Eugene/Springfield, OR - Jul. 17 - 20, 2008

We left Casey's RV Resort in Westfir very early on Thursday morning heading for AM Solar in Springfield, Oregon near Eugene.  We had an appointment to have a couple of solar panels installed on the Beast to enable us to more comfortably stay off-grid.  We ended up having three panels installed and upgraded our batteries.  Since it was quite late in the day when we opted for the batteries we spent the night at the facility so the work could be completed the next day.

We highly recommend AM Solar for their skill and knowledge.  They are avid RV'rs so understand our lifestyle and needs, and they graciously provide parking and utilities for their clients that need to stay overnight.

We also had an appointment with Davis Cabinets in Junction City on Monday so upon leaving AM Solar we checked into Premier RV Resort in Coburg just north of Eugene, OR.  Since we wanted to bike a portion of the beautiful Willamette River Bike Trail, the over-weekend stay worked out well.  The bike ride took us along the Willamette River as it flows through Eugene, through several parks, and past canals and ponds.  We thoroughly enjoyed the ride and our short side trip onto the University of Oregon campus.

On Monday we headed northwest to Junction City.  We had arranged for the folks at Davis Cabinets to remove the unused television in the bedroom and install a shelf and cabinet doors in its place.  They did a great job matching the cherry wood cabinets and hardware.  We now have several cubic feet of additional storage.  This could be a bad thing - more storage = more stuff.  We must resist the shopping urge.

While the folks at Davis Cabinet worked we took a jaunt north to explore Corvallis, a lovely college town on the Willamette River.  If we settle down someday and buy another 'bricks & sticks' home, this region and, specifically Corvallis, meets most of our criteria - near the ocean, near skiing, a university, good medical facilities, great opportunities for outdoor activities, etc.  After a short visit, Corvallis remains high on our relocation list.

With all our home alterations completed we headed back up State Route 58 over the Cascades to join our friends at Wickiup Reservoir.