I'm Givin' Her All She's Got Captain! If I Push It Any Harder the Whole Thing's Gonna' Blow

Joan and I finished our first workamping job on Monday the 8th and headed out for a few weeks of relaxation before reporting to Amazon in Fernley Nevada.

We headed out east through the Columbia River Gorge stopping at Emigrant Springs State Park just east of Pendelton. This was the second Oregon State Park in which we've camped and one of several that we've driven through or visited. I've got to say that the Oregon State Parks we've seen are excellent facilities. In speaking with the camphosts we've learned the parks are funded by the Oregon Lottery. And great care is taken to ensure the parks are in great shape, both in the quality of the infrastructure and the visual aspects of the parks. I was unable to get a Dish signal through the trees so we missed Tuesday nights episode of SOA, but we did get to visit Wallowa State Park and the small community of Joseph just west of Hells Canyon.

On Thursday we drove further east along I-84 before stopping near the Idaho/Oregon state line at Catfish Junction RV park. We stayed here in April on our way west. We'd hoped to take the motorcycles for a ride, but decided to take the car on a sightseeing trip Friday. And we're glad we did.

We left early for a trip to Hells Canyon Dam about 90 mile north on the Snake River. We knew it might be cool, but we weren't expecting the 39 degree temps we encountered just a few minutes after we left the campground.

Later in the day the temps got more comfortable, but an early morning bike ride would have been very cold. Even though the maps indicated about half the drive would be on unpaved roads, we were pleasantly surprised to have pavement the entire route. The drive was pleasant and the views were great. We stopped at one of the overviews and had lunch.

Saturday we headed south into Nevada. We figured we'd find numerous parks and campgrounds to stop overnight along the way, but the drive down US95 offered few options unless we were willing to take side roads (most of them unpaved) for several miles to the campsites. We stopped in Winnemucca and on Sunday spent a lazy day hanging around the RV. Monday we drove to Fernley where we will be working until Christmas. We decided to boondock at Walmart Monday night before driving into Sparks to explore the Reno/Tahoe area before we report to work. Tuesday dawned bright and early.

Old Batteries (Yuck!)

We had a quick breakfast and prepared to leave. We had parked at the outer edge of the Walmart lot so we could push out the slides on one side. The bedroom slide came in very slowly. The living room slide ( a little larger) would only move about 2 inches before it ground to a halt. "Come on" I said to Joan, "push the button." Using the famous words of Commander Scott she replied "I'm Givin' Her All She's Got Captain! If I Push It Any Harder the Whole Things Gonna' Blow!" Apparently the boondocking (inverter use) had drawn down the batteries to where they would not power the slide.  

New Batteries (Yeah!)

Over the last year we've had several issues with the batteries and to the best of our knowledge they are the originals from 2005. All things considered they've paid their dues so we decided to replace them. 4 hours and several hundred dollars later we now have a new set of batteries (both house and chassis) and things are working great.

As soon as the batteries were replaced we pulled in the slides and headed west for Sparks Nevada, where we will be parking while we work at Amazon. The park is really nice, but the WiFi is not the best we've ever had access to. We got an email from Amazon on Wednesday stating that we would be starting work on 10/24. We are supposed to show up at 6:45am for training and will be working Shift 7 Friday-Monday.

Lake Tahoe

Wednesday we hopped in the car and headed to Lake Tahoe. The drive was short and once we got there very scenic. The water color in the mountain lakes is spectacular. Both Crater Lake and Lake Tahoe are beautiful.

Thursday we hung around the RV park fixing some odds and ends in the coach. On Friday we unloaded the bikes and headed for Pyramid Lake about 35 miles north of Sparks. Not much traffic, especially on a short side trip on Eagle Canyon Rd before we got to Pyramid. Again beautiful blue water.

Only a few more days before we're back to work. Not sure what we'll do tomorrow, but....

Stay tuned. More to come.