In the Vicinity of Portland

Accommodations at the von Tagen rated 5 stars. BBQ with nice wines on the deck as the temperature hovered in the mid-70s. We were joined by Memphis, the yellow (white) lab belonging to Fritz and Dee’s daughter, Tina. A few days here was ‘camp’ for Memphis, who though 10 years old, would chase a leather Frisbee non-stop. Memphis’ resemblance to Carly was spooky.

Our next stop would be Memaloose State Park, on the Columbia River, between Hood River and The Dalles, sites for presentations by the author. (We were provided 2 nights camping in exchange for a campfire presentation by Janice. As a bonus, they threw in a couple of nice T-shirts.)

However, as we left the von Tagen Park, misadventure struck. Fritz commented that one of the rear tires on the rig looked low. It did look a bit low, but tested OK. Further examination revealed that the inside dual felt ‘soft’. So soft that barely on the rim. Flat tire! A call to the roadside service brought an offer of a 15 mile tow and a new tire. No thanks! The tow would likely damage the rig, and a new tire wasn’t needed. Just fix this one. Fritz and I decided to get his compressor (mine was in the garage in Sacto) and try to get enough air in the tire to go 3 miles to the nearby tire shop. Putting air in the tire, there was an unmistakable air leak, but it was coming from the valve stem extender. This was the cause of the flat. Disconnecting the extender, we were able to get full pressure in the tire. Disaster averted for now.
We couldn't help but wonder when the tire actually flattened? In the driveway or on the road? This could have been a major disaster! We counted our blessings and stopped at Camping World for a replacement extender. Next purchase: Remote tire pressure monitor.

But that wasn’t all. The final ‘light check’, a ritual we perform just before leaving, revealed no right turn signal or brake light. An examination of the fuses showed one blown, which was replaced only to blow again. We were running out of time if Janice was going to make it 80 miles upriver for her 3 pm engagement, so we departed, promising to be extra careful making right turns or lane changes. En route, things got worse, with the left turn signal also failing and the ABS warning light coming on. We plodded on, sphincter tightening. Arriving at Memaloose, we set up camp and Janice headed off to Hood River. I located another blown fuse and a likely short in the pig tail between the RV and the toad.

At Memaloose, we enjoyed a great bike ride up the old Columbia Highway, and it was indeed ‘up’ for about 6 miles. Turning around, I was able to coast the entire way back to the town of Mosier, stopping once for a photo op.
We returned to the Grand River restaurant in Mosier for a great Sunday night dinner, Janice dining on Ahi tuna, with my plate (actually a large bowl) full of scallops, clams and pasta. Good grub! We finished off the evening at Mike’s Ice Cream in Hood River, both of us selecting a single scoop boysenberry cheesecake sugar cone. Only $2.00 apiece, a great bargain.

During the night, we heard the unmistakable pitter-patter of rain on the roof again. Having been without internet and TV here, because tree cover blocked satellite access, we were surprised. This continued for several hours and we lamented the poor tent campers if it didn’t break by morning (it did). The pitter-patter and the sugar in the rich ice cream stirred up insomnia for both of us. I see a nap in our future.