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Well, we did it ! - 28 September, 2024
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After nine years in one spot, we are on the move,
Here is a running two-week recap of our last times in Florence Harbor.... Late, on Sunday 15 September, 2024 we are now "off" of M/V So..fea, and into the M/C "old memories" ... -on the road- headed 160 miles South to dry land, and our new "ashore" digs.
This "new" story began with a plan to head South on Labor day ... some of the ongoing changes to the coach ALL went awry, and there was a last minute major coach cross-computer conflict, (no accelerator pedal, no brakes, alarms aplenty, and deflated airbags), one-at-a-time sequential failures. Although the So...fea sale date was for the 11th, we knew the new boat owners would not be coming to Florence until around the 20th due to a scheduled medical surgery on the 16th, so, we were not frantic to stay on schedule, that idea failed miserably with a sleep breaking late night September 10th 2300 phone call wondering where the boat key would be at when they arrive this morning (the 11th) at 0900 !!
That 2300 arise, then packing like there is a Tsunami coming, and four-five massive in the dark, up the dock frantic loads in the rain to the van then driving to the coach location (3 miles away), throw it in ... return-get another load/return...and repeat, then a four day and four night illegal stay with no electric water sewer heat at the storage lot has been, let's just say ... "memorable".
Today, the 15th of September, at 1330, just as we were ready to roll down the road and outta' Florence ... to head South to Port Orford, my "main" personal laptop computer also failed, so we ran away incognito with no notices or emails being handed out about our status, we just "poofed".
But we arrived ! at 1700, after an absolutely eventless 165-mile trip through 13 stoplights (which went all green for us !), and, we even found the correct turnoff from Highway 101 !!
We drove down a short 1/4 mile rural road to a remote 4-way intersection out in the middle of nowhere, to proceed, we saw that the road narrowed greatly and this ominous sign confronted us dead ahead.
Knowing full well how the signmakers think of an RV as being a 30-foot class C van or travel trailer (and "not"... a 40-45-50 foot 18,000 pound Prevost, Country Coach, Dutchman, or Motor Coach) we dead stop halted mid-intersection to call the RV Park host... after being reassured, we proceeded on, and to our site, backed in easily to the 30-foot bluff dropping straight down to the lake, hit the Park Brake and shut down the diesel.
Similar to when we arrived at Port Siuslaw on Easter morning 2017, a small colony of inhabitants came out to meet-greet-gawk and welcome, do the 20 questions thing, then vanish.
We are the largest unit here, and fill our space, large planter boxes divide each 24 foot wide space, and it is hard-pack gravel, not having another row of RVs in front or behind you is super nice (like in the harbor), the trees and woods complete the setting.
By 1900 and dusk, we had hooked up (sewer, electric), but still had our balky water inlet valve not working, and we were both tension-tired, and still in shock that we were actually here (after paying ahead for an August 1 arrival), and now being 45 days late.
The park is "as advertised" ... 1/2 mile inland from the ocean, and 1/4 mile out of town, on a dead-ended cul de sac, one-sided with forest, and across the road a single row of 12 RV spots backed up to a deep ravine above the lake... very secluded, quiet, and out of view from anything, including city lights (it is a "Dark Skies" listed town, with a gazillion stars), no road noise, people, or people... did I mention no people? we awoke to two grazing deer, hummingbirds galore, and a filtered sunrise through the trees (unlike the fully exposed boat).
Remember, there is still a lot going on "inside" the coach that got put off in order to evacuate the boat early, we loaded the aisles, beds, and deck with 92 "large post office flat rate shipping boxes ", it created an odd warehouse like aisle system, stacked four foot deep fore to aft with an almost no walkway interior... like going to sea travelling means tear down and stowage...
On arrival here, it all was in our face, the van (left behind in Florence) was also severely muzzle-loaded, with even more boat stuff... but the unpacking here had to begin immediately.... just to have a place to sleep ! As the reefer came up to temp we emptied the coolers, and found the coffee pot for the AM, the entire night was spent looking for the cats, who had either jumped ship in Florence, or were in here somewhere... the search went on to exhaustion, at around 2200 Tiger finally came out, and she has stayed out ever since, Popeye was not to be found until "he" finally decided to come out a few days later, and then, it was catbox, water, food and vanish... look as you may, he was unfindable, this went on for 7 full days.
Monday morning, the park manager took me to town for some water parts to do a work-around with, and took me on a quick tour of the (very impressive) little town, by noon we had full hookups working and spent the day (and week) unpacking postal boxes (all 92 of them). The huge amount of cardboard and other packing materials we generated is out of step for a 9-person RV park dumpster; plus, they recycle here, and the "Cardboard' bag hanging on the wall is a single large leaf bag.
It is awkward to fill a dumpster and six leaf bags, yet not be able to offer to do a dump run because you have no vehicle, on Wednesday a neighbor forcibly loaned us their car to go do laundry, and shopping, the $240.00 van pickup and transport was scheduled for Monday AM, but got delayed to Wednesday, and then the price jumped to $380 for a Friday pickup, I balked, the next offers came in at $460, and then one for $1,125.00 ! cheapskate me, I decided to 5-hour "bus'-up to Florence on Friday the 20th and DIY.
It was another uneventful trip, arriving here at dark after a full 8-hour travel day, that first week had passed doing bank accounts, PO boxes, address changes, and online notifications aplenty, organizing, and unpacking, looking for cats, and schlepping cardboard.
Heading into week two, the 92 coach choked PO boxes, and the 30 some bigger van boxes disgorged far more bulk than what will fit in our 40-foot low floor coach... we acquainted ourselves with yet another expensive-no selection Ray's Market, numerous "earth" food places, and then went into our first Dollar General store since Appalachia.
<an aside> There are 19,000 Dollar General stores in the Kentucky/Tennessee-based chain, mostly all are in Appalachian states, the inventory is mind-boggling, one store is equal to a Bi-Mart, Dollar store, Grocery Outlet, and Big Lots ... all in one.
Today the 28th, is our two-week here anniversary... we are totally disorganized, but unpacked ! our 56th wedding anniversary is also today, so, we went to the open beach, did a takeout dinner, and continued to try and find places for all this glut, our past few days have been spent cleaning, and repairing/detailing a 20 year-old unwanted car that was "gifted" to us last week by a neighbor here, (making up for some recent losses), more on that next time... this "help" event reasserted and returned our belief in the Oregon (old Oregon) lifestyle and people.
The cats are now both out full-time and have undergone full personality boat-to-coach changes, as we enter week three... we have yet to see a homeless person (much less step over one), or hear Islamic, Chinese, or Jive talk in town... have had no yelling druggies, or tents, panhandlers, gun fire, or white tennis shoed masses of people getting off strange prison-like busses, carrying grey plastic bags, and restaurant free food chits... we "do" miss the harbors wildlife activity and variety of birds, but, this is only week 2.
If you are new to the whazammo pages, and not familiar or following the past 25 years of our 10 or so websites, this is a great time to jump in, this "Whazammo ashore" (EPISODE 1) is starting out as a NON-POETRY blog, after selling So...fea. it will be a randomly posted affair until we get fully moved in, then perhaps will join the others as a full-blown .com website.
So, here it is... your two-week update, we "did not" move to or stay in Canada, and whoever misread "SELLING" So...fea for "SAILING" So...fea must be doing the taboo cell phone reading I always rail about... we are off the poetry road, onto the web, and off the water to land, for awhile there will be no 'new' published articles or M/V So...fea, or any new Youtube videos to report other than the Jerome & anya , and no other new website changes have been made since spring.
This transition to ashore has eaten our summer up, the rumblings of our returning to another Podcast or going back to the newspaper are not valid, but... the return of an online international "Moonset Literary Newspaper" -like website rather than expensive ink-on-paper mail-out, 'is' being considered, < wakasocietyofamerica.com > to bolster the UHTS 1/4ly, for now we are leaving all of the tankaanya.com webpages unchanged. (and, FYI, the whazammo.com main pages will return after the overhaul, possibly in November).
That's it ! While still under the starry-eyed euphoria of being tourist-like new kids-on-the-block at Disneyland, our first two weeks here ends with a smile for our choosing Port Orford, and Paradise Point... more later.
