Looking Forward

It has been quite a while since I have posted on here. I guess my Fathers passing took more of a toll on me than I expected. I was depressed for quite a while, even though most of the time I didn't outwardly show it. I had to get the rest of his ashes from the funeral home last week. They used only half for the internment up at Willamette National Cemetery. It wasn't really tough but it was kinda weird. I mean carrying the ashes of a burned body around with you is kinda weird. Dad is in my closet now, resting, waiting to be delivered to his final resting spot of choice. Odell Lake. The Estate for the most part is done. The Government has their paperwork, the bills are paid. Katrina, Jason and I still have to scatter his ashes. I was hoping to do this this summer but as summer wanes it is looking like that may not happen. I still have half of his stuff in my basement. Jason has the rest. Katrina has the family history and a few heirlooms. I still have his 24 foot SeaRay still and haven't decided what to do with that. I have done some work on it and I does run now. I fixed the things on the boat that I told him I would help him with. It seemed like the right thing to do. He is missed every day.

Looking forward..........I have been doing some work on the house. Painting, new carpet etc. It feels good. It has been a long time coming. I also recently decided to start dating again. However, with my work schedule that is just not a simple thing. Most women want their men home in the evening, not driving to some far away destination.



I guess I am going to have to back up here. Just under two years ago I changed jobs within the company I work for. I was badly in debt and needed to bail myself out. I also needed a change of scenery. I went from doing local work to driving over the road. Then it was a welcome change, now I find that they aren't as willing to give me as much home time as I need or used to have. It is more money but the hours are terrible. I am on what they call the extra-board. that means they can send you out anywhere, just about at anytime. If I can get a dedicated run in the fall when all the runs are rebid, I will put any decisions about changing on the shelf for now. I have been looking at my options within the company and outside the company. Worst case is I may quit all together.



I bought a mini van to drive to work. Yes, a mini van. It only cost me $500 and I have already saved that in gas money. I promptly put a $600 stereo in too. hehe. Putting $4+ a gallon gas in a truck that only gets 9 mpg in the city was a waste. I still have my 1995 F-250. I will probably always have it as new trucks are prohibitively expensive.



My best friend Theo moved to NY with his girlfriend Sarah. I was sad to see them go. It has been a bit weird without Theo here. I expect that this will change our friendship forever. We had some really great times though. Lots of good memories and I will always have those. I think I am going to have to go see NY !



I have my other friends here though and I am making an effort to make new friends here and there. On the short list of Friends that I have here are :

Terre, Theos' ex wife. We have known each other the longest. As my friends go I have known her the longest of anyone I have ever met and has influenced my life a great deal. I could on and on here. We both know the story so I am goin to skip it. lol.



Rebecca, A friend of Terres' that I met and dated for a short time. We recently reconnected. It has been good to hang out with her again. We get along pretty good ! Rebecca is a very good cook. I will eat just about anything she would make. She is good with movie trivia and music trivia. I don't know how she remembers those details ! She has had a tough year with her horses. One just recently passed away from old age. I think that was harder on her than she lets on. The other she had sold at a livestock auction after he quite literally lost his mind while she was riding him. She is still recovering from her injuries.



Allison, I met Allison on a dating site about three + years ago. (Allie, don't shoot me if I have the time line wrong !) :-) We went on one date but have stayed in touch ever since. Like me she is very busy with work and family and has little time to date. She is dear to me just like the rest of the people I know.



Erich Lay, I met him thru Theo. We get along good. Like to do the same things. He just recently moved back from Eugene so I am looking forward to getting out and doing some biking with him and some camping too.

Katie Harrop and Marsha Matthews, I met both of them when Theo lived out in Hillsboro. I am still in touch with them. Katie now lives in Sandy Or. and Marsha moved to a different spot in Hillsboro. We don't get to hang out much but I think of them often and try to keep in touch.

I made some new friends at work too. John (Ed) Swenson, Jeff Daniels, Robbie Clark, Brian Orton. As truckdrivers we talk a lotta smack and get along pretty well. lol.



Robbie and I like to Mountain Bike. He is a bit more advanced than I am so I need to do some catching up there. I gotta get a better bike for the trails too. Something along the lines of a full suspension bike. We went riding and I ended up with a black eye from a rather spectacular crash. I landed on my face ! I still had a great time. It was good to get out and do some thing that I once loved to do. I was kinda disappointed in my skill level and endurance. they both have dropped quite a bit. The only answer there is to get back to it !

I haven't hung out with Brian in a while. In the past we have gone crabbing and fishing. I hope to reconnect with him when time permits. Our work schedules are nearly opposite. Ack ! I really like to go fishing too and Brian is the guy to do it with. He always gets his fish !

I also Have my good friends within my Airstream buddies. Janet and Gary; Cheryl and Jim; Claudia and Don; Jeff; Molly, Bob and the Dogs.

All of these people and more have had a great influence in my life and are really great genuine folks to be around, talk to and do stuff with.

(I know I left someone out here. I will edit this post as needed.)

Soo.....in the time that has passed since I have posted I really have just been working and in general ignoring life and let it pass by me without getting involved. Which for me really isn't going to work, I found out. Imagine that. lol. I have gone to couple Airstream rallies and went boating once.

Change is coming...........I don't know how yet or when...........but it is coming, bank on it.

A Memorial

My Father, Daniel L. Johnson Jr. Passed away on February 16 2007. He will be remembered fondly and loved by his sons, daughter, brother, 1st wife and second wife. Rest in peace Dad. I love you always.

Chris

On the Airstream Front

Hi all, This was another great year for Airstream Rallies. I organised my first rally in February. The Newport Seafood and Wine Festival Rally, AKA NSFW. It turned out really well if I do say so myself. Then Kathleen put together the Great NW Get Away in April. It was a great time as well.

The next Rally was the Silver Creek Falls Rally put on by Darol. It was at the same time as the WBCCI International Rally in Salem Oregon. So the group was a bit smaller than usual. It was also far more low key and cheaper to go to than the International Rally in Salem. We had a few visitors from the Int. which was nice. We also had a visitor from far away. He bailed from the Int. in search of a more low key less regimented atmosphere. Good choice 2air ! It was good to meet you. I rode my mtn. bike on a few of the trails here and did a hike over at the regular campground. It was good weather and as always there was more than enough food and drink to go around ! Plus all the great conversation around the table and campfire ! My pictures can be viewed here. After the rally a few of us decided to stay another night at the campground. Lucky for us there were a few spots left. Since the Int. had ended there were a few who had made reservations at the park. We of course invited them to our gathering that night and had one last great feast.

The next rally was at Troutlake Washington put on by Janet. It was at a wonderful private park that is at an abandoned airstrip. All I can say is wow ! what a great place to camp. Large grassy sites, big trees for shade, a creek nearby, and a huge fire pit with all the wood you can burn in a night. I didn't leave the campground hardly at all. It was soo nice just to relax and take in the scenery and quiet. The campground has a stellar view of Mt. Adams from every site. We did make it over to the art and music festival on Sunday. Janets trio was playing there, Humphrey and Hartman. My Good friend Theo came with on this trip. I know he had a great time. Theo got to talking to a guy that was there who was flying a kite. He let Theo fly his kite for a while. Theo had a great time doing it. He also let me fly it too, however I was walking backward trying to keep it airborne and backed right into the irrigation ditch. Wow was that water cold ! DOH ! I think Troutlake might be a favorite of his. I did have one catastrophe, a waterline in my trailer broke the evening I arrived there. Water was pouring out of the doorway of my trailer. What a bummer. I was able to get repair parts at the local hardware store the next day. So I wasn't without water during the trip. As always, another great trip with great friends ! You can view my pics here.

The last rally of the year for me was Beverly Beach III. Janet and Gary put this rally on once again and it was a great time. I arrived a day early to assist in the setup of dining canopies and lights etc. We had great weather, which was lucky for us since it had been raining up until the time of the rally.

Great NW Get-Away 2005

In April Kathleen organised a get-away for us NW Airstream Forums members. It was at Lincoln Rock State Park which is a very nice park. As usual everyone had a great time. Kathleen organised a foil hat making contest of which I won first prize. It was all about the accessories I tell ya. Jim Jordan and I went Canoeing in the back water by the boat ramp, that was fun. The weather was decent enough but at times the wind was pretty chilly. This is a very nice area and will revisit again. You can view my pics here. Thanks for putting this together Kathleen !

NW Mini-Rally - Newport Seafood and Wine Fest 2005

Back in January I decided to organize my first Airstream Forums Rally. Every year I try to go to the Newport Seafood and Wine Festival. I thought, what a great time to have a Forums Rally. I was getting cabin fever along with a few others. Not knowing how to go about doing this I made few minor mistakes.

I didn't quite get how the reservation system works when doing an event like this. I found out that the Reserve America system is pretty unforgiving when changes need to be made. They don't tell you that you need to do the event reservations a month or more in advance to get the group discounts. ( I was a day late, go figure ). Plus each change is $6. Each change also generates and whole new paper-trail. I think they could do better. I guess the charge prevents hordes of people changing reservations at a whim though. I also reserved my own campsite first and had to change it. This again was a result of not knowing how the system worked. In the system when you do a group event like this they dub you the "wagonmaster". The name followed me all weekend, lol. Oh yeah, I forget my Blueboy too. Thanks for the bucket Janet !!

Anita ( Coastal_me ) was a great help in deciding which loop was best. She was camp-hosting at South Beach SP at the time. Janet was also a great help on the in's and out's of doing a Airstream Forums Rally.
Thanks !!

It turned out to be a great success. The weather was great. Sunny days, cool nights. Janet & Gary met me at Camping world in Wilsonville and we caravanned to Newport. Within 20 minutes of getting there Jim and Cheryl ( jordandvm ) showed up too. We decided to eat out that night at a place called Canyon Way. It is a great little restaurant down on Newports' Bayfront. Good food, at bit on the high end but worth it. We browsed the giftshop after dinner. I tried on a couple "wagonmaster hats" and we bought a couple CD's and headed back to the CG to relax in Jim and Cheryls CCD Airstream. Jonathan and Stephanie ( campcollector ) showed up that night around 9 pm.

The next day Janet and I teamed up and made breakfast. I made waffles and Janet did the sausage and eggs. We had planned to attend the Seafood and Wine Fest but their transportation system was less than adequate. We waited for a shuttle for 2 hrs. and gave up. Stephanie and Dave ( Stefrobrts )showed up today. They got setup and had to go to the grocery store. Janet needed some things and I did too so we all hopped in Stef's van and off we went. We regrouped and decided to have our own seafood & wine fest that night. Don and Claudia ( norcalbambi ) showed up later on that evening too with their own adventure to tell us about ! We all gathered around the campfire later for shooting the breeze and Jonathan keeping us in stitches with his jokes and stories from work.

Saturday morning I got up early to prepare the 7 lb. potroast for dinner that night. I let it simmer all day. It turned out really good if I do say so myself. Janis and Pat Timlick showed up this morning. She made a really good dessert for after the feast. During the day Janet, Gary and I went to Yachats to hit some of the antique/thrift shops. They bought an antique dresser at one place. My purchases were less dramatic, an older flashlight and some Christmas 45's for my jukebox. Also pictured here is the CD I bought at Canyon Way. The band is " The Blind Boys of Alabama " It is really good. My good friend Theo showed up Saturday afternoon too ! I was glad he could make it down.
Saturday evening we had a great feast everyone contributed something good. So much food such a small stomach ! lol. Just like Thanksgiving all over again. We stayed up late drank all the wine and in general had a great time.

Sunday Jim, Cheryl and I decided to go over to the fest. We went right in, no waiting. It was pretty good. We tried a few wines and some seafood samples. I felt that the fest this year was a bit lacking. There weren't as many booths with crafts and food. It also seemed to me that the venue was a bit smaller than years past. I would like to have seen more entires from the craft vinters. I bought four bottles of wine. I felt that I got a good deal there as opposed to buying at the store.

Thanks to everyone who attended making my first event a great success !

You can view my pictures here.

The Deschutes Dash Mini Rally 2005

In November we had a mini-rally at the Deschutes River State Park. After the Beverly Beach Rally it was nice to just hang out and relax with fellow Airstream enthusiasts. The weather wasn't really that bad. It was a little wet Friday night but, things cleared up a bit on Saturday and the sun actually came out. However, it was chilly the entire time. Good thing Gary and Jim brought their fire dancers and propane heaters ! We were all really toasty under the bigtop. The drive up there through the Columbia River Gorge was really wet. I felt like I was underwater at times, it was raining so hard. The good news is no leaks in the Airstream !

Jim was going to go kayaking but, decided against it. Even though the river was relatively flat, it was cold out. Jim and Kathleen went to see the Stonehenge replica and visit the Mary Hill Museum. Brad and Kacey did the same too ,I believe. Bob came down on Saturday Morning, a whole 9 miles from his house, with his motorhome. He brought Hank and Otto, his two pooches, along to visit and entertain. Brad and Kaceys' pictures are here. My Pictures are here. Thanks to Janet and Gary for the great burgers and again initiating the the event ! I had a great time.

Beverly Beach Airstream Rally 2005

Hello All ! Theo and I went to the Beverly Beach Airstream Rally last weekend. I was a lot of fun. We really lucked out on the weather. Friday night it rained off and on into early Saturday morning. After about 9am the clouds gave way to blue skies and sunshine ! There were about 23 Airstreams I think and around 45 people. The group took up most of G-loop. There were Airstreamers there from near and far. Norbert was there from Chicago, Ill., Don and Claudia are from Yreka, Ca., Jim and Kathleen from Wenatchee, Wa. to name a few.

Saturday morning we just hung out, had coffee, shot the bull and checked out everyone's RV's. That afternoon Theo and I went off to the Oregon Coast Aquarium.
He hadn't been there since they put in the walk through tubes in the big tank that used to house Keiko the killer whale. They have a really good shark exhibit there now plus a wonderful turtle exhibit that neither of us had seen yet. They also have the old standbys there like the sea otters, harbors seals and their aviary which houses all of the birds native to the Oregon coast. Oh yea, I musn't forget the jellyfish exhibit, always a favorite of mine. They are so graceful, just don't touch !

We were feeling a bit thirsty so off the Rogue Brewery for a malted beverage ! Yum. We both had a sampler of 4 different beers of our choice. I'm glad Theo talked me into going there. It was fun as well !

So back to the campground we went. We had to be back by 6pm to join in on the chilli feed that Gary had prepared. Wow, there was a lot of food there. So many things to try, we all were stuffed after dinner. After dinner they had the pumpkin carving contest and a mini concert by the more musically inclined in the group. Oh yes there was also a liars contest to see who could tell the most believable lie. I forget who won these events, however. My bad. Pictured is Jim's entry to the contest.

In the meantime Jonathan brought in a big fire ring and a big pile of wood. We like to call him firestarter Jonathan because he starts the fires with road flares or white gas or both ! A man after my own heart, lol.

The next morning, Sunday, we had a huge beakfast before breaking camp and heading home. All in all it was a great weekend trip. It was also great to meet so many different people that have at least one thing in common, Airstreams !

A special thanks to Janet and Gary for the planning, food prep, and set up.
Thanks to Jonathan for the load of fire wood, firering, and turning the hotwater up on the showers.
Also thanks to everyone else who contributed in their own special way to make this rally the best it could be !

Pictures are available for viewing here, Beverly Beach Airstream Rally

I had a great time and Theo did too !

Cheers, Chris

The Big Trip in 2005

Thsi is how it all got started.

Back in September of 2004 I put a bid in on Ebay for a juke box. It is a 1953 AMI e-80. I did not expect to win the auction. But, while Theo and I were out on a camping trip I found out that I had won the auction. So with a few emails back and fourth from the seller (who was in Wisconsin, about 40 mins. from Milwaulie) I arranged to have them drop it off at Theos' parents house. Bill, Theos' stepdad graciously allowed me to store it in his garage until I could get out there to pick it up or arrange shipping.

So, a week or so went by and I called the seller to find out how things were progressing only to find out that the phone was disconnected and the email address I had was no longer valid. So I immediately thought I had been taken. I contacted Ebay and started the fraud process. I called Bill and told him what was going on and not to expect a juke in his garage anytime soon or at all.

About a month goes by and I get a message from Bill on my answering machine. He says he knows a little more about jukeboxes now. So I am thinking that, maybe he wants to get one now ? By then I had totally dismissed the one I had won on Ebay as a deal gone bad. So I call him up. He says that he was taking out the trash and there were 2 guys out by his garage with a delivery van. So he asks them if they need anything and out of the corner of his eye he ses a jukebox and then it dawns on him. It is my juke that I thought I had gotten screwed out of. So he has them put it in his garage and then he called me.

Turns out the seller had stomach cancer and died in the middle of his auctions. All the executor had was an address to deliver the juke to. No phone number or anything else. On a side note I was corresponing with his fiance' and when he died she bailed to the Netherlands where she was from. That's why all contact had stopped.

So, now I turn to planning a road trip back there because the shipping is going to cost as much as the drive back there. Remember this was last year, gas was a bit cheaper. I decided to make a sightseeing/camping trip out of it. So now I am thinking about doing a total refurbish on the 1965 Aristocrat travel trailer I had so that it would make the journey there and back with no problems. This spans about a three to four month period. During that time Theo and I come up with the plan for me to drive out there and him to fly out there so he can spend a few days with the folks before I get there. Then on the way back we will do all of our sightseeing. So he and I both put in for 2 weeks of vacation at our jobs for late September.

Fast forward to February 2005. I have been thinking about what I need to do to the Aristocrat and the timeline to get it all done by September when I plan on leaving.

One day I am heading out to McMinnville for a few deliveries and I go by this RV dealership and I see this 17 ft Airstream sitting in their lot. I am thinking, o wow, I have looking for one of these for 3 years. So on the way back I stop and take a look at it. Turns out it is a 1965 17ft. Airstream Caravel. Fully selfcontained and it looked to be in really good shape. I really gave it the once over, so I thought. Long story short, I buy it and go to pick it up the next weekend.

So now there is a little change in plans as to what to do with it and the Aristocrat. I sell the Aristocrat. No brainer. lol. Once I had it home I started to clean it out and fix a few things. I find out that the whole floor needs replacing. So I end up taking the entire interior out and removing the shell from the frame. So much for my once over and seeing no real problems. Since February I have been putting all my extra time into getting the Airstream ready for the big trip. I must say it has been quite a learning experience. I have met a fantastic group of folks on the Airstream forums and Theo and I have already had it to one rally in July in Troutlake, WA.

There is a link to the right for the thread on the Airstream forums page that details the restoration part of this saga. There is also a link to the photo gallery of the whole restoration process as well.

9/7/05 Getting Closer

I am already getting antsy to get outta town. Things are coming together good. Leaving on the 16th ! Can't wait !

9/13/05 Getting even Closer !

Just four more days and no work for two weeks ! Theo and Marsha came over to help me finish up some things on the Airstream. Thanks you two !

9/22/05 I made it !

I made it to Wisconsin on Tuesday night. I got in about 1 am Central time. 2216 miles in three days. 194.6 gallons of gas. It was a pretty uneventful trip. I stayed at my uncles the first night. It was really good to see Duane and Cindy again. I stayed overnight in a RV park in Jamestown, North Dakota. It was nice even tho it as right next to the freeway. I had sunny days and clear nights all the way over to Milwaukie.

Wednesday Theo and I took a tour of the Harley Davidson powertrain factory here in Milwaukie. It was very cool. Wednesday night there were a few thunderstorms. Very impressive light show !

Today we are on our way to South Dakota and Mt.Rushmore. We are splitting the drive into 2 parts. Otherwise we would have to drive nearly 900 miles in one day.

There are new pics on the flickr on the right.

Have a great day !

9/25/05 Things are goin Good !!

Yesterday we took a driving tour of the Badlands in South Dakota. There is soo much to see words can hardly describe it. I put some pics on my Flickr acct for all to see. Today Theo and I are headed off to Mt Rushmore. I will post a more detailed blog from there if I end up with a good connection to the I net.

I am really enjoying my vacation so far. I think Theo is having a good time too !

Lata, Chris

9/25/05 Mt. Rushmore

We are having a great time. Everything in the AS is working fine so far. There are a few things I am goin to change later for ease of use. It is supposed to get down to 27 deg. here tonight. Sure am glad I have a good working furnace. We just came in from sitting by the campfire. Theo took a hot tub earlier. I know its not really camping when you can log onto the internet after taking a hottub. The KOA here is really nice. I sure am glad it is the off season. This place would be a zoo in the summer.

I did see another new AS today entering the Badlands as we were leaving. There is also a new MH in the park here. Strange to see an Airstream that isn't shiny.

We did get to Wall Drug and yes there is a huge amount of knick knacks there. I'll post some pics of that soon. What a tourist trap, yikes ! Keystone here is also a huge tourist trap.

When we came into Rushmore today we saw a mountain goat, quite a few deer, and a whole bunch of wild turkeys. Tomorrow we will be going up to the visitor center at the base of the faces then over to see the new Crazy Horse monument.

10/06/05 A trip I will treasure Forever !

I just uploaded more pics to my Flickr site. We are back and tryin to get back into the groove. More to come !

Check my Flickr site to the right. The trip pictures are all listed there now with a heading for each stage of the trip. Enjoy !

Merging Blogs

I am merging my two blogs into one. The next few posts are a compilation of what is on my other blog "Chris' Adventures", which will be deleted when I am done. Just an FYI.

A First for me

Well its 1 am and still 84 deg out. This is the first time I have seen this the whole time I have lived in Portland, which is about 30 + years. Sorta unbelieveable. I bet tomorrow is goin to be hot !! I wonder if its going to get under 80 tonight. hmmmm.......

A wake up call

My week has had a less than stellar start. On Monday I gave myself a Thoracic strain.

Quote "The thoracic spine (upper back)
The 12 vertebral bodies in the upper back make up the thoracic spine. The firm attachment of the rib cage at each level of the thoracic spine provides stability and structural support to the upper back and allows very little motion. The thoracic spine is basically a strong cage and it is designed to protect the vital organs of the heart and lungs. The upper back is not designed for motion, and subsequently, injuries to the thoracic spine are rare. However, irritation of the large back and shoulder muscles or joint dysfunction in the upper back can be very painful."

I did this while on the job in Salem Or. They had to bring another driver down and take me back to Portland to the ER at Emanuel Hospital. So since then I have been laid up at home. Tomorrow I am supposed to go back to work on light duty, no lifting over 20 lbs. So I figure I'll be shuffling papers until my next doctors appt. I feel better today since I have had a couple days of rest and muscle relaxers. Wish me well.

Moms new ride

My mom stopped by yesterday and guess what ? She has a new (to her) car, I mean SUV. It is a 2003 Honda Pilot. It is pretty nice. Only has 40k on it. She has waited a long time to take the plunge, about 12 yrs since she has had a new vehicle. She is pretty happy with it. Way to go Mom !

Did some work on my boat finally !

As some of you may already know, last summer while out water skiing the ski rope found its way under the engine after we finished skiing for the day. There is a small section of the flywheel that is exposed under there, about a 1 in gap. Well the rope got too close and got caught up in-between the flywheel and the engine block. So that was pretty much the end of our day. When I got home with it last summer, I just backed it in the garage and left it until this week. Since the weather is turning warm I decided to take things apart and see just how much damage there was. I was surprised to find out that it was just rolled up into one big glob and not wrapped around the crank like I had envisioned. Whew ! It was quite a job to get at it as I had to remove the drive shaft, rear motor mounts, bell housing, and flywheel to get at it.
I finished that up and started to do some maintenance work, change the oil, do a tune up on it, and clean it up. Now all thats left is to do some polishing on the aluminum and wax the hull and it'll be good to go for a while

Just another day

Of killin bugs !!!!

I am a member of a nationwide diesel powered insect extermination crew.