Paws and Friends

View Larger Map On the way from L.L. Stub Stewart State Park Of COURSE is  Tillamook Cheese Factory :  We ate lunch, shopped, then had Tillamook ice cream for dessert! We finally found a wedge of Tillamook hard cheddar cheese--the kind of hard cheese that crumbles when you try to slice it--it is delicious! We had burgers for lunch, with cheese and bacon and delicious french fries! Oh, and we discovered a new product, Tillabars:  ice cream bars like only Tillamook can make them! We bought a couple of boxes, and found the product in the local Safeway store in Lincoln City! Stopping at the Factory is always a treat, for there is parking for big rigs, and always something to see and do. If it is your first time, you may want to take the tour, then take your time shopping and tasting! We like Premier RV Resorts , a family of five RV Resorts located in: Salem, OR Eugene OR Redding CA Lincoln City OR Granite Lake, Clarkston, WA Our very favorite park of these five...

We do like to avoid freeways when possible. We chose to do so for our 54 mile journey to Stub Stewart State Park from Champoeg State Park. Here is our route: View Larger Map Stub Stewart State Park is Oregon's newest, built in 2007. We really enjoyed our stay here, from May 2 to Dairy Creek East, our site 91 May 14. There are lots of hills: up to our site from the Welcome Center, further up to the very nice Hilltop day use area, then up some more to the Horse Camp. There are two "loops" for camping/RVing, Dairy Creek West and Dairy Creek East. The West loop is open all year with 43 full hookups (sewer, water and electricity--50 amps!), 12 walk in tent sites, universal access parking, picnic table, fire ring, with a building housing flush toilets and hot showers. A meeting hall is also located in the west loop. Dairy Creek East, our choice because it is more open so we could get sat TV, is open mid March - October. This loop has 35 full hookup sites along with al...

We knew adopting an "elder" dog could mean a shorter time with Bitty--but we didn't worry about that when we happily adopted her December 29, 2011! What joy she brought us for two years and five months! Rupert wasn't so sure but they really did become "best buds!" Sadly, Bitty's passing on May 13 hit us like a ton of bricks. We had been aware of her "slowing down" the past few months--she and Lindy shared a lot in common as they were pretty close to the same age! Readers of this blog are aware of our stops along our journeys with terrific vets helping us monitor Bitty's situation. Thanks to the loving care of the following: Minden NV:     Carson Valley Veterinary Hospital Shady Cove OR: Eagle Point OR:   All Creatures Animal Hospita l Eugene OR:   Santa Clara Animal Hospital Stub Stewart State Park: Beaverton OR:   Tanasbourne Veterinary Emergency                          ...

It was a short jog from Premier Eugene at Coburg to Champoeg, stopping at Pacific Pride at exit 278 off of I-5 for diesel and propane. We are glad to have the comfort of heat in the early mornings these past several days! We just might be needing it the next couple of weeks or so! Here is our route: View Larger Map We usually avoid freeways, when possible. But we decided it best to follow the directions to Champoeg as listed on our confirmation email to avoid any "narrow road mishap...!" So we did the freeway scene with a final easy six miles along country roads! Checking in was seamless, with a place to pull over and unhitch the car, dropping in our pre-registration paper, and driving around to our pull-through site! We experienced rain as we left Eugene, but the rain had cleared up so we set up camp in dry weather. Our site, B-22, was nice, on the end of a row of four, full hook up sites--all pull through, each with their own bricked patio next to the asphalt for park...

We stayed longer than originally intended, in fact we had no plans for three days between Eugene and our Site #145 at Eugene Premier RV Resort--NICE! reservations at Champoeg State Park near St. Paul, OR. We do like to build in flexibility in our planning...! And it 'twas a good thing, as we had a very nice site (#145), pulled in to the pond and the weather gods treated us to some glorious real sunshine along with the standard Oregon sunshine....translate-RAIN! Premier Eugene is a good place to be when it rains, for there is grass and pavement. There is little mud that one will encounter there! Our site was a couple over from Casey, the Bird Patrol dog. He and his master are responsible for keeping geese away from the pond and the campground. A few years ago we avoided the pond sites, and we not too happy about being in the row of sites near the pond sites as they were peppered with geese poop! Thanks to Casey and his master, only a pair of geese kept testing their resolve...

How to find a good place to take your RV for service? It is a tough question! We have an answer for you! Read on! We cannot say enough about this place Lindy found it first in RV forums , then from reviews on line. All of us living full time in our home on wheels struggle with locating that one place where we take our "home" for service where we can relax, knowing that work is being done correctly, with care, and LOTS of practical, applied experience! This knowledge pays off in triple dividends as problems are diagnosed and effectively dealt with. Our initial appointment was for our silly satellite radio component of our JVC "Head" in our Phaeton. On our departure from Death Valley in January, Lindy noticed that the SAT component was no longer available--we were unable to listen to music! You may well be laughing at us in this predicament.We weren't! We enjoy the convenience of SAT radio--always receiving a signal (except under overpasses--and those rare ...

If I stare at this door long enough, it WILL open! You might have read about a hitch we have experienced on this journey. One of the Paws that make up the Paws and Friends of the Roving Riders has been feeling a little "punk". We visited a vet in Carson City, and stayed an extra day there for Bitty. Her red blood cells where below the "normal" level, and it appeared that she was not making more....plus, she had been eating rocks (what else is there to eat in the desert?!) and through a couple of x-rays we saw the rocks scattered throughout her digestive track.....  The vet kept her overnight, and kept her on fluid therapy to move those rocks along....! With success, we might add, for when we picked her up Saturday afternoon, a recent x-ray showed a small "bundle" in her tummy. They took another CBC, with a little improvement on the second, so the vet felt it was okay for us to go on, but important for us to get a CBC (blood cell count) test in 3 to ...