July 21, 2007
With over 1,000 fires burning throughout the United States presently, and these being the worst in history, we’ve decided to name this the Fire Tour, July ’07.
Mileage 116265
2:08pm: Left home, stopped at Rite Aid for beer, then Safeway for fuel (Dewey and Madison, 3.09 per gal less .03). Okay, we’re off again at 2:58pm, just $523.55 lighter in the wallet.
6:30pm: 160 miles later we made our first stop for the night at the Hopland Sho Ka Wah Casino in Old Hopland California. $2 drinks, $7 dinners and $40 free slot play, and free overnight parking in a beautiful high valley surrounded by mountains laden with grape vineyards. While waiting for dinner, Ron had been eyeing a machine that someone had put lots of money in, and encouraged Patty put in her last $5 of “free money” into it and won $200.05! It was a penny machine too! What a deal! We turned in about 9:00PM.
Woke up at 4:00am after a night with a sour stomach. I think maybe a little exhaustion had set in late yesterday after wrestling with getting the motorcycle lift installed on the bus the past couple of days, and doing it all day in the sun. That and this indigestion problem that’s been lingering for weeks now is becoming an issue.
Ron gets to feeling pretty bad later in the morning, and Patty calls 911. They sent out the troops, about 4 emergency vehicles and lots of EMTs. They decided we should go to the hospital for some tests. Patty rode in the ambulance with Ron. At the hospital, they took an EKG and performed blood work. Ok, turns out to be acid reflex, according to the emergency room physician Dr. Cheitlin. He prescribed Protonics and sent us on our way. We took a “Hey Taxi” twenty-five miles back to the bus at the casino.
11:15am: Back on the road again. Will wait and fill the prescription in Brookings, OR where we will also meet up with friends Gary and Carrie. These are great friends! They have been meandering around Oregon and agreed to meet us there. They were up north but headed south to meet us in Brookings.
Noon. Stopped at a rest stop north of Willits, south of Laytonville, where Patty fixed lunch, Ron changed a burned out bulb on the left lift light. Back on the road at 12:50pm. Yeah!…….
3:45pm: Stopped in Trinidad to see the ocean and walk around. Visited a replica of the Trinidad Point Lighthouse constructed by the Trinidad Civic Center in 1975 as a memorial to those lost at sea. Down below is a beautiful marina tucked into some rocks.
6:30pm: Rolled into Brookings to the Elks Lodge where Gary and Carrie have reserved two spaces with full hookups and cable for two nights ($15 per night). It’s Miller time, and the BBQ is warming.
We’re having Rib Eye, corn, steamed broccoli, and Carrie’s potato casserole with baked potato chips on top (yummy). We enjoyed dinner all together, shot the breeze for a while and looked over a visitor’s guide to the Oregon Coast Carrie picked up for us. It’s an excellent resource of activities on the coast here. We’ll be exploring some of these tomorrow. Turned in about 10pm.
July 23, 2007
7:40am: Awoke to foggy morning, but pleasant temperatures. Lazed around the morning with coffee and magazines.
10:00am: Gary’s knock’n on the door. Time to get going. Patty’s just getting in the shower, and I’m next so Gary graciously takes Ron’s prescription into Rite-Aid to be filled.
10:30am: We get on the road with Gary and Carrie in their tow car headed for Brookings Harbor. 
We stop and get the prescription and then it's on to the Visitor’s Center and pick up lots of interesting info on local area attractions.
Noon: Or there about we stop for lunch at the Chetco Fish Market.
Here we have Chowder, Calamari, Clam Strips, and sour dough bread. I add a raw oyster to the mix with soft drinks. It was an excellent lunch.
