The Mill Casino - Coos Bay Oregon

We arrive at the Mill Casino & RV Park on May 30th

Hey LOOK guys IT’S A MONTANA!!! Wonder who it is??

A sea of Montana’s

Miss Maddy patrols her area of responsibility.

It’s overcast, a little drizzly, light jacket weather. Didn’t think I was going to like it here . It turns out you can't NOT have a good time if you hang out with these guys. It turns out that someone in the group has already been here done that.

We went to dinner at the casino our first evening. The on Tuesday several of the girls went to a quilt store then across the street to a bead shop, I have a feeling they spent a LOT of money but they won’t tell us how much. They all stepped out on the front porch of the beading store, in unison, and said I spent $29.37. I don't believe it because they were laughing. Roxanne bought me a fly tying book that uses beads in the fly tying process. Later We went to a bakery and bought some goodies. After that Butch & Sue, Ray & Pam, Don & Joy, Dick & Jackie John & Roxanne went lunch at The Fisherman's Grotto, an out of the way restaurant that Butch & Ray knew about.

The next day, most of the group went to dinner at the Waterfront Depot. It was a very nice bar / restaurant.

Great food, great friends, and what a view out that window!

One day while out sight seeing, Butch & Ray stopped at an oyster store. They bought some oysters.

Note: Whenever at camp everyone puts a little something together like chips & dip, cheese & crackers, finger foods etc. Can't forget your cocktail. Keeping with tradition Butch & Ray turned on the Bar-B-Q and the oysters they bought earlier in the day were cooked and served to all. Life is good.

We went to the Botanical Gardens.

We spent a day with Dick & Jackie Driver and Don & Joy Carr. We took in a lighthouse, had lunch at a park, went to the tide pools, and later we all went to a museum.

To build an appetite for lunch we took a walk down to the beach and enjoyed the tide pools and the seals.

We found this tree on the beach and took a snapshot.

John poses with an old tug boat on display. Next stop Western Regional Rally at Seven Feathers Casino in Canyonville, Oregon.

Hells Gate Boat Ride

May 28th we went with the Montana Owners Group to Hells Gate Boat Ride trip on the Rogue River in Oregon. Double click on the picture and find us if you can. Hint: 6th row center. This boat “LOOKS” like a slug. Not so. Three 454 Chevy engines power this baby down the river at over 60 MPH. Considering the capacity of the boat it's amazing to see and feel it maneuver. It was a hot day and the driver enjoyed getting us wet. Actually we enjoyed it too. Several movies have been made on this river. a couple are Rooster Cogburn and The River Wild. We made it back safely and made it back in time for 4 PM Happy Hour. This is a time when most of the group gets together and sits in a circle. Some bring their own refereshments and talk. Some of the ladies fix snack trays. That means Roxy is having a blast doing what she loves to do. Tomorrow we leave for The Mill Casino In Coos Bay, Oregon.

Valley of the Rogue

We arrived yesterday May 26th at Valley of the Rogue State park. Several of the MOC arrived the same day so all were setting up their trailers. Walking the loop and visiting is a fun way to pass the time. Evenings around the camp fire talking about past traveling experiences make us anxious to do the same. It's especially fun to discover that a new acquaintance has been to the same places we have.
Today May 27th we went to the nearby town of Jacksonville, Oregon. This is gold country and the town has some old time shops dedicated to sharing the past. The rest of the town has lots of shops selling tourist stuff. Roxanne found a cooking shop and bought a few things. We had a nice lunch at a Thai restaurant. Next we went to Medford and found a Harry & David store. After that we went to Costco and returned home. This afternoon several of the ladies put together a bunch of snacks and we all sat around visiting and sharing the days activities. One member of the group has most of the stuff needed to install an inverter. In the morning we will spend an hour or so installing the inverter. This is in preparation for the next camp out in Quartzsite where he will be Boondocking. The idea of an inverter is that you can convert battery power to household power. That means that you can run small appliances in the trailer like a coffee pot or satellite TV. In my opinion the goal is to be totally self supporting. I'm not even close and don't know if I'll ever be as well equipped as some of the Boondocking Masters.
Tomorrow afternoon we have made plans to take a boat trip on the Rogue.

Progressive Rally Siskiyou to Seven Feathers

Well, we are off again. After much preparation we left Thursday May 21, for Lake Siskiyou in Northern California. Just a short jaunt down the road about 3 ½ hours North of home in Milford. We arrived with no war stories of breakdowns. I am pleased to announce that my modified bicycle rack worked as redesigned. I used the kid’s old bikes to use as test dummies just in case my modification failed. Now we will invest in some adult size bikes that look nice and are mechanically functional. A nice broad, Jell (or is that Gel) seat in on the list as well. Maybe I can get skinny riding my way to better health and old age. Ha! Dream on my little friends.
There are way to many Dairy Queen’s on the road to allow that to happen!
Shortly after getting the Montana 5th wheel trailer I found a Web site called MOC (Montana Owners Club) This is a group of people that share their experience of ownership, maintenance and travel with their Montana 5th wheel trailer. Putting a face with a name is always a fun time and the camp out at Lake Siskiyou was no exception. There was a fishing tournament, breakfast, dinner, pot lucks, campfires, and much more. We had to say good-bye to many on Monday that had to go back to woooooorrrrrrrkkkkk! To those I say SORRY. Did I sound sincere? I can only try.
Monday evening the remainder of our group went to the local Mexican Restaurant, Casa Ramos. There were about 50 of us. We had a great meal and the head waiter brought ME the check. It was for the whole group!!! It seems that it is customary for the newest MOC member (ME) to get and pay the bill!!! Fribulating Frenulum!!! You notice the excessive use of the exclamation points? The exclamation point is used to express feeling. HOLY CRAP!!!! Have I got FEELING!!!
The bill was $543.96. I kept swallowing but there was no saliva. I was trying to maintain calm while my skin was feeling like I was thrown into a cactus patch in Quartzsite! I sat there thinking OK, be cool It’s not THAT bad Roxanne’s gonna KILL me. Then I rubbed my thumb and forefinger together and discovered a second receipt for the second receipt for $459.01. That made a total of $1002.97 PLUS the tip!!!! Somehow my mind did the math of 20% of a grand NO make that 15% of a grand…. SHIT!!! (It's my BLOG, I can say that) Here your thinking of cheaping out on the tip for 50 bucks? I gotta go PEE. Maybe there is a window in the bathroom. I could hook up the trailer and get outta Dodge before everybody got back to the campground. Oh man? We came with Dick and Jackie Driver. We got no ride!!!! (More feeling)
OK, I give. If your gonna hang with the big dogs…… Yada Yada Yada. I hope they enjoyed their dinner. I did. I have been informed that "What happens at Casa Ramos stays at Casa Ramos"
Oh Yeah, all the waiters showed up and put a big Mexican hat on my head and started singing "Happy Birthday" to me. Seems like my Pal, Robbie supreme Boondocking "Master" must have been trying to get me a free dessert with a candle. Some consolation for getting the bill. Hmmmmm. Thanks Robbie……. I think!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Next stop? Valley of the Rogue. See ya there.

Edit: It's a couple of days later and things have settled down. Some of our group discovered I had this blog intended to be shared with mostly family to follow our travels. The evening described above was shocking, embarrasing, and I believe all done in fun. I kinda got all caught up in the evening and that drama spilled out onto the blog. I have already modified some text so as not to be over the line and cause offense. Nothing here is meant to be disrespectful. Sometimes I'm not as funny as I think I am. If anyone finds something offensive get in touch with me and I will remove it.