Change of Plans (Eugene, OR)

 

As I promised, here are the pictures from the trip we took to the Columbia Gorge when we were in Vancouver.

First stop was the Cape Horn overlook.  The views were breath taking.

Next stop was the Bonneville Locks and Dam.  Because of the Sequestration the Visitor Center for the Locks were closed.  Bummer, we wanted to see the Locks in operation.  We did go to see the Dam and the Powerhouse.  The Dam was built and is run by the Army Corp of Engineers.  They keep the grounds and the visitor’s center in beautiful condition. 

We stopped at Beacon Rock State Park to eat our picnic lunch.  Washington State has some really nice parks.

Beacon Rock State Park

This is a Chanel Marker for the Columbia River traffic.  It can be seen from the river and is used by the river traffic to keep in the channel.

I think we have our tire problem fixed. And it only cost us $926 more. After multiple balancing of the tires and replacing two of the Toyo tires. The fix was to replace all of the tires with Michelin tires. Good thing there is no sales tax in Oregon.  I chose to buy the tires from Les Schwab because we travel and they are all over the western U.S.  Good choice.  They recommended the Toyo tires.  Bad choice.  All in all they have been helpful.  I had to pay only the cost difference between the Toyo and the Michelin tires.

I brought the truck into Ford for routine service and to check out some noises.  I had the Oil, oil filter and fuel filters changed.  The noise turns out to be a broken bolt and an exhaust leak.  Problem is they cannot get to it until next Wednesday and it will take 2 days to fix.  Good news is it will be covered under the extended warranty, minus the $100 deductible.  Even the car rental may be covered. 

So we are stuck here in the Eugene Elks lodge until next Saturday.  We have a 1500 mile trip to Albuquerque and the balloon festival. We need to be there the beginning of October, So going down the Oregon coast will have to wait for the next time we are in the northwest.  We will go to Crater Lake National Park instead and then start making our way to Albuquerque.

Happy Birthday Ann !! 

 

Life is Great on the Roan Road…