What A Hoot!

June 29-July 4, 2019

Pheasant Ridge RV Resort, Wilsonville, Oregon

Day 15-20

Left Bend around 8:30 am and checked in around 12:45 pm. There was only one official turn off for “scenic views”, which I wish I took to take some pics. (It's really hard to pull over with a trailer to take pictures when there is barely a shoulder. I'm really surprised on how few turnoffs there are for photos.) Basically, I drove past a few snow-capped mountains, through forests and some cute towns like Sisters. Most of the drive was scenic and easy from Bend, until we got to I5 in Salem. Then it turned into a stressful grind for the remaining hour.

Wilsonville is about 20 miles south of Portland. This is an older park that's very clean and only allows new rigs. The location to Portland is good and it's right off the freeway for easy access too. Spots are paved, but they have no picnic tables at each site because RVs are so large now. Though I paid for a pull thru, the only way into my corner spot was to back-in. No time like the present to practice backing in! Fortunately, a neighbor comes to the rescue to help. His wife doesn't seem to pleased though. Met another RV neighbor who has an Airstream – Bev and Fredrick from Sacramento, so friendly and we visit for a while.

Friends are coming over for dinner tonight and meet the Airstream! Fortunately, I had time to go to Whole Foods, clean up and get a start on dinner before hand. My old roommate from culinary school, Martin, his partner Tom and their friend Amy, came down from Portland and Seattle to meet Tiny2. We had a great time. I loved that they were so interested in everything about the Airstream - the design, the features, the storage...! It would have been nice to eat outside on a picnic table, but we made do with 4 of us at the dinette table inside. Martin and I used to entertain a lot and had a small catering company together. Because I am living in the Airstream full time, I wanted it to feel like home, so I brought real china, glasses, silverware and even linen napkins along. I know that plastic and paper are easier for cleanup, but they're not fun to eat on and it's too wasteful for me. Dinner was simple and delicious - grilled burgers and great wine. We had such a good time, but we forgot to take pictures!!

Day 2 – Laundry day! Great laundry room…it feels so good to have fresh laundry! Met Taylor and Toponia (Fatted Calf, SF) at the Japanese Garden in downtown Portland; they're here for the weekend. It's a really beautiful garden, next to the Rose Garden. (I had a beautiful 46 rose bush garden in SF, but the roses in Portland are truly magnificent! The weather here is so much better for roses. If it wasn't for the terrible traffic, I would probably move here.) They brought me some delicious merguez, pancetta and bacon!!! So happy😊, and feeling so loved. My hip is bothering me again. Walking around the park was painful and cuts into our exercise.

Later that day, I met up with Steve and his wife, Ruthie. Steve used to work at BiRite as VP of Purchasing. We overlapped for just one year of my seven. He was so well liked and respected, and he made people laugh! He has such a great sense of humor. Anyway, their house in Portland is beautiful and their gardens are lovely!!! They're fantastic hosts. They took me to Lewis and Clark College which has a beautifully manicured garden overlooking Mount St Helens, and to Elk Rock Garden which is charming and beautiful too. If that wasn't enough, they took me along to their neighbor’s BBQ!! Sparky stayed behind for that and survived just fine in their mud room.

Day 3 – lots of things to do today. Amazon locker for E.coli test strips and my adorable owl walkie talkies (what a hoot!), Airstream Portland for more awning training (not easy for short women), two terrible dog parks – Mt Taber and Normandie, Camping World (my first visit, seemed expensive to me, but I guess they're convenient), Nike Employee Store (thanks to a vendor) and a visit to Portland’s Alberta Arts District!! Drove home in a downpour, but it all clear by the time I got back to camp. So much traffic here; I think it is worse than Bay Area, and I don't like it. My camping neighbors Bev and Fredrick came over to check on me and lend me a longer cable wire so I could watch TV. They said I could return it in a few days when I see them in Olympia, my next stop. How nice is that! I was exhausted and really looked forward to watching some TV.

Day 4 – Met up with Steve and Ruthie for yet another tour! We started out on the WA side of the Columbia River and stopped into the Skamania Lodge. Reminded me of Inn at Torrey Pines in La Jolla…really lovely. Pulled over to see a river cruise boat then had a great lunch at Solstice in Hood River, OR. They're known for the pizza – of course, they use Grande cheese! Steve had met the husband years ago when their restaurant was on the WA side of the river. I know Suzanne, the wife, from my friend Martin (above) when she lived in SF. Small world. On the way back, we stopped at the tallest waterfall in OR, Multnomah. It was busy with lots of tourists. The viewing area is at the bottom and we got a couple of good pics for posterity. The entire drive was really nice and it was great to be a passenger. After getting back to camp and taking a nap, I met them again at Five Spice for dinner in nearby Lake Oswego. After dinner, they took me on a tour of this picturesque town on the lake. The homes range from charming to gorgeous. Most of the lake is natural, but some is man-made so they can control flooding. Many homes go right up to the water.

Day 5 – Off to see Barb at Freddy Guys Hazelnuts, another one of my old vendors. She's located in agriculturally rich town of Monmouth, about an hour away. This is my second time to the farm. Parts of this drive are so beautiful, especially thru the vineyards and nut groves. I believe these are the BEST hazelnuts in the US, and I think just as good as those from Piedmont, Italy. Her nuts are so delicious and fresh - there's love in every nut! They sell them lightly roasted so they have a nice crunch and a lot of flavor. Even if you don't like hazelnuts, I bet these would win you over. We have a great visit and, of course, I get some treats for the road.

On the way back, I got stuck behind 3 tractors going 15 mph. That was torture. I think the traffic from the last few days was getting me all stressed out again!

Met another old vendor for lunch, Rick of Wild Planet Tuna. It was really nice to connect while being disconnected. He will be a free agent soon and hopefully will have something even better in his future (I know another tuna company…who knows😊).

Stopped into Crate & Barrel to find some storage items. They didn't have what I was looking for but The Container Store did. I wanted to go to Nordstrom’s about 5 miles away, but afraid it might take me 40 minutes. Instead, I decide it's best to take care of Sparky. So off we go to yet another off-leash dog park, Memorial Park. This one's not far from camp and, surprisingly, is the best one yet. It has two fenced in "grass" areas, though there was no grass. I guess they have been in a drought too.

Back at camp, checked emails and found out I was accepted to the 12-member Airstream Customer Council!!! Months ago, Airstream sent out emails asking who wanted to be a part of this new group. Over 850 people replied, I was part of the final cut before I left SF. I am so excited!! Much of what we will be involved in will be confidential. I am hoping I will be able to contribute my perspective … single girl, former chef, sales/marketing background, no camping experience… Our first video meeting is in a few weeks.