Welches, OR -TT

Thursday - I set up the clam for the first time on this trip. It’s not windy but there is some in the forecast. I still need to add guy lines. I also set up the JPC-12 and checked my radio email. Propagation is pretty poor but I could still reach the RMS in northeastern Oregon. An indication of the poor propagation is the speed of 18bps. 

Quite the temperature change from yesterday but no complaints from me. 

Not quite the same as the Blackstone but a whole lot lighter. The results are similar. I still prefer the Blackstone. This is sweet potatoes, carrots, onions, parsnips, and green beans. With some balsamic vinegar. It came out decent, though the sweet potatoes could have been cooked longer.

Friday - A morning test session followed by warmer daytime temperatures. The A/C got turned on mid-afternoon while watching the Starship launch on YouTube. It’s still an hour away but it’s  entertaining enough. 

Welches, OR - TT

Wednesday - We are back on the road again. The class C had the oil changed this morning and now has a full tank of propane. We still had 3/8 of a tank but the gas station had propane. So it was convenient. 

We are at a newly listed TT park near Mt. Hood. The elevation is only 1100’ so it’s still hot and it is kind of smoky from all of the fires around Oregon. The site is large Ang backs up to the woods. It’s pretty nice.

And, the hot tub and pool are open! Not that you needed it with todays 90° (°F) temperatures. But I felt a need to try it out anyway. 

Last Day in Corvallis, OR

Tuesday - Today may be a prep day. We had unloaded a lot of stuff at my sister’s home sine we made use of the kitchen, laundry, showers, etc. while we were here. It’s already 91°F and still before noon. I have the A/C running at 50% to keep it from getting too hot during the afternoon. 

I checked my Winlink email on 40m this morning and will be sending my weekly check-in just after 9 PM PDT which meets the criteria of after midnight EDT. Then I can pack up the radio, computer, and antenna into the RV. 

Tomorrow is a modest travel day around 120 miles. I plan to stop at an oil change place here in Corvallis. I stopped by a couple of days ago to make sure they were willing. Last summer, I had a heck of a time finding a place willing to work on an RV even though it’s basically a Ford Econoline. The Circle K on the way out of town sells propane. 

We had lunch with my mom and then stopped at a couple of stores including the Asian grocery store. I picked up a few items including some odd things that a new favorite cabbage dish called for. Salted kelp and dashi powder. And I picked up a small squeeze bottle of okinomiyaki sauce. The last time I found some, the bottle was huge. 

Almost triple digits around here! Time to move on.

Corvallis, OR

Friday - I was having a hard time keeping track of which day on this road trip, so I stopped including that in the blog post title. Yesterday, we had a short travel day back to Corvallis, and we are mooch-docking at my sister's home. Actually, a bit more than that, as we are staying in their guest room, using their Internet, and cooking in their kitchen. The RV is parked and plugged in to keep the refrigerator cold and the batteries charged. 

Saturday - I tried both the JPC-12 and the ATAS-120a antennas on the deck, and both performed poorly. The radials were not, obviously, resting on the ground. As I understand it, if the radials are elevated, then they need to be adjusted to a different length every time you change frequencies. This morning, I moved the JPC-12 to the ground since I brought plenty of coax. It works great now.

Monday - Today's "excursion" was Costco in Albany, which is only about 12 miles north of Corvallis. We will be heading out in a couple of days, and we're not sure where the next Costco opportunity will be. Google Maps always tries to route us on the interstate because it is a minute or so faster even though it's further. There must be a setting for that somewhere.

It is hot but not humid. I ran the A/C in the class C for a while as I was breaking down the Costco chicken. It cooled down pretty quickly. 

The Jeep needed washed so that was my afternoon chore. It now looks better but the quick wash/dry in the sun shows. Good enough.