It was an incredible feeling to wake in Trolley this morning, parked on the serene summit of Cannibal Mountain, 1946 feet above sea level, among the rounded peaks of the Oregon Coast Range… and to feel warm, knowing that coffee would be ready on the stove in just a few minutes.

It was also nice to get up in the dead of night and not have to arduously climb over my wife without waking her, unzip the tent without arousing our two Chihuahuas, and freeze to death trying to pee outside. No sir… I got up in the dead of night, walked to the rear of Trolley, and enjoyed all the amenities I would have at home.

This motorhome business is going to be fun.

The trip began yesterday, right after out friends arrived in their Toyota Sunrader (the Yoda), sometime around noon-thirty. Our original plan was to find County Road 52 off State Highway 34, and meander our way north through the Drift Creek Wilderness until we found a suitable, secluded spot to anchor our motorhomes. When we got to Tidewater, we knew we had gone too far, so we backtracked to County Road 58 (Boundary Road), which lifted us south into the Suislaw National Forest.

All along the steep, but not too windy road, we took note of several places where we could anchor if we didn’t find Shangri-La. The going was slow, only because the area was new to all of us, and because we made stops to check our DeLorme map books to decide whether to remain on 52 or take one of several intersecting county roads. Finding the lookout of Cannibal Mountain designated on the map, we decided to stay the course.

We arrived first at the lookout, a little patch of Earth with an awesome weather station, and one huge radio tower. The footing around the area rolled unevenly—too many sunken boulders—so we opted to continue up, along a northern ridge to reach the crest of the mountain. We anchored, and then partook of the mountain.

Our afternoon trek through dense salal and towering sword ferns yielded but four chanterelle mushrooms, but we ate well in Sandi and Brady’s Yoda that evening, and enjoyed our usual game of pinochle (though Brady and I returned to our usual losing streak, after having won at home last week.)

The temperature in the evening dropped to 39ºF, having hung fairly steady at 57ºF all day, wind around 11 mph. We did enjoy plenty of sun, a flaming sunset, and plenty of stars.

Obviously other people had recently visited the site, disheartening not because we did not have exclusive knowledge of such a remote area, but because we had to cart out their garbage.

This was Theresa’s and my first trip in our 21-foot, 1987 Toyota Dolphin. We bought it a month ago (September 20), and had to replace the refrigerator, the control board for the furnace, and the gray-water valve. Not cheap, but doable. Having been campers in our previous lives, we had plenty of gear to equip Trolley for eating, and sleeping. It looks as though the starter needs urgent replacement (had a scare at Tidewater), and we’ve been told that we need new dualies ($550). My friend, Brady, is pretty good at finding awesome deals on line… so maybe Trolley won’t be taking such a huge cash chunk out of our hides these next couple of months.

I’m ready to get Trolley into good enough shape that I have confidence no matter where we get lost. Having a motorhome is awesome. I love having an indoor bathroom at three o’clock in the morning.

Cannibal Mountain

44.34°N 123.89°W