WELL, WE DID IT ! - 28 September, 2024

 

Well, we did it !

Here is a running two week recap of our last six fun filled weeks entries....  Late, on Sunday 15 September, we are off of M/V So..fea and into the M/C "old memories"  ... headed to our new digs.

           

The "new" story began with a plan to head south on Labor day ... the last minute changes to the coach  ALL went awry, and there was a major coach cross-computer conflict, no accelerator pedal, no brakes, alarms aplenty, and deflated airbags, one-at-a-time sequential failures.     Although the sale date was for the 11th, we knew the new boat owners would not be coming to Florence until around the 20th due to a medical surgery on the 16th, even that failed miserably with a September 10th 2300 phone call wondering where the boat key would be at when they arrive this morning at 0900 !!  

That 0400 arise, then packing like there is a Tsunami coming, and four massive in the dark up the dock frantic loads in the rain over to the coach location (3 miles away), throw it in ... get another load/return... and a four day and four night illegal stay with no electric water sewer at the storage lot has been, let's say ... "memorable". 

At 1330, just as we were ready to roll down the road and outta' Florence ... to head South to Port Orford, my "main" personal laptop computer also failed, so no notices were handed out of our plan, we just "poofed".

But we arrived ! at 1700 after an absolutely eventless 165-mile trip through 13 stoplights (which were all green for us !), and, we even found the correct turnoff from Highway 101 !!

We drove down a short 1/4 mile on a rural road to a remote 4-way intersection out in the middle of nowhere, to proceed we saw the road narrowed greatly and this ominous sign confronted us.

Knowing full well the signmakers think of an RV as being a 30-foot class C van motorhome (and not... a 40-45-50 foot 18,000 pound Prevost, Country Coach, Dutchman, or Motor Coach) we halted mid-intersection to call the RV Park host...  after being reassured, we proceeded to our site, backed in easily to the 30-foot bluff dropping down to the lake, hit the Park Brake and shut down.  Like when we arrived at Port Siuslaw on Easter morning 2017, a small colony of inhabitants came out to meet-greet-gawk and welcome, do the 20 questions thing, then vanish.

We are the largest unit here, and fill our space, large planter boxes divide each space, and it is hard-pack gravel, not having another row of RV's in front or behind you is super nice, the trees and woods make the setting.

By 1900 and dusk, we had hooked up (sewer,  electric), but still had the water inlet valve not working, and were both still in shock that we were actually here (after paying ahead for an August 1 arrival), and now being 45 days late.

The park is "as advertised" ... 1/2 mile inland from the ocean, and 3/4 mile out of town, dead-ended cul de sac one-sided with forest, and across the road a single row of 9 RV spots backed up to a deep ravine above the lake... very secluded, quiet, and out of view from anything, including city lights (it is a d

"Dark Skies" listed town, with a gazillion stars, road noise, people, or people... did I mention no people?  we awoke to two grazing deer, hummingbirds galore, and a filtered sunrise through the trees (unlike the fully exposed boat).

Remember, there is still a lot going on "inside" the coach that got put off in order to evacuate the boat early, we loaded the aisles, beds, and loaded 92 "large post office flat rate shipping boxes " aboard, it created an odd warehouse like aisle system, stacked four foot deep fore to aft with an almost no walkway interior.

On arrival here it all was in our face, the van (left behind in Florence) was also muzzle-loaded, with even more boat stuff... the unpacking began immediately.... just to have a place to sleep ! As the reefer came up to temp we emptied the coolers, and found the coffee pot for the AM, the entire night was spent looking for the cats, who had either jumped ship in Florence, or were in here somewhere... the search went on to exhaustion, around 2200 Tiger came out, and has stayed out ever since, Popeye was not found until "he" decided to come out a few days later, and then, it was catbox, water, food and vanish... look as you may he was unfindable, this went on for 7 days.

Monday morning, the park manager took me to town for water parts to do a work-around with, and took me on a quick tour of the (very impressive) town, by noon we had full hookups working and spent the day (and week) unpacking postal boxes  (all 92 of them).  The huge amount of cardboard and other packing materials generated, is out of step for a 9-person RV park dumpster, they recycle here, and the "Cardboard' bag hanging on the wall is a single large leaf bag.

Awkward to fill a dumpster and six leafbags, yet not be able to offer a dump run because you have no vehicle. another neighbor forcibly loaned us their car to go do laundry, and shopping on Wednesday, the $240.00 van pickup was scheduled for Monday AM, but got delayed to Wednesday, and then the price jumped to $380 for a Friday pickup, I balked, the next offers came in at $460, and one for $1,125.00 ! cheapskate me, I decided to 5-hour "bus'-up to Florence on Friday the 20th and DIY.

It was another uneventful trip, arriving here at dark after a full 8-hour travel day, that first week had passed doing bank accounts, PO boxes, address changes, and online notifications aplenty, organizing, and unpacking, looking for cats and shlepping cardboard.

Heading into week two, the 92 coach PO boxes, and the 30 some bigger van boxes disgorged far more bulk than what will fit in a 40-foot low floor coach... we acquainted ourselves with another Ray's Market, numerous "earth" food places, and then went into our first Dollar General store.

<an aside>  There are 19,000 Dollar General stores in the Kentucky/Tennessee-based chain, mostly all are in Appalachian states, the inventory is mind-boggling, one store is equal to a Bi-Mart, Dollar store, Grocery Outlet, and Big Lots  ...  all in one. 

Today the 28th of September, and this is a two-week anniversary... we are disorganized but unpacked, our 56th wedding anniversary is also today, we went to the open beach, did a takeout dinner, and continue to try and find places for all this glut, our past few days have been spent cleaning, and detailing a car that was "gifted" to us last week (making up for some recent losses), more on that next time... this was a reasserting of our belief in the Oregon (old Oregon) lifestyle and people.  

The cats are now out full-time and have undergone full personality changes, as we enter week three... we have yet to see a homeless person (much less step over one), or hear Islamic, Chinese, or Jive talk in town... no yelling druggies, or tents, panhandlers, or white tennis shoed masses of people getting off busses... we "do" miss the wildlife activity and variety, but, this move is DONE !!

               

No vehicles here yet... I guess its not over until its over.