Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Long... boring... post.

So, I left the Hood River and stopped over in Bingen (pronounced, yes, bingin') WA which is right across the Columbia River from Hood River. I went to Los Reyes (the kings) for lunch and had a delicious chile relleno/enchilada combo and two margaritas. Their chips were fresh made from WHITE corn, and were light and very crispy.

bingen_food_1

That was a TINY town but apparently is home to Boeing's secret military weapons factories. There are a few of them strewn along the river by the railroad tracks. They build the unmanned drones that do service in Iraq and elsewhere. And the different facilities are used so that no one factory knows the WHOLE secret. The electronics are built here, the wings here, etc. Spooky!

The campground I stayed at was superb. A very nice little spot by the river, and subsequently by the train tracks, which was a bit annoying at first, but living by the airport in Seattle, it was not such a big issue for me. They have the free wireless and all hookups, hot showers, etc. for about $30.00. The place is called Bridge RV Park and Campground. I recommend!

An off note... the first time you dump your black/grey water tanks in an RV is interesting. The smell that is. I dumped mine for the first time at Fort Stevens State Park in Oregon and the dump sites were very clean, which can go either way. Feces should be in the hole people, not all over the dump site. The valve on my grey water tank is some funky alternative setup which was broken the way it was supposed to be used. I figured out how to dump it anyway. Whoosh! Bye bye poop!

So, I left Bingen and headed off to Corvallis, OR. After being in the city for 50 seconds I opted for Newport, OR, which is a favorite destination of mine for many reasons. I checked out some parks I found on the Internet and they didn't hold my interest, so I looked at a little park across from the Rogue Headquarters. There were no pay instructions, so I went down the road to South Beach State Park. Incredible little place. They have elec/water hookups for $18.00 a night. My next post will be about some basic RV stuff that I have discovered, which includes the benefits of State Parks. This is nothing new to old-timer RVers, but for me, it was great to discover. I signed up and headed back to Rogue Brewery, from where I am posting this tonight.

So, I roll into Rogue and here are some pics.

The Rogue silo of doom.

newport_rogue_silo

Rogue bubbles of love.

newport_rogue_bubbles

The pub inside the brewery. Me LIKEY!

newport_rogue_bar_1

The delicious Rogue barleywine and their hazelnut spiced rum.

newport_rogue_rum


So, then it snows upon Althea and me. We did not know what to make of it. Well, she is an RV, so what does she know. I went down to the beach and took some shots (of pics, not the evil Rogue rum) and a video. Here is the snow on the beach. Big whoop, I know. I think the video works, though.

newport_beach_snow

Here is a cheesy video. LOL on me :}



This is the Newport Belle Bed & Breakfast. I went onboard and tried to order pancakes. The woman there said something like "you go now! No pennie cock for you!" Well, I say! I shall NOT be boarding that vessel whilst nude again!

newport_belle_bb

This image is only being shared because we have divided the secret plan into many cells around Oregon. The plan is to distract the security guards (I have met them, they are easily subdued with a doughnut or perhaps a shot of Rumplemintz) and move the huge trove of Rogue goodness to the getaway vehicle in the form of one Althea Harvey III. The screenshot will show it all. If you are NOT in on the plan, the picture you should see will be of llamas eating heather in a field in Peru.

newport_rogue_tactics

The previous picture (of the llamas) was taken from the bridge below. Now, let it be said that I am deathly afraid of bridges. It combines my fear of heights and my fear of water to make one big SHIT STORM of fear. I actually put my nuts in a rubber band and rode my bike up to the midsection of this bridge. No biggie for most. For me, it was the event of the decade. The picture here is taken from the public fishing pier.

newport_bridge_2

This is me after my descent from the bridge of doom. Do not mind the shit stains in my pants.

newport_jim_bike

From another angle there was this maelstrom that hit land not twenty minutes later. I hid in Althea for the onslaught.

newport_storm

Apparently Rogue's distillery has closed to the public. This is a shame because they had all sort of crazy and wonderful alcohol mixtures available for sampling, including various infusions with mango, herbs, and I think a human skull. Here is the sad evidence.

newport_rogue_spirits

This is the marina of the Newport before Satan arrived and smoked all these ships in a big fatty.

newport_marina_1

That is all for tonight. Tomorrow I get to tell you how my 120VAC 30A main breaker started to arc causing me to disconnect from camp power and start an all day journey to replace a $3.00 bus bar that eventually cost me about $500.00. The interim cost was about $45.00 and is a hilarious work-around... if you are a gearhead.

Until then... I KISS YOU!

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