Oregon Coast Week 2

Perhaps vehicle problems are amongst those that come in threes. When we started the coach this morning, two warning lights illuminated on the dash. Carl’s first thought, well second after, “Oh, Shit!”, was, today is Saturday, We called the engine manufacturer’s hot line and got the number for the closest (40 miles) Caterpillar service center. When we called, they were indeed closed. Carl had noticed that the air filter needed changing and thought that the problem was a combination of clogged filter and high elevation (Laramie is at 7,800 feet). We drove to a nearby truck stop service center and they attempted to replace the filter. During the 2 mile trip the lights went out and did not come back on. Unfortunately they didn’t stock this filter and the closest one they found was in Billings MT! We decided to press on. The light beeped on and off frequently and occasionally an “Engine Protect” light came on accompanied by the coach slowing to 45 mph. It was a nerve wracking trip but we made it safely to the campground and there is a CAT service center 17 miles away where we will be Monday morning. Tomorrow we will enjoy the birds at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.

This was our third visit to this refuge and our first in May. It did not disappoint. We saw a dazzling array of birds in breeding plumage from the delicate avocets to distinguished looking Clark’s Grebes to the ruddy duck with an impossibly baby blue bill. We stayed in the car throughout the 10 mile entrance road and 12 mile loop along the tops of the dikes. This was due, in part to Sandy’s foot but more to the huge swarms of small insects all along the road. In some places they were so thick they looked like clouds of dust. Fortunately they did not bite so in most places we could open the windows to get better looks or take pictures of the birds. Oh, and we also saw lots of fat, happy swallows! Back at the coach we did some house cleaning and relaxed in the sunny 70 degree weather.

This morning we drove to the nearest CAT service center, about 25 miles away. The problem was low coolant level and the cause, a cracked lower radiator pipe. Easy to repair. First they thought they could get the part by 4 PM and finish today. Then we learned the nearest part is in Memphis. The repair is covered under warranty but we will have to pay to overnight the part, now expected to arrive mid day tomorrow. Making the best of the situation, we went on a mini expedition in the car through Logan Pass to Bear Lake. The road through the pass was stunning with steep canyon walls and increasing snow cover as we ascended. Bear Lake is called the Caribbean of the northwest due to its aqua color. Whoever suggested this name never put his toes in the water! It was a beautiful drive though and it took our minds off the hassle with the coach. We are spending tonight camped in the Transport Diesel Services parking lot. It’s a lot like being at a truck stop except none of the trucks around us are running so it is quiet.

Our world has gotten smaller and Memphis, TN is not as far away as it used to be. The needed part arrived at 10 AM and was installed by 11:30. We were on the road by 12 and drove 250 miles to Boise, ID. It was an OK drive but we had a strong headwind the whole way. The Boise campground is like a dealership parking lot with all the rigs quite close but it is clean and has WiFi.

It was a pleasant 320 mile drive through central Oregon with rolling hills farms and ranches. When selecting a campground for tonight, Carl was intrigued by a place in Bend that had a perfect rating of 10 for appearance. Though pricey, we thought we’d give it a try. It is the Crown Villa RV Resort and it is beautiful. The RV pad is brick, 25 feet wide by 100 feet deep and there is a separate spot to park the car. We didn’t get to enjoy the amenities though since we had more pressing business to attend to. Since our return from Panama, Sandy has several red swollen spots on her arms and scalp. She had convinced herself they were Bot Fly larvae infections. This morning she awoke with a lot of facial swelling. Soooo, as soon as we parked the coach, we headed for the local emergency room. The diagnosis was cellulites, a potentially serious infection. They even consulted a tropical medicine specialist who thought it was unlikely to be Bot Fly larvae but couldn’t completely rule it out. After an hour of IV antibiotics and a script for more, we were done. We stopped for pizza on the way back and called it a day.

As we crested the last ridge of the coastal range, we felt like Balboa might have felt centuries ago as the first European to see the Pacific Ocean. It had been a beautiful drive over the mountains from Bend, OR. In a wonderful display of clairvoyance, our volunteer coordinator, Dawn Grafe called us when we were about five minutes away, with directions to the RV pad. For the next three months we will be living on the grounds of the OSU Hatfield Marine Science Center. The view out our windshield looks across Yaquina Bay estuary and there is a one mile long birding trail in our front yard. We met with Dawn, got an excellent volunteer handbook and got an initial orientation. We are really psyched!

We began the day with a short walk on our front yard birding trail. Beautiful scenery and great birds. Back at the coach, we got a call from the volunteer coordinator in Texas where we applied for a position next winter. After reviewing our resumes, she suggested that Sandy could do environmental education programs at the refuge and at local schools and Carl could serve as refuge photographer as well as being an information resource in the visitor center. This could hardly be a better match for our interests if we had personally written the position descriptions. Nothing is definite but this sounds very promising for next winter. At 11 we met with Dawn to complete our orientation. We drove to Yaquina Head where we found tens of thousands of nesting common murres along with three species of cormorant, pigeon guillemot, black oystercatcher and western gull. On the lower sections of the offshore rocks we spotted a baby harbor seal, perhaps only a day or two old, nursing by its mom. All this with a backdrop of coastal headlands, rocky islands and the vast Pacific beyond. Our job, if you can call it that, will be to stand on the cliffs pointing out this wildlife spectacle to visitors. As if this were not enough spectacle, we suddenly saw dozens of gulls take flight as hundreds of murres dived into the water. Looking up we spotted the bald eagle that had caused this commotion; they prey on the murres. The eagle dove down into the colony and grabbed a murre then flew off. Sadly, that’s when the real carnage began. While the murres were still away from their nests, other predators attacked the colony. Gulls and ravens were seen flying away with murre eggs in their mouths. Bald eagles may have been the heros of our last summer but they may well be the villains of this summer. Sandy’s infections seemed to be getting worse so we went to the emergency room again, got a script for a strong antihistamine and were assured that we were doing all we should be doing. Dinner at a local seafood restaurant brought an end to a very full and exciting first day on the Oregon coast.