Tillamook crabs

Posted on November 26, 2012 by Sparky

I went crabbing yesterday on Netarts Bay with my brother-in-law Chris and my niece Kim. It was not my first time crabbing – Chris introduced me to the sport a few years back – but it was my most productive. We caught 9 good-sized Dungeness crabs. Chris cooked them and I now have two of them in my refrigerator. Good snackin’.

Crabbing is a popular sport in the Tillamook area. Netarts Bay, the next bay over from Tillamook Bay, is the favored spot, presumably because there are more crabs there. There were more than a dozen boats out yesterday, but it is a large bay and we didn’t feel crowded.

For those of you who have never crabbed, I will give you some basic instruction. First, you need some crab traps or rings. Rings seem to be favored, but it may be that they are simply more economical. It is actually two concentric rings – one about two feet in diameter and one about 18″ in diameter. Netting connects the two rings, smaller ring on the bottom. Three ropes are strung from the larger ring and are tied together, forming a handle for a very large net basket. A long rope is attached to the handle and a float (empty plastic 1-gallon jugs in our case) is tied to the other end. To use them, each trap is baited and is dropped into the water. After some period of time, the rings are hauled quickly to the surface and, with luck, some crabs will be in the net, feeding on the bait.

Usually a crabber drops 6 or more rings, then proceeds to raise each one in succession and drop it again. We had six rings and we were on the bay for about 2 hours to get 9 legal crabs (legal = males of a certain size).

Fish heads can be used as bait, but the newest innovation is mink carcass. Yes, it is as disgusting as it sounds. Apparently the advantage of mink is that seals don’t eat them. If fish heads are used and seals are around, they steal them from the traps.

The weather doesn’t have to be nice to crab, but it makes the experience more pleasurable. It is best to be out when the tide is slack. Slack tide yesterday was 10:40am and it was a beautiful day, so we were out from 9:30 to 11:30. It was a little chilly – the temperature was 38 degrees at 9:30am – but the sun was bright, the winds were calm and it felt warmer on the water. It was probably 50 degrees when we brought the boat in.

Kim steered the boat while Chris and I took turns setting and retrieving the rings. Kim is an avid environmentalist and was happy every time the ring came up empty. But she was a good sport and resisted the urge to Free Captain Krabs.

Crabbing isn’t free. The main expense is the bait. At $3.50 per mink carcass, it cost $21 in bait alone. Add it gasoline, launch fees, license fees and amortized ring prices and you are getting up there. Probably over $3 per crab.

One of our throw-backs was a pregnant female, about to unleash a million eggs into the waters of Netarts Bay. Apparently it is pretty rare to find a female in this condition. My sister Lois, who has crabbed many more times than I have, said she has never seen one.

Anyway, it was fun. Jett, my mom, my sister and my nephew Scott joined us for lunch at The Schooner Restaurant which is right at the boat launch. I had a very fine rockfish-and-chips lunch. My sister then took Jett and me on a tour of the area, highlighted by dessert at Roseanna’s Cafe in Oceanside. Roseanna’s desserts are legendary and she didn’t disappoint. If you are in the area, try her Marionberry cobbler. Delicious!

Netarts Bay, 9:30am

Happy Camp (really) on Netarts Bay

Pregnant crab

Chris at the helm

Chris and Kim

Lois and Kim at The Schooner

Mom at the Schooner

Scott at the Schooner

Categories: Adventures, GTW, OR, Places | Leave a comment

Tillamook cheese

Posted on November 25, 2012 by Sparky

I always marveled that my sister, who grew up in the heart of America’s Dairyland (Wisconsin, in case you didn’t know), managed to settle down in the one place in the United States that claims to produce better cheese: Tillamook, OR. There is no question that Tillamook cheese is good, but I will leave it to you to decide if it is better than Wisconsin cheese. I can, however, attest to the fact that Tillmook has the same aroma as Wisconsin’s best dairy farming areas. You can’t escape the distinctive odor of cows, manure and silage. It is a bit of Wisconsin, but with mountains.

It is kind of amusing, I think, that we bought a 5 lb block of Tillamook sharp cheddar when we were in Phoenix, then carried it all the way back to Tillamook. Coals to Newcastle.

We visited the Tillamook Cheese Factory yesterday after lunch. I am told that this is the second “most visited” attraction in Oregon, after Crater Lake. I don’t think I would travel hundreds of miles to see it, like I would for the Grand Canyon, say, but if you happen to be in the area (which isn’t likely because there is not much else in the vicinity) is is worth an hour of your time. They offer a self-guided tour of the factory. I saw blocks of cheese very similar to the one in my refrigerator being packaged – probably to restock the shelves in Phoenix.

Packaging Tillamook cheese

They also make ice cream. Ben and Jerry have nothing to worry about, but it is pretty good. I give them high marks for originality: I had a scoop of “Grandma’s Cookie Dough” which was very sweet, with chunks of frosting mixed in. And the waffle cone in which it was served was probably the best I have ever had.

Categories: GTW, OR, Places | Leave a comment

GTW Hop 30: Canyonville, OR, to Tillamook, OR

Posted on November 21, 2012 by Sparky

240 miles via I-5, OR 22 and US 101. Cumulative distance: 5,344 miles.

GTW Hop 30: Canyonville OR to Tillamook OR

The weather broke enough for us to make the long trek to the coast on Monday. It was a long trip – 5 hours total, with a lunch break – but with the exception of one brief downpour, was mostly done in light rain. There were even a few sunny breaks that didn’t last long, but were welcome nonetheless.

Most of the trip was on I-5, but the last 50 miles were on OR 22 – a narrow, twisty 2-lane road, and US 101 (the Oregon Coast Highway) that wasn’t much better. Jett doesn’t like these roads and kept her eyes closed most of the way.

We stopped for lunch at a riverside rest area just south of Salem. There was a beautiful tree there which displayed well in one of the rare sunny breaks. We also got a rainbow.

Rest area tree

Patience and 18-wheel buddies

Rainbow

We arrived at our destination – the Wilson River RV Park – at dusk. The river was still high but had apparently dropped six feet from Monday’s peak. Debris on the shoreline showed that the water level topped out just a few feet below the RV pads.

Dusk and the high-water mark at Wilson River

Categories: GTW, OR, Places, Routes | Leave a comment

Canyonville, OR

Posted on November 21, 2012 by Sparky

Canyonville is a tiny town nestled in the rugged hills of southwest Oregon. But the city really doesn’t matter because we didn’t see it; we spent all three days resting in the embrace of the Seven Feathers RV Resort, arguably the best RV park we have visited on the GTW.

As I mentioned, it all starts with service. The check-in and escort to the site were the best we have experienced. The entrance/registration portico had the feel of a first-rate resort hotel. The site itself was a perfectly level concrete pad with lush grassy strips on either side with plenty of room for the slides. All sites (nearly 200) were beautifully landscaped, with trees, bushes and manicured mulch. Two sewer connections, front and back, made hooking up the sewer lines a snap. Cable TV, 50-amp electric and sweet water. The perfect site.

The welcoming portico

Seven Feathers

Seven Feathers

Other amenities? A beautiful stream that runs the length of the park, a very nice laundry, a barbeque area, a nice reading room, a beautiful pool with hottub and the most amazing individual bathroom/shower facilities that we have seen anywhere.

Pool

Reading room

Barbeque area

Patience at Seven Feathers

Laundry

Laundry

Bath/shower

The complex includes a full-service truck stop (yes, they actually pumped my diesel when I filled up) with a very nice mini-mart and deli, and a casino that gave Jett a $140 return on a $20 investment. They also had a $14 buffet which was not as good at the Bellagio’s, but was much more economical and quite good.

The whole complex is owned and operated by the Cow Creek Band of the Umpqua Tribe of Indians. Really. I don’t know what the Umpquas did before they got into the casino/RV biz, but they are really good at what they do now.

Bridge with Umpqua plaque

We had two interesting neighbors during our stay. One was an Open Range fifth wheel – the first one we have seen (we have seen two other OR’s but both were travel trailers) and a cute 15-foot ultra-compact trailer.

Another Open Range 5th wheel

Tiny Casita trailer

We enjoyed our stay despite the weather. It rained about 90% of the time, including a fierce storm on Monday that kept us inside all day (expect for the required doggy walks). Not a great few days of weather, but the park was awesome. We were happy that we weren’t on the coast where an 84 mph gust flipped a fifth wheel. We rocked pretty hard at times, but stayed upright.

Categories: GTW, OR, Places, RV Parks | Leave a comment

Heavy weather

Posted on November 19, 2012 by Sparky

We are still hunkered down at the Seven Feathers casino and RV park in Canyonville, OR. The weather is awful here and worse along the coast. There were gusts of over 80mph all along the Oregon coast today, including one of 98mph at one location – that’s a category 2 hurricane. We felt gusts that I think were around 50mph. Enough to rock the RV pretty good. Now the heavy rain has begun.

We are hoping to get to Tillamook tomorrow, but it depends on whether the storm abates overnight. I called the RV park today and they said the Wilson River was over its banks, but only slightly. They had 40 RVs there that they felt were safe. The river is supposed to peak tonight, then drop tomorrow. We’ll wait and see.

In the meantime we amuse ourselves with books and slot machines. Jett won $140 yesterday, which more than made up for my $40 in losses.

Categories: Adventures, GTW, OR, Places | Leave a comment

GTW Hop 29: Redding, CA, to Canyonville, OR

Posted on November 18, 2012 by Sparky

219 miles via I-5. Cumulative distance: 5,104 miles.

GTW Hop 29: Redding CA to Canyonville OR

Yes, folks, we have actually made it to Oregon, the last state that we will visit on the GTW. From here to the end it will be a trip down the coast to San Jose.

I wish I could be confident that we will arrive safely, but the forecast is just plain awful: between now (Sunday) and Tuesday some areas of the Oregon coast will receive over 10 inches of rain, with some flooding of streams and rivers. That makes our intended RV park destination – the Wilson River RV Park on the banks of the Wilson River – a risky choice. Our backup park, on Netarts Bay, in under a high wind advisory, with hurricane-force gusts possible. Neither sounds like a safe option right now, so I will have to watch the weather forecast *very* carefully for the next couple of days.

In the meantime, we are hunkered down at the Seven Feathers Casino and RV Park in Canyonville, OR. This is arguably the best RV park we have seen on the GTW. Spacious sites, beautiful landscaping, a fine lodge, a heated indoor pool and the most amazing bathroom/shower facilities I have seen anywhere, hands down. Not a bad place to be while waiting for the weather to pass.

The route from Redding to Canyonville was very interesting. On a sunny day I am sure it would have been spectacular (I hear that Mt Shasta is a beautiful sight), but it rained most of the way. We didn’t catch even a glimpse of Mt Shasta. We were fortunate to get a sunny break for lunch, at a very nice rest area just south of the Oregon border. We ran into an RV couple there who were headed to Yuma, AZ, for the winter. Both were 83 and were driving a rig that looked new, but in fact was over 10 years old.

Rest area

Patience at rest

Lunch stop

A sunny break

Rainbow

I was surprised at the elevation of the pass over the mountains at the border – it topped out at 4,200 feet. I was expecting no more than 2,500 feet. It is good that we got over it today because the forecast was for snow down to 4,000 feet overnight.

I will talk more about the Seven Feathers RV Park when we leave, but it had a great first impression: the sign at the entrance directed us to the portico. An RV park with a portico at the office? That’s a first. Under the portico, a man was waiting to greet us. He took some notes (my license number and RV type) and handed me a slip to take into the office. It had the feel of a valet parking service. Indeed, once I completed the registration process, the greeter hopped into a golf cart and led us to the site, directed me in and then took the time to explain the hookups. I really didn’t need the help with the hookups, but the individual attention was impressive. It was the best service we have received anywhere.

Approaching the Seven Feathers portico

That’s a good start. Now if only the casino is that friendly…

Categories: CA, GTW, OR, Places, Routes, RV Parks | Leave a comment

More spam

Posted on November 18, 2012 by Sparky

My anti-spam filter is clearly not working. I broke the 2,000 barrier – more than 2,000 spam messages received in the past 24 hours. This is just ridiculous. I am deleting all messages until I figure out how to deal with this. If you post a message and it doesn’t appear, that is the reason. I can’t take the time to separate the wheat from the chaff.

Death to spammers!

Categories: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

GTW Hop 28: Sacramento, CA, to Redding, CA

Posted on November 18, 2012 by Sparky

167 miles via CA 160, I-5 and CA 299. Cumulative distance: 4,885 miles

GTW Hop 28: Sacramento CA to Redding CA

All but a handful of these miles were on I-5. This was essentially a trip up California’s central valley on a drab, dreary day. I was impressed with how flat the valley is – it reminded me of Kansas. It is far more rural north of Sacramento than south. It probably would have been beautiful on a sunny day, but in the drizzle it was just many miles of gray fields.

We stayed overnight at the Redding RV Park which is right off of I-5 in Redding. The location was convenient and the park is clean, with amenities like a pool and laundry. But the sites are very narrow. It was fine for one night, but I wouldn’t want to stay here much longer.

Categories: CA, GTW, Places, Routes, RV Parks | Leave a comment

Sacramento, CA

Posted on November 16, 2012 by Sparky

I visited Sacramento several times on business in the mid-70s, which is nearly 40 years ago now. Not surprisingly, I hardly recognize the place. But I liked it then and I like it now. It is a clean, medium-sized state capital, similar to Madison, WI, my home town, but with a better climate.

We stayed at the Cal Expo RV Park in north Sacramento. Cal Expo is home to the California State Fair, weekend harness races and a variety of seasonal events (e.g., the “harvest crafts fair” this weekend). The RV park exists primarily to house those attending these events. But nothing was going on while we were here so the RV park was pretty empty. Which was fine with us.

Cal Expo RV with grandstands behind the trees

Patience at Cal Expo

We were tired – a little travel-weary and fighting colds – so we took it easy, mostly. But I felt well enough yesterday to check out the American River Bike Trail nearby and, while doing that, discovered a cute little 9-hole golf course which I played in the afternoon. So last night I was weary from biking and golfing. It was a refreshing kind of weariness.

Campus Common hole 1

No, I didn’t play very well. Thanks for asking. I did the round with a general contractor who was recovering from 5 broken vertebrae and played with crutches. He kicked my ass.

The American River, of course, is where gold was discovered in 1849. I don’t think anyone is panning for gold nowadays, but I have to wonder… were some nuggets missed? Part of me wanted to leave the golf clubs behind and go search for gold.

American River at the 5th tee

On Wednesday morning we packed up the dogs and took a trip into the Old Sacramento historical district. This is a part of town near the river that looks a lot like it did in the late 1800’s, post Gold Rush. It is an area with wooden sidewalks and some pretty interesting shops. I got some kettle corn (can’t resist) and a bag of almond/macadamia brittle that was to die for.

Jett and Grace in Old Sacramento

Old Sacramento

Wooden sidewalks

This was also where the Pony Express began, as I learned by reading the plaque on a statue. I was surprised to learn that the Pony Express was in business for just 18 months and employed just 121 riders – a small, unsuccessful business by modern standards. But an iconic failure.

Pony Express memorial

We are now just 4 days away from Tillamook. We have decided that since the weather is going to be bad (we don’t expect to see the sun for the next 10 days) and there is no town that is all that interesting between Sacramento and Tillamook we are going to do it in 4 short 1-night hops. The longest hop will be today’s at around 170 miles.

Rain we can take. I just pray that we avoid snow.

Categories: CA, GTW, Places, RV Parks | Leave a comment

Spam

Posted on November 16, 2012 by Sparky

The spam is becoming unbearable. There were over 1,100 spam comments waiting for me this morning. The first 15 minutes of every day are now devoted to deleting spam messages from the blog, which is most decidedly NOT a good way to start the day. I really don’t want to know where I can get tramadol without a prescriptions. And you don’t either.

I would be strongly in favor of a federal law that tars and feathers spammers.

Categories: Uncategorized | Leave a comment