Friday, 01 March 2013 through Saturday, 08 June 2013.

With the Moon waning gibbous but nowhere to be seen, the sunglow arrives to a windy and overcast morning because the winter this year lingers here in the northwest.

At least for the next several days, I will be overnighting at the parking lot of the local d-mart. After stopping at the w-mart to get a cup of hot and upload my journal entries, I get dressed for the ministry and then head for the Hall.

There is a large group who meet at the Hall this morning; I did not count but I would guess about twenty-two because all of the seats in the back school are filled.

Today, the memorial invitation work begins and I am assigned to work with Patrick, Dan and Reva and we work in town near the High School.

In the afternoon, I drive to Mark′s home to help with the burn but it is too windy when I arrive to start a fire. With nothing better to do, I take a nap in the back of the Windjammer.

At four, I head out to do some shopping, buying some new dress shoes and a pair of jeans. Then, I head back for the burn which begins just after sunset and continues until late into the evening.

Later, I pack out and head for the d-mart for the night.

Up at seven and head for the city beach to take a shower. I think this is a great place to clean up because it only costs a quarter for three minutes of high pressure hot water. However, I have learned from past experience to leave my valuables locked up in the car when taking a shower here.

After showering, I return to chuck the fire to get it going again, after which, I tell Mark that I am heading for the coffee mart to work on my journal but will see him later to help with the burn.

At the coffee mart while uploading my journal entries, several people who I know come in and we say hello. Then I go to the bank to make the congregation deposit. Finally, I return to Mark′s to get busy with the burn.

After the burn fire turns to embers, I head to the city beach to take another shower and then return to go out to eat with Mark and Cheryl. When we return, I go directly to my van and get into the sleeping bunk.

I awake first at five-thirty, get out of the Windjammer and notice that the eastern sky is just beginning to illume. Too, I notice that the light wind coming from the west feels warm. I then go back to sleep until seven when I arise, drive to the w-mart for coffee and to sit for a while online.

Methinks that while here on the island, my travel routines are not being honed as I would like them to be, rather, I am still using the old routines developed in this harbor, particularly because of knowing where the best places are to eat a meal. Soon, I leave the coffee mart and go to the city beach for a hot shower and get into my meeting clothes.

Next, I arrive at the Hall just before nine to work on the congregation accounts. The English group meets first for the ministry, then the Spanish for the public meeting, next the English meet for their public meeting and finally at five pm, the English elders come to the Hall for a meeting.

All along these several meetings, I have been in the conference room working on the congregation accounts but when the elders arrive to use the room for their meetig, I have to give up my seat and pack out.

So, I head for a Mexican restaurant for supper and afterwards to the d-mart to park for the evening. Arriving at six-thirty, I begin pounding on the keyboard for a while but the meal in my belly begins to make me sleepy so I crawl into the back to read until overcome with sleep.

At six this morning, the sea gulls are noisy in the parking lot of the d-mart and I rise. First today, I need to go inside to buy a roll of paper towels to clean the remains from all the sea gulls from the windows on the Windjammer. Upon coming out of the store, I notice that it is a Rainier Day ¹ and go immediately to city beach to take a photo.

After that, I go to the coffee mart for WiFi and a cup of hot. Finally, I head to the Hall for the morning ministry.

After the ministry, I go to see if Mark is doing a burn tonight and find that he is working on the property but says that he will probably not burn tonight. Cheryl, however, asks me to join them for tacos and I accept.

I tell her this meal is my second favorite meal she has cooked for me. She asks What is the first? to which I reply, All the rest of you meals you have cooked for me.

I retire to the Windjammer shortly after nine because I will be going out in the early morning ministry tomorrow with Larry. After driving to the d-mart parking lot, I get into the back of the Windjammer.

Methinks I will stay until the meeting Thursday evening and then possibly take a trip off island, to where, I am not sure yet but I just want to get off the island to be able to clear my sinuses.

The ministry begins for me at seven thirty and does not end until after three thirty, a very long day. I hope that I can do this again tomorrow. It begins to rain at about five pm and I head for the parking lot to do some reading.

This week, I have been making the final payments on the bills associated with home ownership and also with respects of my life here on this island. After today, there remains just one bill left, the electricity, which statement will not arrive until late next week. Once that one bill is paid then I will be altogether free from home ownership and officially eligible to journey on.

Awake at five and drive to the city beach for a shower. Then to a burger mart for a twenty-five cents cup of coffee. Finally, I go to the Hall for the morning ministry meeting and spend a rainy wet day in the ministry, well, until about three-thirty.

At six-fifty pm, I arrive at Alan and Tonya′s home to do the Bible reading with them, Andy and Aaron. Afterwards, I drive to the d-mart to set up for the evening with the rain still coming down steadily. Tomorrow will be similar to today only I hope the rain stops sometime during the night.

However, in keeping with my Life Lesson Seven, tough as it may be, I must needs remember to accept the rainy days with a positive attitude.

Sleeping in to six-thirty, I repeat the new routine that is slowly developing. First to the city beach shower stall after which I fix a cup of the Wayƒarer′s Daystart, ² then to the coffee mart for a cup of hot and finally to the Hall for the ministry meeting. It did not stop raining last night, but even though it is still raining this morning, it does seems to be much lighter today.

Finally, the rain stops and the sun comes out.

In the late afternoon I drive off the island to go to the outfitter mart to get some single use leaf soap and an outback hat. Then I search for a GPS tracker for the cockpit of the jammer but after looking at a couple of stores and not finding what I have in mind, I give up.

One of the store personnel said that most people are using their phones now, but since I have yet to own an internet phone because I just don't want to have to pay for the monthly plan, I will check online later for a GPS for the Windjammer.

I stop at a twenty-four hour grocery mart and spend the night.

After sleeping until eight, I get up go inside and get a cup of hot and look through the grocery mart for a short while. Then I leave the mainland heading back to the island to take care of a few final tasks. I renewed my license plate, pay the final electric bill and install the zinc strips on BJ′s roof.

Then at five pm, I go to the city beach to take a hot shower and notice that Rainier is out again.

After showering, I drive to the Thai food restaurant for chicken fried rice, after which I return to the department mart, the one next to the coffee mart for WiFi and finally get into the back of the Windjammer to read and go to sleep.

Like many of the recent mornings, I am awaken by the screaming sea gulls in the parking lot; it is a little before six am, overcast but not raining. I drive to the w-mart to look online for a GPS tracker but again, after looking for some time and not finding the one that meets my requirements, I stop looking. ³

I have a second cup of bold and afterwards drive to the grocery mart for a few items. Then, I continue to work on the upgrade to my web site pages and do so for most of the day at the coffee mart.

By noon, it is sunny outside and about fifty degrees. It is because I have a free purchase coming from my gold card that I choose to have lunch in the coffee mart by using my purchase for a sandwich.

At four, I go to the Hall to open up the Windjammer to let it dry out and after thirty minutes, a cleaning crew arrives to clean up the Hall for the meetings tomorrow. I stay for a while longer and finish putting my groceries away and refilling my pantry containers. Then, I drive to the city park and get out my stove.

At five this evening, I have rice and chicken with soy sauce. Then, at six pm, leave for the d-mart and begin typing the journal entry for today. By seven, I am done with the journal entry, completed my study for tomorrow and soon will begin reading some in the Bible before going to bed.

Awaken again by the screaming sea gulls, but not until seven this morning due to the daylight savings time change. I don′t think that the sea gulls are in the least bit concerned about daylight savings time, in fact, neither am I as instead, I depend entirely on the sunglow to awaken me, not a clock. In fact, this is the path that I have been on for many years now.

After a stop in the men′s room, I head to the coffee mart to get online and work on my web site pages. I have progressed much in this effort during the last few days. I will have to double check but I do think that I have nearly all of the web pages upgraded with revision four.

What I plan to do next is to start loading photos to the three new photo pages, upload the photos and finally be able to begin revision five, which will be a writing upgrade, where I review the journal entries to correct any typos, change the verb tense to present tense and strive to make the journal easier to read.

I arrive at the Hall early for the meeting. It is so out of my routine that after the meeting, I don′t need to stick around to make the contribution pickup. So when the meeting is over, I leave and driver back to the coffee mart to continue setting up the new photo pages and will propagate them with photos soon after they are completed.

When the coffee mart closes, I head to the d-mart and get ready for the evening.

While waiting for sleep to come to me, my thoughts revisit the large amount of time and work involved in setting up each of the new photo pages and for some time now, I have felt that the format of the Episode Four Photo Gallery is uninviting and hard to navigate.

As I lay here, much thought is given to what can be done to make the entire process easier and better organized. Several ideas come to me but whatever is decided upon will require much time in redesigning and developing. Furthermore, when completed, it should notably reduce the time and work involved when I want to add a new section to the gallery.

Before going to sleep, I determine that it would be best to postpone revision five and instead redesign the Photo Gallery. Even so, I may not be able to begin work on the redesign until coming to a location where I can stay for a while. I will pray more about this later.

I continue my drive to the Hall to make ready for the ministry meeting. When we return to the Hall for lunch, I make a cup of daystart and add kefir to it. Afterwards, I go back out into the ministry until two pm and then go to the laundry mart to clean my clothes. Next, I go to the city beach park and cook my supper; rice with chopped onions and spices. I eat while the sea gulls eat the seeds that I have put out for them.

Those gulls do make a lot of noise! And they have a defined pecking order which means only the alpha male and alpha female eat first even though several are picking at the edges of the pile. If there are more piles of food, then the beta birds eat at them. So to spoil the pecking order, the second feeding is spread in a line about fifty feet long where many more birds can get into the action. Even some of the starlings and blackbirds get to grab a bite here and there.

As I observed long ago when viewing the effort that animals exert just to eat, I found that life is a struggle for all and that is why even now, I am sharing with my feathered friends.

To check out the road worthiness of the Windjammer, I plan to take a test drive to visit my brother in Oregon and had wanted to head south today, but postponed the departure until later. Instead, there is need to complete the goal that I have set for my ministry before I leave for places south.

Too, I will for the first time, be using my Oregon Disabled Veteran camping pass which allows me ten days per month in which I can camp for free. On the way down, I will be looking for a GPS tracker to help with locating the parks, marts and other places that I wish to visit or stop at on my way.

The birds are somewhat subdued this morning, most likely because of the rain which began late yesterday evening and continued throughout the night. It seems to have put a damper on their activities. Too, it seems to have put somewhat of a damper on me as well.

I get a late start this morning, going first to get coffee, then to take a shower and finally to the grocery mart to get a package of dark chocolate covered blueberries. Then, I drive north off the island, cross Deception Pass Bridge and stop on top of Pass Island to take a couple of photos.

After my stop, I drive east on SR 20 to IH 5 and head south towards Oregon to do some overnighting.

It is a long trip down through the North Wet but the rain stops just before Seattle and I have not seen anything short of a light mist since. First stop is the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park but for more than four blocks in all directions, the streets are under construction and there is not a parking space to be found, not even in the parking lots. And this is midweek, strike one!

After driving around the area for some time, I finally decide to forgo this park visit and head further south. The next stop is the Mount Saint Hellens National Volcanic Monument but by the time I arrive at the one visitors center that is open year round, it has already closed for the day. I might just as well have driven straight thru Washington, strike two!

Then I enter Oregon, drive along the Columbia River, past several beautiful water falls and arrive at a campground but find it is closed also, strike three!

After giving up on staying in a campground, I now drive into town and stop at a d-mart to overnight. Thus, because the state parks along the Columbia river are still in winter schedule, I will drive to the coast to look there for a campground for tomorrow evening. Here in the mart parking lot not far from the Columbia River, it is completely dry but still very overcast.

I am glad that before I left Oak Harbor I stopped to buy the chocolate because they work very well to lift the spirits of someone who has struck out.

Up before daylight and go into the mart for the facilities and to buy two gallons of water for the radiator because the cooling system has developed a slow leak even thought the cause of the leak is unbeknownst to me as yet. I will try to look for the leak at the next campsite I stay in. Also, the engine has a rattling noise when it idles and I haven′t a clue where the noise is coming from. I just hope that it can be fixed with out too much expense.

After filling the radiator, I head up the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area to take photos of the gorge and the waterfalls.

Next, I drive back to Washington to go to Fort Vancouver National Historic Site. After touring the fort, I return to the Saint Helens visitor center to view the exhibit but I find out that it is a state park visitor's center and I am not allowed to view the exhibit without paying five dollars first. I tell that person that I will wait for the National Park visitor center to open so that I can see the exhibit there, however, I do purchase an embroidered patch.

Then, back to Oregon and begin looking for a campground that is open, finding the first two that I check closed. The next one I find open, Nehalem Bay state park and drive up to the pay station. A park host comes out of her travel trailer and greets me. I tell her that I would like to stay free for the night and show her my park pass. She says the my pass is only for day access but I tell her, No, this pass is for overnight use with full hook ups and then hand her the pass to look at.

She looks at it, turns it over to the back and reads out loud Day access and camping. She agrees to let me in for free and I tell her that I have received the pass because I am a disabled veteran.

She comments that there was a man that came to this park a couple of years back with a VA identification and wanted to use it to camp. She said that she told him that he had to get an Oregon park pass before she would let him camp free.

Funny, I remember when I traveled down the coast to visit the Oregon lighthouses during October of 2010. On the day before Day 711 BR, I stopped at this campground and asked about the free camping for disabled veterans and showed the host my VA identification card. I was not allowed to camp free and left to find a d-mart to overnight at some ways south in Newport, Oregon. Methinks, now, I must stay here before I head south to visit my brother in Coos Bay.

I find a parking space in close proximity to the shower house, drive back to deposit the park permit paperwork and return to the space to set up for the evening. When I back the van into the space, I notice that reverse does not work very well. At six pm, I call my mechanic friend Joe in Tennessee and ask him about the leaks, noises and transmission problem. We talk for a while and he suggests that I go to a Ford dealer and have them diagnose the van to determine the problems.

He says that at the most, I will have to pay for the time to get an estimate, probably no more than one or two hours labor, but then I can decide to pay them to fix it or do the repairs myselƒ. This seems to be a good recommendation.

At seven pm, Mark calls and asks What are you doing? I reply, I am cooking rice with seaweed, drinking a beer and cleaning out my van. Then he asks Where are you at, we were wondering if you wanted to come over and have supper?

I chuckle and then tell him I would love to but I am staying in a state park on the coast of Oregon. He replies, Oh, I didn′t know that you had left yet, anyway, have a good trip. After we talk a little more and then hang up, I check the rice and find that it is done, so I close up the Windjammer and pick up the cooking gear.

Then, I turn on the inside lights and the heater, then, I climb into the back to eat. The rice with the seaweed is tasty but I will add more seaweed next time and maybe spices, soy or possibly some hot sauce. It is just after eight pm and totally dark out and I leave the cooking pot for cleaning tomorrow. The nice thing about cooking rice, is that all you have to do to clean up is use cold water and a cleaning pad. No soap or heated water is needed because there is no meat in the mix.

I get into the horizontal position and read for a while before sleeping.

I awake at seven and go into the shower building and take, not by choice, a tepid shower. There is a dampness causing a chill in the air that I feel in this state park, one which comes for being on the coast and I keep my extension cord hooked up and the heater turned on. The heater is on the floor to warm up my feet while I continue to pound the keys on my computer.

Some time later, I get out of the van and begin cooking pancakes with molasses for breakfast and also a cup of hot coffee.

After eating, I leave the park heading south and will look for a Ford dealer. I stop at a grocery mart in Tillamook and walk across the street to the Ford dealer to talk to the service manager. I tell him about the rough backing up and he says that he can replace the transmission with a used one for about $1500.00.

When I tell him about the water and oil leak and what I think is causing the leaks, he gives me a price for each repair. All total, it would be under $2500.00.

Then the first man I talked with shows me a 2003 Windstar that he says they are asking $6500.00, which I briefly look at. I tell him that I would need to sleep on it before I could let him know what I will do. I walk back to my van, climb inside and call Joe to tell him about the rough reverse. He says that I should still have the van diagnosed and that I should not let the Ford dealer put a used transmission in the vehicle because a rebuilt one with a one year warranty is about $2000.00.

He also tells me that what they are asking for the used van is too much unless it is very low mileage and in top shape, which it definitely is not.

It appears that I may be staying in Tillamook for a day or two. I try to take a nap but the door slamming persist all day (and into the evening.) I go inside to get a cup of coffee and sit in the dining room with my computer plugged into a wall socket and charging while I check my email and look up on the jw.org web site for the location and meeting times of the Tillamook congregation. I find that there is one English congregation and there meeting was on Tuesday.

I do check for other nearby congregations for a possible Friday evening meeting but there is not a single congregation on the Oregon coast that meets on Friday evening, most are on Thursday, and many on Tuesday or Wednesday.

You never know what the next day will bring in this old system, especially when you are driving an old Windjammer. I think of my life lessons, particularly number seven and realize that no matter how bad the day seems to get, there is always hope for a better day to come.

I must needs pray to Jehovah for help dealing with this dismal day.

The morning comes with one delivery truck back up beeper after another and methinks this is much like the screaming sea gulls. This loud noise awakens me early and I go inside to the men′s room and then for a cup of coffee.

I casually greet a man sitting in the dining room reading a paperback novel and a discussion entails. I tell him about a book that I read by the same author entitled Last of the Breed and he says he will look for it.

He asks where I am from and when I tell him that I have been living in Oak Harbor for the past two decades a smile comes on his face. He says that he was in the navy there for six years and left in 1984. We talk for a bit and he asks for my address and when I give him my card, he tells me that he will check it out.

Just after eight am, I arrive at the Ford dealer to have my van diagnosed and proceed to the customer waiting area to continue working on my photo uploads. In only few minutes, David comes out to tell me that the noise and coolant leak is a bad water pump which will cost about $250.00 to replace. He says that the oil leak is three things, the oil pan gasket, the rear main seal and the oil sending unit.

I then call Joe and he tells me to have the pump and the oil sender replaced but wait on the other leaks until I have the transmission done. I tell David to do the two items and he tells me that the total will be under three hundred dollars. I return to the waiting room and continue to crop and upload photos.

Thinking back to the concerns on the previous day, methinks that my prayers have been very helpful. Truly, if a person tries hard to put Jehovah first in their life, then as I deeply believe, even major concerns will wane.

With repairs completed, I find myselƒ feeling pretty good, but in thinking about this feeling as I drive, I realize that even though there is surpassing joy knowing that Jehovah has provided well for his servant, it is not quite the jouissance experienced in past journeys nor the one I look forward to in the paradise.

Most of what is missing, methinks is being at a national park or camping deep within an old growth forest, sharing with friends around a campfire or something to that end. I will keep seeking for that superior feeling and hoping for it to come soon.

However, I know that there is still the concern with the transmission and I must needs continue to pray for this problem to be solved as well.

Continuing south, I pass state park after state park, all of which have a vacancy sign on the highway. Yes, it is still winter and most people just do not go on the road at this time of the year. Again, the word camping comes up and it so irks me for people to say that what they are doing these days is going camping.

Please see my soap box gripes about this this type of camping at Day 189 BR.

Finally, I stop at Umpqua Lighthouse State Park and find that most of those enjoying the outdoor experience here are staying in a yurt or a cabin. After dark, there is a constant procession of led-light flashlights shining in front of the campers as they travel the road from the yurt to bathhouse and back as the smaller and less expensive yurts do not have a kitchen or bathroom.

For myselƒ, I really appreciate having the state park camp free pass as it provides electrical hookup and my electrical cord stays connected charging all of my batteries and running my heater to dry out the accumulated moisture in the Windjammer from all the rain.

Too, I have my led rope lights turned on so that I can see inside the van, or maybe methinks, it is because I desire those led flashlight-toting, yurt-dwelling, weekend-warrior, park road-walking, so-called campers to see how a real wayƒarer overnights. Most likely, none of them will even notice me, so enough about the camping experience!

For my supper tonight, I cook rice and when the rice is almost soft, add two heaping tablespoons of seaweed and one of the Wayƒarer′s Spice. In the lid inverted on top, I put from a foil pouch, a salmon steak to heat up and eat with the rice. I really enjoy this meal. The amount of seaweed was twice what I used previously and still was not too much; also, I could even add more of the spices but the way it was prepared tonight was very tasty. I have updated a Wayƒarer′s Repast in the appendix to reflect these changes in this meal.

I call my brother and tell him that I should be at his home about midday tomorrow. Also, I tell him that I would like to go out to eat in the evening at the same seafood restaurant where he and Ellen took me when I was last in Coos Bay. I remind him that he picked up the tab last time so I will pay for the meal this time.

I clean up the dishes, then climb into the back of the Windjammer to begin to write in my journal and it is after ten pm before I get horizontal.

I awake before seven and go directly to the bathroom. I must say, that it was very quite here last night and this morning, no screaming sea gulls, no slamming doors, no truck back up beepers, no close neighbors, not even a flashlight-toting camper anywhere. In the entire park, there is only ten or twenty vehicles.

Upon coming back to the van, I begin making my daystart but instead of putting the ingredients in a cup, I put it in the cooking pot lid which is about one inch deep and often serves as a fry pay. In using this flat pan, I am able to stir it without the meal becoming mush like what happens in a cup and it does taste better when it is not mush. After eating, I write for a while in my journal and then I begin to pack out.

Shortly after eleven, I drive out of the park heading south, arriving in North Bend before noon and stop at the WiFi mart to upload my journal entries. While in the parking lot, a group of Witnesses arrive, park next to me and go in for coffee. When they come out, I say hello and that I will be at the meeting tomorrow.

Finally, I head out for my brother′s home arriving in the early afternoon and we decide to go for lunch at the High Tide restaurant in the town of Charleston near the water. After a great meal we return to their home, go inside and talk for a long while. Then at nine pm, I retire to the Windjammer to get some sleep.

Awake at seven, start the engine and wait for it to warm up. It doesn′t warm up right away and I wait while watching for the temperature gage to move. At first, I think that gage was somehow stuck or inoperative because I wait about ten minutes but finally I see it budge just a little. Then it begins to climb up to the normal position. In past weeks and months, it would reach operating temperature quickly but I suppose that was because the coolant level had been low from the leaking water pump. However, now the cooling system is intact with no leaks and operating the way it should. In fact, it probably should take this long for it to reach operating temperature when everything is working correctly.

Now, I just have all the other minor repairs to make to get the Windjammer back to being ship shape. Well, that requires the parts and it seems that fewer and fewer wrecking yards even have Aerostars any more. However, I will keep stoping at yards along my way hoping to find those parts needed for the Windjammer.

Just before eight am, I walk up the stairs and Robert upon hearing me, opens the door. Upon entering, he offers me a cup of coffee and we continue our haven′t seen you in a long time conversation as he is scanning his family photos. He has told me that after he scans them, he is going to throw away many of the originals.

It makes total sense to me, especially for someone wishing to lessen their burden, but I am keeping most of my photos because very few of them have been scanned. I did suggest that he offer the photos to his kids or our siblings before he throws them away. Also, I said that I would take any of mom, dad or myselƒ.

Just after nine am, I go downstairs to my van, get ready for the ten am meeting and then walk across the street to the Hall at nine-thirty. Soon after entering the western of the two Halls, I am told that I am in for a treat. Guessing, I ask, Is the circuit overseer here? Then he says Yes, and he has a new video to show us.

Walking about the Hall, I meet many of the friends, telling them that I am from Whidbey Island. Then the meeting begins and the new twenty-four minute video is about language and translation, as is the overseer′s talk. The theme scripture is Romans 10:18 and the video and talk by the overseer discusses the reason and accomplishments of Jehovah's Witnesses in publishing the good news in many languages. In fact, the Watchtower magazine is published in over two hundred languages, of which languages reach over ninety percent of the Earth′s population.

Also, the Watchtower publishes literature in over six hundred languages. Why? The video answers, So that the people can receive the message of Truth in their mother tongue, the language which can reach the heart and their emotions. This has been a great circuit overseer′s visit and how oddly nice is it that the meeting I do attend on this short trip is a C.O.′s visit.

Afterward, I return to go with Robert and Ellen to have lunch at their favorite Mexican food restaurant. Then we return to their home and Robert and I go through some of his old photos, of which he give me a few. At five pm, I leave heading north on the coast and stop at an Oregon state park for the evening, one not far from Lincoln city.

Up at daybreak, go to the men′s room, take a shower and then drive to Lincoln city to stop at a w-mart for coffee and WiFi. It is almost eleven this morning when I return to the road heading east towards Portland, the Columbia Gorge and would like to arrive at the Stonehenge just before the spring equinox and possibly see how the Stonehenge stone alignment works.

The first stop is at Bonneville Dam visitors center where I learn all about the parts of the dam, electricity, fish ladders and more. Too, I complete the Junior Ranger booklet to earn the Junior Ranger patch and enjoy the conversation with both the ranger as well as the book store host.

Then, I drive thru the Gorge and stop at one campground after another but none are open. Even one that the state guide book says is open all year is closed for the winter. Finally, after driving out of the Gorge into eastern Oregon, I stop at the last state park listed in the Gorge section in the guide book, and when I drive up to the park, I see several camp trailers in the park. At this time, I know that the park is open and that I have a place to stay for the night.

I drive in, find a space, (which is not to hard because there are only a few overnighting here) set up my camp and take a hot shower. Another camper arrives in a pickup pulling a small pod-like camper and begins to set up at the same time. I notice that it takes him quite a long time to get set up and start cooking. In fact, I am done eating before he begins cooking and inside my van working on my journal before he even begins eating.

Lesson learned: if you do with less, then you more than likely will have more, in this case, more time. As I reflect back on my Life Lessons, I realize that this is an added aspect to a previously learned lesson, Life Lesson Two

Just before climbing into my van, I notice the near half moon high overhead with Jupiter only a couple hands distance ahead of it. I have not been able to observe anything in the heavens during the past two weeks due to the rainy and overcast conditions. Here on the east side of the Cascade Mountains, there is no where near as much rain as what comes down west of the Cascades.

Also, with the moon being half full, that means that there is just eight days left before the Memorial of Christ′s Death. I hope to be back in Oak Harbor before the twenty-sixth of March and go to the memorial with the friends there.

It is nine-thirty and have finished writing today′s journal entry and now I will begin the Bible reading for this week which is the first three chapters of Luke and then I will get some sleep.

Awake at the beginning of sunglow but close my eyes for a few more momemts, but arise soon after to take a shower. Then, I have a cup of daystart and hot coffee for breakfast and shortly after, I am on the road heading east arriving at Stonehenge National Historic Site at about nine am.

This full size replication of the original Stonehenge is located in Washington on a windswept bluff overlooking the Columbia River and the small town of Maryhill, Washington. This is an amazing structure and in the new system, methinks that I will want to build my own. However, with new technology, we no longer need stone aligned thusly to tell us what day or week or season it is.

After an extensive examination of the site, I return to the jammer and the journey on, driving first upriver to the Umatilla Wildlife Preserve for wildlife photos.

The drive continues eastward to visit another national historical site near Walla Walla, Washington after which, I stop in town for a WiFi break and to work on my journal. Then, I begin the road east towards to Lapwia, Idaho and stop at the Spalding visitors center for the Nez Pierce National Historical Park which consists of thirty-eight sites in the four northwest states.

Driving east on US Highway 12, I follow the Lewis and Clark route and at one summit there is a rest stop where the explorers stopped, so I decide to stop also and have supper. I have a can of salmon, some dried apples and pumpkin seeds. Soon, I am in Clarkston, Washington and stop at a d-mart for the evening.

There was a rain which began during the night but by six this morning, it stops and the sky seems to be clearing. I go inside to use the men′s room and buy some pepper for my spice mix. I am amazed at the difference between this d-mart and the one in Oak Harbor, Washington. There is easily ten times more food isles here and the selection is superb; this mart even has the red can of French Market coffee but not the orange can of Cafe du Monde. The d-mart in Oak Harbor has neither.

As I walk through the isles, I am amazed at how much of what I normally buy can be purchased at this larger d-mart store. Then I head further east a few miles to the National Historical Park and wait in the parking lot for it to open. While I wait, I leave the engine running to charge my computer battery and write in my journal.

By ten am, I am back into the van and driving west towards Oak Harbor. Along the way, I check the GPS for wrecking yards and find one in Othelo, Washington. When I call the yard, the man there says that he has a driver′s seat for thirty-five dollars but it has a broken arm rest; I stopped and buy it anyway thinking that maybe I can switch the good arm rest from the seat in my van.

Next, I drive through the Hanford National Monument and Wildlife Refuge ⁴ and up the Colorado River to interstate 90 where I begin trekking westward and soon need to get gas, stopping in Issaquah.

After filling the tank, I start the van and put it in drive but nothing happens. I had hoped the transmission would last until arriving back in Oak Harbor where I hopped to replace the transmission but it looks like it will need to be done here instead.

Well, this test drive has thus found two weak links in the van′s road worthiness and I just hope that the transmission is the last one.

I go into the restaurant for supper and then ask if it would be ok to park my van until tomorrow so that I can contact a transmission repair shop. The hostess asks the manager who says that it would be fine to do so. The hostess says that her car will soon need a transmission as well. Methinks that there are several more days ahead of me that I will need to sit and wait at an ar-mart.

Up at first hint of light and go into the restaurant for the men′s room and then the senior breakfast. The WiFi here has not worked the last two days so I am unable to check email or upload my journal. I use a phone book to locate transmission ar-marts and begin calling several for estimates. I get three estimates, all of which are in the two and a half to three thousand dollar range but no one can get it done right away much less start on it until next week.

Then, I call the same company which I had used on Day 1106 BR to replace the front pump seal and get an entirely different reply from this person. At first, the store manager does not want to give me an estimate, but says that I should bring it in and he could have it inspected today to determine exactly what is needed to repair the transmission. Again, I ask him how much would it cost to rebuild the transmission and he replies What if it does not need to be rebuilt? It could cost a lot less.

Again, I try to get him to give me an estimate to rebuild the transmission, but he insists that I bring the car in for an inspection. I get frustrated and tell him Please don′t take this wrong, but I am going to hang up on you, thinking maybe he will give me an estimate but he doesn′t. I hang up but call back in fifteen minutes to ask him if I bring it in, can he get right to it. He tells me that he will do the inspection right away but it may take some time to begin the work. I explain my circumstances, that I am on the road living in my van, and ask to have the work done right away.

He says that he will give me priority service. With that statement, I choose to have this company do the work, especially since in the past, when I have used his company, I have never had a problem with the transmission after the repair. Further, he said that he would accommodate me and allow me to continue living in my van in the parking lot while waiting for the repair to be completed.

I arrive, go to the waiting room and in a short time, he comes to tell me that it needs a complete rebuild. I wanted to tell him, I told you so, but I refrain myselƒ.

To completely rebuild the transmission has three warranty options and costs. For twenty-four hundred dollars I would receive a one year and twelve thousand mile warranty, for twenty-seven hundred dollars, I would receive a three year and thirty-six thousand mile warranty or for three thousand dollars I would receive a lifetime warranty. I tell him that at the least, I want the three year warranty but possible will choose the lifetime one.

Nathan, the mechanic goes right to work and has the transmission out it record time; just in time for the truck which comes to pick up the two transmissions to be rebuilt. Now that the transmission has been removed, my van is rolled out into the parking lot and the store manager, giving me the key, says I don′t normally do this.

I thank him and retreat to the van for the evening. Now, I will just have to stick it out here until the transmission is rebuilt and reinstalled into my van which the store manager tells me will be four or five days.

Once in the van, I begin working on replacing the driver′s seat and find that the reason the arm rest did not work is that the attaching bold was loose. Once it is tightened up, it works fine. After installing the seat, it begins to rain so I get inside to get warm and begin writing in my journal.

Also, I call Joe and thank him for his help with choosing the best ar-mart, both this time and for the time when the water pump needed to be replaced. Joe is a good friend and very knowledgeable about auto repairs and I am glad that I have such a friend as this especially one to call in times like theses.

Next, I begin to read in the Bible book of Luke so as to keep up with the Bible readings. Methinks that in the next few days, I will be completely caught up, even well ahead in my reading. I continue writing in my journal, while outside the sounds of traffic and sirens invade the quietness of the evening; such is the life in the city.

However, now I have need to get horizontal but because it is just seven-thirty, I will read some more in the book of Luke. Tomorrow, I will walk up the road to a WiFi mart that the store manager has informed me about.

It is overcast, raining and very cold this morning when I awake shortly after six am. It is still too dark to read and I do not have the battery connected to provide lights inside the van, so I stay inside my sleeping bag to keep warm.

Later there are snow flakes falling outside and when it lightens up, I begin reading chapter three of Luke, after which I begin working on my journal for a while. At eight, the crew arrive and go into the ar-mart to open it up and I follow soon after to use the facilities. Then I don my jacket, grab my computer and walk to the coffee mart five blocks away. Once here, I check my email and upload my journal entries while the battery charges.

As I work on my computer, I watch the different people who enter this coffee mart suspecting that at about eleven am, some of Jehovah′s witness will show up. Sure enough, at fifteen after, a group from the local Spanish congregation arrives and I spot them immediately because of how they are dressed nicely.

A brother named Alfredo comes over and after introductions, I tell him that I might need a ride to the meeting Sunday. He asks for my phone number and says that he will talk to one of the English brothers and will get back to me.

Finally, I upload the journal entries, the first time since stopping last Tuesday on the nineteenth of March in Walla Walla. With this coffee mart some five blocks from the transmission mart, I have somewhere to come for WiFi, to charge my batteries and have a cup of coffee while waiting.

By one pm, I am caught up on my journal, finished replying to all the emails and have had three cups of bold, so as any good retired person knows, it′s time for a nap, so I walk back to the van. However, before I climb into the back, methinks that due to it being cold out each evening, sleeping would be more comfortable if I was clean. So, I fill both of my buckets with water, put my swim trunks on and take a bucket bath.

This is the second day that I have been here and decided yesterday that in order not to need for frequent use of the bathroom facilities, I will limit the amount of food that I eat each day. So this evening, just like I did yesterday evening, I only have some rice milk and a couple handfuls of sunflower seed.

Even though I sleep warm during the night, by six am, my back is hurting from being prone so long. Still, I stay in the sleeping bag for a little longer to keep warm. Then at quarter-til seven, I get up, put my shoes on and walk to the coffee mart.

I plug in my computer and my phone to charge the batteries and then check my email. Several of the friends from Oak Harbor call to check on me and one even offers to drive here, pick me up and return to Oak Harbor. That was very kind and it would be nice, however, my home is here at the transmission mart and it would be hard being without it. I think that I must needs wait here until the repairs are complete and then drive back to Oak Harbor.

As I sit here in the coffee mart, I watch the people coming and going, many of who drive their fancy cars, drink lattes or mochas, and sit outside and smoke cigarettes. The variety of people in the cit is amazingy, many who speak Asian languages, some speaking what sounds like Russian and others traditional American families with their children, but all seemingly wrapped up in their life.

Please don′t take me wrong, I am not criticising these ones, just observing and in doing so, wonder how they could be reached with the good news of God′s Kingdom. It is still before eleven am, so the car groups have not come in for their break, but when they do, wherever they go, they will be noticeably different than most of those who come into the coffee marts.

For the most part, I do not enjoy coming this far into any city, much less staying here for multiple days and I will be glad when I can leave this highly populated wayside stop. Also, I look forward to the respite at the meeting tomorrow.

It is very cold this morning but the bucket bath I took yesterday helps me keep warm last night. I am now dressed and waiting for a ride to the Kingdom Hall. Soon, Jim arrives and I grab my meeting bag, get into his car and we travel the three miles to the Newport Kingdom Hall in Bellevue, Washington.

As I walk in I am greeted by a couple of brothers and one says that I am in for a treat because the Circuit Overseer is here with a new video. A large smile appears on my face and I think that Jehovah is really blessing me, but for what reason, I have not yet become aware of.

The talk by the C.O. is somewhat different from the one in Coos Bay last Sunday but a good talk nonetheless. Thought short, it is good to be among Jehovah′s people again, even if just for a couple of hours. I especially enjoy the singing of a young sister who was probably seven or eight years old and who sang out very loud.

After the meeting, I comment about my observation to her mother who said when she was asked why she sings loud she said, I want to make sure Jehovah hears me. Soon after the meeting ends, Jim returns me to my van and after changing my clothes walk to the coffee mart to upload my journal entries and charge the battery.

Today is the fifth day that I have been deep within this dismal overgrown megalopolis and I await the time when I can begin to move again, first out of this city and then back into the rural areas of Washington.

It is interesting that when I tell others that I have been living in Oak Harbor on Whidbey Island, some here in this city have commented that it is still a rural area with farms. That may be true, there are still farms on the island, and Oak Harbor was quite the rural town when I arrived there in 1989 but it is far from that now.

Much like when I left off from walking upon the Appalachian trail determined not to ever move back into a city to live, these five day here in this megalopolis has done much to reinforced that determination to avoid living within a city, any city in these final days of this system, and it is sad to me that now this determination now must needs include the city of Oak Harbor.

But, in a way, I am glad to make this move out of Oak Harbor for several reasons. First and foremost, I am done with my grass mowing job and all the chores that come with home ownership. Second, the Pacific north wet is a strategic missile strike site area, especially with the many military bases. Third, there is a reason why I call this area the Pacific North WET, and I am totally done with the Wet. Forth, with the nuclear accident in Fukushima, Japan, the fallout will reach the west coast first, in fact is is already here and affecting the health of the residents.

After uploading my journal entries and charging my batteries, I return to the Windjammer and continue to clean and polish the outside including the tires. Son walks up and tells me that the transmission rebuild will be complete today and it should be back here at the ar-mart late this evening to be installed first thing tomorrow. I ask him if i will be able to drive out of here tomorrow and he says Yes, if everything goes right.

After that conversation, I begin working on replacing the hood release cable but the handle part does not work and so I can not finish the repair. Next, I set up my kitchen and begin cooking some macaroni and cheese with onions and spices. Finally, I clean up and crawl inside while it is still nice and warm to take a nap but before going to sleep, I set the alarm so that I can get up before the ar-mart closes to use the facilities. Later, when inside the office, the store manager tells me that the transmission will not arrive until tomorrow morning.

It is annoying with the manager′s procedure, not because the transmission has not come, but because he continues to give me lame excuses for the reason each time it is postponed and not once has he said that he is sorry for the delay.

The evening is spent reading. Now I am caught up on the magazines and read ahead in the study issues. Finally, I begin work on revision five in the journal, starting with Quire 10 and run out of battery long before I do words.

So, I will need go in the morning to the w-mart to recharge the battery and continue in the words. I know now that I will be going to the Memorial tomorrow here at the local congregation and then drive to Oak Harbor some time later after the transmission work is done, when ever that happens.

Early this morning, I walk up to the w-mart to charge the computer battery, check my email and have coffee. Then at ten, I walk back to the transmission mart and go inside to find out the progress. The store manager tells me that the rebuild facility had to order more parts and it will take a little longer to finish it, but would arrive no later than five pm today.

So, at noon, I called Jim to ask him to pick me up for the local memorial meeting. He calls back later and tells me that he has arranged for Gary to pick me up at five thirty pm. I am dressed and ready to go to the meeting just before five and go inside to check on the progress.

The store manager tells me that they could not finish the rebuild today but will have it done tomorrow. I tell the store manager that it is not good business practice to continue to have all these delays. All he replies with is We are working on it. I walk out of the office without saying anything else in lieu of life lesson six, because I have nothing good to say to him.

At five thirty pm, Gary picks me up and we talk while driving to the Hall. He is twenty-one and a regular pioneer. When I ask him what he does, he tells me the story how he quit his job because it was seriously interfering with his ministry.

He said that he had talked to his parents and they all agreed that something must happen for him to continue paying his bills. Some time after that, some friends called him up and invited him over for supper. They had previously borrowed a substantial amount of money and were paying Gary back in small payments. Now, however, they had come into some money and wanted to pay Gary the whole amount owed, which would allow Gary to pioneer through to next September.

The memorial talk, given by a circuit overseer was very enjoyable and then another brother gives me a ride to the at-mart. Afterwards, I walk to the neighborhood grill for supper and find many local witnesses have come here also.

I visit with both the English and the Spanish friends and end up staying out quite late before retiring to the Windjammer.

This morning, I do not wake up until eight am and wait here to see if the transmission arrives. Just after nine am, a delivery van arrives and unloads the Windjammer transmission. I tell the mechanic that I am going for coffee and will be back in a couple of hours.

When I first arrived here, it took me twenty minutes to walk to the w-mart, now it only takes me twelve. I estimate that the walk is just over a thousand yards and doing this walking has encouraged me to get back into walking again. At noon, I return to the ar-mart and see the Windjammer being driven into a parking space. I go into the office, pay for the repairs and purchase the lifetime warranty.

Then, I get into the van to drive to Oak Harbor and as I drive across the Deception Pass bridge, I set the Home location on my GPS to the parking lot on Pass Island in the middle of Deception Pass.

Then, continuing on through the north end of Whidbey, I stop briefly to tell Joann that I am back in town. Continuing into town, I stop at the d-mart store to buy engine oil and finally go to the city beach and take a hot shower, my first one in over a week.

Then in the evening, I drive to the home of Mark and Cheryl and join them to watch a singing contest on television. Afterwards, I return to the d-mart store and park for the night. Before I sleep, I say thanks to Jehovah that he has brought me through this ordeal back to the place I currently still call home.

Once again, I awake to the sound of screaming seagull which begin their routine at early sunglow. Shortly after, just after suntouch I begin my routine, the same one developed here earlier this month.

At ten am, I go to the tire department at the mart store where I bought the tires to see if they can tell me why there is a shake in the front end at highway speed.

The mechanic said that the balance is good but the tires are beginning to show some abnormal wear. Next, I go to a couple of tire ar-marts to have them check for worn front end parts and one ar-mart tells me that the left front upper ball joint is loose and needs to be replaced.

So, to prove to myselƒ the upper ball joint does in fact need replacing, I drive to Mark′s garage, pull the front wheels off to look at the ball joints. What I find is that the rubber boots on both upper ball joints are shredded, dry and definitely need to be replaced. Then, I call two separate tire stores for estimates and find that one store′s estimate is two hundred dollars less than the other and with a better warranty. So, I schedule an appointment to have both front ball joints replaced and the front end aligned.

After getting that set up, I go shopping for some groceries to cook a soup tonight, return to the Mark′s garage and go into the kitchen area to start cooking bean soup, a recipe that has been added to A Wayƒarer′s Cook Pot Page. I make two pots exactly the same except in one, I add salmon. Mark and Cheryl both like my soup and after we eat, we watch the singing contest on the television. Later, I leave for the mart store to retire for the evening.

Another late morning wakeup and go through the routine ending up at the coffee mart to upload the latest journal entry.

I plan on hanging out on the island today and then early tomorrow morning driving to Blain for the two day circuit assembly this weekend.

Early wakeup, first to the shower and then head north almost to the Canadian border for a weekend of learning how to Safeguard My Mind in these last days.

After the session, John and Karen, who also came to this assembly invite me to join them for supper at a local Mexican food restaurant and afterwards come to their home to park in the driveway for the night.

Upon arriving, John and I set up the fire ring for a fire and when Guy and Nancy arrive, we light the fire and have a marshmallow roast and chocolate bars. It is almost a S′mores party but we do not have any graham crackers.

We also see and eagle and a red tail hawk in the trees around about. With clear skies, after sunset, we look at the stars and find the big dipper and the north star. Just as we are ready to head for bed, Karen says, I think I will put some potatoes on the coals to cook and have hash browns in the morning.

I help her set up the Dutch oven in the coals and then hit the sack.

Up at six-thirty and have an invite to eggs and hash browns for breakfast. Afterwards, I get dressed and head over to the high school for the second day of the assembly.

After the session, I head back towards Oak Harbor, drive to the city beach for a shower and then to the w-mart.

I go in and work on getting caught up on my weekend journal entries, upload the entries to the web site and then head for the parking lot for some shut eye.

At eight am, I arrive at the hall and get dressed in the garden shed and I notice that there is a new driveway vacuum in the shed. The morning passes quickly in the ministry and this afternoon, I show Bob the procedure for doing the monthly accounts which takes a couple of hours.

Each day for the next two or more weeks will include time in the ministry so as to work towards my ministry goal for the month.

Too, my daily entries while in Oak Harbor will not be lenghty, but when I leave for a second tour, I will be writing in my journal with more detail and frequency.

Coffee, breakfast, ministry, burning debris at Mark's, Cheryl cooks supper, Bible reading, sleep.

First, after stoping for coffee, I head to the Hall and water the flowers in the three large planters. Then I change into my ministry clothes and sit in the Windjammer to wait for the ministry meeting.

Flowers are blooming everywhere.

Potty break, shower, ministry, ar-mart to replace upper ball joints and alignment. Then, the evening is at the hall for the meeting.

After the meeting, I drive south to Bellevue and the transmission mart for the ten day checkup, arriving at eleven pm when I climb into the back to sleep.

At seven this morning, I awake and wait for the store to open. The inspection takes about fifteen minutes and I am on the road back to Oak Harbor.

Once back on the island, I drive to the w-mart for WiFi and to work on my computer.

Take off this day from every thing else so as to work on my van. After setting it up on jack stands, I pull the front wheels off to repack the front wheel bearings.

After that, I begin looking at the front end to check all the suspension parts to insure they are all road worthy.

Up at six am and drive to the w-mart for a cup of bold and WiFi. At noon head for the city beach for a hot shower and then the meeting.

Afterwards, have lunch and watch a movie about chemical poisoning by a large utility company and the efforts of one legal worker to get the victims the reparations that they deserve. Interesting movie I found on the internet.

In bed and horizontal before ten and ready to begin another week or the ministry.

Run my established routine arriving at the Hall by seven am but there is no one here for the early morning ministry so I drive to the w-mart for a cup of coffee.

Next, I set up my online bill payments for my contributions to the Oak Harbor Congregation which will be mailed by my bank beginning in the first week of May and continue each month thereafter.

This way, I will not forget to make the contributions as it all done each month by my bank; what a good idea.

After seven hours in the ministry I drive to Mark′s place and join them at the small fire that is burning. Later, after the fire dies down, I retreat to the Windjammer and retire. I will stay here tonight rather than driving to the mart store parking lot.

The day in the ministry is repeated and then I drive to the mart store for the evening.

Up early to wash my dress shirts and while in the laundry mart meet Roy. We talk and soon I am showing him how to study the Bible. After he leaves, I go to city beach to take a shower and dress for the ministry.

After the morning in the ministry, I pick up the window lift motor at the ap-mart and drive to Mark′s garage to install it. I get every thing done except reinstalling the door panel but at least now I have a working driver′s window. Next to replace is the rear bumper.

Later, I drive to the WiFi mart, check email and charge my computer battery.

Up at late sunglow and do my routine. At eight I arrive at the Hall for the ministry which is with two sisters. Afterwards, I go to Mark and Cheryl′s to work on the Windjammer and complete the driver′s door. Both Mark and Cheryl have been sick with the flu all week so I feed their dog Max while I am working on the van.

While I am deep into the repair, Max begins barking at something in the woods and walks out to the grass. I follow him and he then grabs the soccer ball challenging me to try to take it from him. Knowing that he has been neglected all week, I take him on and soon, he is tired out and flops on the grass too tired to go any more. Yes, Max and I have become buddies.

I go back to working on the Windjammer and soon hear a loud bird call, which can be nothing else but a pileaded woodpecker, the largest of all the extant woodpeckers, which is seventeen inches tall.

Max resumes his barking and it occurs to me that this woodpecker is what he has been hearing. I have only seen a pileated woodpecker once before when I was in Texas at Brasos Bend State Park but did not get a photo and I so wish to get a photo of this beautiful bird. Cheryl has told me that she has seen it on her property a couple of times and I tell her that I will build a suet feeder that is specifically designed to attract this type of woodpecker.

Later, I go for a shower, and then to the d-mart and see Roy′s white truck. I stop buy to greet him and a conversation begins. In the conversation, he tells me that he will get food stamps tomorrow and would like to sell me some of his food stamps so that he can buy cigarettes.

I tell him I don′t need any food, that my pantry is full. Beside the fact that I really don′t need any food, I am an ex-smoker and despise the habit. In fact, methinks that anyone who smokes is a very selfish and self centered person.

Too, what I do not tell him is that a long time ago, I made the decision not to ever give money to street beggars so as not to give them the opportunity to buy cigarettes or booze. However, I do give him one bottle of my beer.

Then, I drive to my spot in the parking lot and prepare for the evening.

Up early and drive to a restaurant for breakfast. Afterwards, I stop for a haircut and next go the post office.

Finally, I hear to Mark and Cheryl′s to work on the Windjammer, using the afternoon to wash the exterior and check the engine fluids.

Up late this morning because I wanted to sleep in. Too, I use the day to take the passenger seat out of the Windjammer, reverse the slide adjuster and reinstall the seat facing rearward.

This I do to use the seat when in the Windjammer and working on my computer. Also, I clean up and repack my gear including recent food purchases.

Morning first to take a shower and then to the coffee mart to prepare for the Bible study later at the meeting.

Methinks that time has slowed down while staying here in Oak Harbor.

Awake at five fifty-five am and begin the routines. Then I get online and fill out a Form 4868 automatic extension for my income tax. Next, I then go to print it and put it in a stamped envelope completing the process just after seven am.

Then, I drive to the hall for the early morning ministry which begins at seven-thirty and we don′t stop until about three pm when I go to mail the form.

At five pm, I return for the evening ministry and wrap up at seven pm; a long day indeed. Afterwards, I have Chinese for supper and then head for the d-mart and get ready for the evening.

After putting on my suit, I arrive at the Hall at eight-thirty but during the ministry meeting I realize that I have made an appointment to work on installing an exhaust fan in the sunroom at Grandma Lou′s home.

I drive there and begin working on the fan. There seems to be one problem after another taking a lot longer than I had expected and it is six pm before being able to leave her home. I was able to install the fan but was not able to reinstall the wood trim. I tell her that I am leaving in the morning for Nevada and the Great Basin National Park and will come back when I return to the island.

I drive to Mark and Cheryl′s garage to cook some soup and have two beers. There is plenty leftovers and I fill a container for Cheryl to put in her refrigerator. Afterwards, I drive to the d-mart for the night.

It is a warm night and I work on my journal for a little while before going to sleep.

Once again it is becoming hard for me to awake during sunglow, especially since suntouch currently occurs before six am. Today, I begin my second Windjamming tour since selling my home and hope this one will have less automotive problems.

By ten am, I am driving north and soon after cross the bridge to leave the Island. I set my goal for this tour to be eastern Nevada so as to visit the National Park there.

Driving south I make it through Portland by three pm and choose to stop at Champoeg State Park on the south bank of the Willamette River. I had previously checked out the state park guide to find all of those state parks which are open year round and this is the one closest to where I wanted to drive to today. In the next three or four days, I hope to visit several national monuments in central Oregon.

Arriving at the state park early enough to stop at the visitors center, I go in to buy a patch. Then I drive to the overnight area and locate a space for the night.

After sweeping the asphalt, I set up for cooking my supper of rice with seaweed, onions and spices. Then I work on my journal until it begins to get dark, which is nearly eight pm. Then I pack away my computer and walk to the shower house to take a shower. I try to greet a few of the nearby campers but it seems that nobody wants to talk with me and either ignore my greeting or respond rudely.

What an unfriendly group! Methinks that people out for recreation and to enjoy the outdoors would have a better attitude. After a beer, I forget that they even exist.

Up long before suntouch, maybe before sunglow because the light in the sky is just noticeable but I can not tell because of the thick cloud cover. I begin my routines and begin driving before seven this morning.

First, I drive up through the Cascade mountains to Santiam Pass and down the east side to Bend where I head south on US 97 to Newbery Volcanic National Mounment and find it is closed until May. Since the Newberry park is closed, I decide not to bother with the John Day Fossil Beds NM for now, which are further west and most likely closed also.

Instead, I decide to drive south and west through the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument on the California border and stop at the Tub Springs State Wayside. This state highway is a road with few straight sections, rather, it curves and winds all over the mountain. The eastern side is mostly forested with evergreens. The mountain pass elevation is 4551 feet and the land has evergreens in the higher elevations and hardwoods below. There are large grassy areas on the western slopes and great views all the way down to the valleys below.

I come out of the mountain highway at Ashland and after stopping at a coffee mart for WiFi, continue down the river valley to the city of Rogue River where I locate the Hall and get dressed just in time for the first song. The meeting attendance is less than seventy but is a good meeting nonetheless.

Afterwards, I drive to the state park, arriving after ten-thirty to register, eat supper and begin writing my journal entry for the day. Now, it is close to midnight an my vision is growing dim so I will move my body from the passenger′s seat to the back of the van to get into the prone position.

This has been a very long day.

I get out of the sleeping birth soon after seven am, the daylight already bright, go to the men′s room and then the shower. Afterwards, I boil water for coffee and prepare breakfast. When I finish eating, it begins to rain lightly so I climb into the Windjammer, turn on the heater, sit in the passenger seat and work on my journal.

By ten am, I leave the state park to locate a coffee mart for WiFi, where I search for the open national parks. After finding which ones are closed and which ones are open, I set a tentative plan for the next few days.

I have become so aware that when traveling at this time of the year, being able to visit a park is all dependent on that park being open and many are not.

First, I drive west to the coast to visit the Redwoods National Park and after talking to a ranger take his suggestion for driving through an area I have never been, Jedediah Smith Redwood Forest.

Also, I stop at the Smith River National Recreation Area visitor's center and find it has a nice embroidered patch. After seeing and photographing plenty of large trees, I drive back across the state line into Oregon and arrive at Harris Beach State Park around eight pm to set up my evening camp.

The day begins near the Pacific Ocean and ends up in the Klamath basin in central Oregon. Most of the day is spent driving on roads driven on yesterday but there is a totally new perspective driving the opposite direction.

In the late afternoon, I cross the border again into California and first stop at Tule Lake to get the patch and then on to Lava Beds National Monument, arriving at the visitors center at just after four, too late for getting gear to do any spelunking, but do get the patch.

Also, I tour the park stopping at several view spots for photos and finally drive to Petroglyph Point to see and photograph the extensive rock art and end up watching the sunset after examining the petroglyphs.

Next, I drive back into Oregon and stop at a d-mart for the night.

Up to get coffee and WiFi. Then I study for the morning meeting and later arrive at nine. I meet Herb at the locked gate and then Bob arrives with a key. I meet several before the meeting including some in the sign language group. The talk and the study here this morning are exactly what I need.

After the meeting, when talking with a brother named Jordan, he tells me that he takes wildlife photos and that this area is a Flyway for the birds. ⁵

Soon after, I drive to the Klamath Basin Refuge, change clothes and then begin taking photos of the many different birds. I am so impressed with this Flyway, as much as the Rio Grande Valley and end up getting photos of several birds I have never seen before. I will have to sort through my photos real soon to determine the actual count of new birds.

However, a few that stand out in my mind are the snow goose, ruddy duck, bufflehead duck, eared grebe, western grebe, and white-faced ibis.

After several hours of photographing fowl, I drive to the campground in Lava Beds National Monument. There are a lot less in the campground this evening compared to Saturday night when it was near full. I park in the site which is less than fifty feet from the men′s room and do not have anyone within three camping sites. I begin preparing my supper and then clean up the Windjammer.

At seven-thirty the sun sets and I start my engine to have power to charge my computer battery as I work on my journal. I am also completing the National Parks Service Night Sky Program Explorer activity guide so that I can earn the Junior Ranger Night Explorer patch. I must say that even with the training in the Boy Scouts, I still learned from this program guide. I plan to turn the program guide in tomorrow morning to get the patch and maybe do some spelunking.

Up at five am and check out the sky for possible meteorites but the sunglow has already begun and most of the stars are even gone so I go back to sleep until eight. Upon getting up, I fix a cup of coffee and head for the visitors center and get my Junior Ranger Night Explorer patch. Then I visit a couple of caves and walk a short ways into each. Finally, I head to Lassen Volcano Volcanic National Park and upon arriving at the north entrance find it to be closed, so instead of going around to the south entrance, I make my way east into Nevada towards the Great Basin National Park. The drive east is on US highway 50 and it is a long lonely road, in fact, it has been dubbed with the name, the Loneliest Highway as the road signage indicates. This is the same highway that I traveled on in 1980 during Episode Two when I left San Francisco heading east towards Texas. It will most likely take parts of two days to cross this high desert road.

Along US highway 50 is a Nevada state park with petroglyph so I stop to take some photographs but there are not many here.

Last night, I ended up at a d-mart to spend the night. Awake at sunglow and soon after I am on the road east towards the national park. I stop in Austin, Nevada, about half way and have breakfast in a quaint restaurant. Continuing, I arrive in Ely, Nevada by one pm and soon after check in to the Cave Lake state parks for a shower before going into the national park. I feel much better now that I am able to take a hot shower and then drive the remainder of the way to the national park.

Upon arriving in Baker, NV I go directly to the Great Basin National Park visitors center and get the patch plus all kinds of info and maps about the park. Then I go into town and find a place to do my laundry because I lack some clean items. Next, I stop at the local bar for the WiFi and meet Eric and his girl friend Cindy. Eric is the bar tender from the northeast area of New Jersey not far from the Appalachian Trail and Cindy is a park ranger from Fredericksburg, Texas. We talk for a while before I retire to the Windjammer and drive back to the visitors center to park for the night. It is dark by eight and I am in bed soon after because I want to get up at four to check the sky for meteorites from the Lyrid shower.

The limiting magnitude of the moon is just too much to allow for seeing the meteorites much less the Milky Way. Too, over half of the road up to Wheeler Peak is still covered with snow. Therefore, I have added this park to the list of those that need to be visited during the months of June through August and this park particularly during a time when the moon is not in the night sky. So I decide to head out of here soon and go back to the bird refuges in the Klamath Basin to take photos of more of those birds I have never seen.

Up at sunrise and go into the visitors center men′s room. Then I drive into the park and arriving at eight am, go into the Lehman Cave visitors center and get a ticket for the first tour. Next, I follow the signs to the Cafe/Gift shop and have breakfast. I tell the waitress that I would like my eggs over easy and she says the cook only knows how to make scrambled eggs. I say to tell the cook that she has met her match and the waitress laughs. The scrambled egg breakfast was just fine. Then I go back into the visitors center to get into the cave tour group which consisted of nine ticket holders and the guide, Steve who is very knowledgeable of the cave history before and after the national park service picked up the property.

After the cave tour, I begin my drive back down the mountain but detour down a side road to locate the pictograph caves where I take photos of the numerous pictograph paintings at the opening of two caves. Next, I continue my drive down the mountain and see a heard of deer and a old derelict car set up to look as if the driver is a cow. When I reach Baker, Nevada, I stop in the bar to use the WiFi to check my email and upload my journal page.

Next, I drive to the gas station with the gas pump just across the border in Utah to add another fifty dollars to the tank and then point the Windjammer west to drive the Loneliest Road ⁶ which crosses the entire state of Nevada heading back to California. I make it as far as Fallon, NV where I stop at a d-mart of the night. Methinks that the last time I was near this location was in 1980 when I crossed the desert, stopping at Lahontan Reservoir.

I arise early and after going into the d-mart to buy a cup of senior coffee, I return to the Windjammer and begin driving west to continue the crossing of Nevada and arrive in Klamath Falls just in time to go to the meeting. Afterwards, I drive to the mart store to spend the night.

Up very early and drive to the Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge for another day of photographing the unbelievable number of birds here as well as the vast quantity of different types of birds.

Some of the birds that are new to me since photographing here are the double-crested cormorant, gadwall, and the American avocet.

It is now after five pm, I have checked into the Lava Beds campground and begin taking care of my chores. First, while taking a bucket bath, notice that there is a crack in the skin on my left heal which has become sore. This is probably due to the dry conditions here, so I put ointment on it and cover it with a bandage and tape. Before climbing into the passenger seat of the Windjammer, which is facing to the rear now, I set a photo trap for the local wildlife. As I wait in the co-pilot seat for the birds to see the trap, I just sit and rest for just a bit. On the ground about ten feet from me, I have put a small pile of oatmeal and a few walnut pieces and now wait to see what kind of birds live here while I drink a beer and begin writing in my journal. I close my eyes for a moment and listen to hear a deep silence. Occasionally, breaking the silence are the voices of the camper several camps up from me, birdsong in the forest, and the muffled roar of the wind in the trees. In the corner of my eyesight, there is a flutter in the nearby trees; I look up and see a scrub jay who is interested in the treat on the asphalt just below. He flies down to the ground and hops all around but does not come closer than two feet from the food and then flies off. The photo trap works like it was suppose to, I am able to get several photos of this beautiful bird. Later, a squirrel runs across the road and begins to approach but I growl at him and he leaves as well, but not until after I get a couple of photos of him. If I allow him, the squirrel will make short work of the food pile.

Soon after six pm, I open the kitchen and begin supper: rice, onions, seaweed, and spices. While I am eating the jays come in and begin taking food from the pile so I put a little of the cooked rice in a pile just next to the oat meal and once they try the rice, eat nothing but the rice until it is gone. When my evening meal is finished, I clean up the dishes and put them away, get out my second beer and sit in the co-pilot′s chair to just enjoy the quiet evening.

The cost to camp in this park is ten dollars, but having a senior pass I get half off making each night′s stay only five dollars.

I awake just after sunset and head to the Lower Klamath Lake and drive the auto tour through the upper half of the refuge and it amazes me how many new bird that I am able to photograph in this wildlife refuge. At the information board, I read that the sandhill crane, tricolored blackbird, white-headed woodpecker, sage grouse, northern harrier, rough legged hawk, great gray owl, short-eared owl, golden eagles to name a few of birds that I have never seen can be seen in this refuge.

When the late afternoon arrives, I head back to the monument arriving tired and dusty from the gravel roads and set up my campsite. Even though none of the above birds showed themselves to me, I am pleased to have photographed about ten new birds to add to my list. A scrub jay announces himself as he comes into my camp and this time flies right to the oat and loads himself up.

I notice that someone has paid for the camp directly across from me and not to long after, a VW Vanagon arrives and a family of three get out and begin preparing for the evening. I walk over and greet the woman and ask if I can look inside the van and when I do, I see a small backpack covered with Junior Ranger badges. I ask who is the Junior Ranger and she says my son Zane. I tell her that I am doing the Junior Ranger program also and have the Night Sky Explorer from here. She asks about it so I walk to my van to retrieve the badge, patch and the booklet and when I return she seems to light up. She calls Zane and says Do you want to see something cool? He runs over and she shows him the badge and patch. The I show him the booklet and he says Do you want to see my badges? I tell him, Of course and he retrieves the pack from the Vanagon. After meeting the whole family, I return to my camp and then finish the work on my journal for the evening before going to sleep.

This morning begins at sunglow when I awake at five-thirty am and head right to the pooper. Then I sit down beside the Windjammer and begin my Bible study for the meeting today. A little while later, Chris gets up and when he walks to the pooper, we greet one another; he says that they are going to Lassen National Park and then on to Yosemite National Park for the night. Later, the rest of his family get up and everyone gets ready to hit the road. Zane comes over wearing his patch sash to show it to me and I show him my back pack with the patches on it. Then they head out of the park; nice family, and I return to my Bible study.

At eight-thirty, I drive out and head for town and make it to the Hall by nine-forty, get dressed and walk in for the meeting. The brother and his wife sitting directly behind me asked if I would like to join them for lunch at a pizza parlor and I said yes. There was about fifteen in the party and two sisters order pizza, potatoes and fried cheese sticks for the entire group. I order the AYCE salad bar and enjoy some fresh veggies. Then, I head back to the wildlife refuge in search of the elusive sandhill crane but to no avail. Instead, I spend another day stirring up dust on the gravel roads; however, I did get photos of two more bird that I have never photographed. I arrive back at the national monument campground by five thirty and work on catching up on the journal.

Another early morning, up at sunglow to use the facilities, pack out and begin the drive north. Just a short time after beginning the drive and not even out of the park, I look at my gauges and notice that the volt meter is registering no more than twelve volts and the amp light is on. I think that this could mean only one thing, the alternator has gone bad, even though it is only three years old. So I punch up an auto parts mart in my GPS and find that the nearest one is thirty-six miles away in Klamath Falls, Oregon. I turn off my headlights and everything else electrical for the drive to Klamath Falls and arrive half an hour before the store opens; I get in the back and go back to sleep. Later, when I get up, I go inside and ask if the alternator can be checked on the car; the clerk says yes, grabs the test meter and walks out with me to the Windjammer. After connecting the meter, he says that the alternator is only putting out twelve volts even though it should be putting out almost fourteen. I turned the head lights on and he said that it drops to just below twelve volts and that it should be replaced. The next four hours are spent taking out the old one and putting in a new one. Afterward, when I start the van, the meter goes right up to the N in normal where it usually should be. I am so glad that I had previously purchased an alternator with a lifetime warranty. I go back in to thank the clerk and ask for a good place to get breakfast; I tell him that I started driving this morning at just after five and planned to stop for breakfast on the way but had to replace the alternator instead. He tells me of a place that has the best breakfast for a good price, one that he goes to often.

I leave the ap-mart and go first to a car wash to get all of the dust off of the Windjammer. Next, I search on the GPS for the restaurant and then drive there for a great breakfast. Then I return to the road north towards the Newberry National Volcanic Monument and stop at La Pine State Park. I find a site with as least three empty spaces on each side and go through my evening routine. Then I go to the shower and scrub all the dirt and grim that has been accumulating since my last hot shower and spend a long time under the hot water. Returning to the camp site, I eat supper and then begin working on my journal sitting outside at the board.

This is such a wonderful evening as I sit here and listen to the sounds of sunset; mostly silence but there are occasional outbursts from several different sources. It is thirty-seven degrees outside here on the Oregon high desert and because the temperature is such, I am wearing my wool Outback hat. Inside the Windjammer with the heater turned on, the temperature has already reached into the low sixties and I will retreat to that warmth soon. There are only about six sites occupied in the state park tonight and that makes the park very quite. I am so glad that there are so many parks open year-round in Oregon so that I can enjoy these first class accommodations and it is amazing that so much can be enjoyed here even only passing through. When the outside temperature drops to thirty-three, I retire to the warmth of the heated Windjammer and enjoy some Gaelic music on the local public radio station. Now the stars are out in full strength and I make preparations to return to the ever so necessary horizontal and keep my electric heater going throughout the night.

Very comfortable sleep last night with the thermostat inside the Windjammer set to fifty degrees. I awake at seven and go directly to the men′s room and take a hot shower, well, the water is close to being hot (102 degrees). This state park is among my top ranking of those that I have been to on this tour. I give it a eight on my campsites rating system, up their with the best of them. ⁷

I hang out this morning in the camp site and set up another photo trap for the birds. So far, I have seen a Junko, a Chickadee, a Stellar Jay and two types of ground squirrels. Also, I have uploaded photos to my computer and hope to add them to my web site soon. Finally, I am on the road and drive first north on the high desert and find that Newberry is still closed, so head east towards the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. When approaching Prineville, it is like a sudden drop off from the mountain; the highways follows a torrent valley down into a wide open space where the town has grown. From Prineville, the highway follows one green valley after another and over summits never higher than four thousand feet. I arrive at the first of three units and drive to the back of the valley to see the multi-colored painted cliffs. Then on to the second unit where there is a grand visitors center and fossil processing/storage facility. I have never studied about fossils but now I have a desire to learn more about the subject. On to the third unit for a short stop and then the long drive to the Columbia River and the Deschutes River State Park campsite where I take the second hot shower for the day. It is ten pm when I get into the sack.

Sleep well and do not get up until after sunrise. I do the routines and enjoy two cups of coffee while working on my journal and while having breakfast, the park ranger comes by and noticing the Appalachian Trail 2000 miler patch on my backpack asks, When did you through hike the AT? When I tell him that I did it in 1978, he says Wow, there weren′t many people on the trail back then. I tell him, It seemed crowded to me. He tells me that he would like to hike the AT and has hiked both the PCT and the CDT and I gave him kudos for his accomplishments. I finish my breakfast, pack out and then drive toward the US 97 bridge into Washington.

First stop is the Stonehenge National Historic Site to take some photos and then north to enter through the east side of Mount Rainier National Park but this park is no closer to opening than the several that I have been to on this tour. I have to use US highway 12 to the south of the park to drive around to the west side but find that there are still no campsites open yet. Leaving the park, I drive to the nearest d-mart and stop for the night.

Up at seven-thirty, and get right on the road but stop at a coffee mart for a cup of coffee and WiFi. I receive an email from a friend who asks What are the abbreviations AT, PCT, and CDT. I had thought about my use of these acronyms on the web site, of how it may not be understood by some and so, today, I have updated the glossary with these acronyms and in the future will continue to provide definitions in this glossary for any acronyms and abbreviations that are used in this journal. I sent her back an email telling her that these comprise the triple crown trails for backpackers.

At this point, I am in range of arriving direct to Oak Harbor before the end of this day if I desire, however, I am waiting for the early morning to pass because I do not wish to drive in the Seattle morning rush hour(s) traffic. Currently, it is nine am and will sit here for a while longer before driving north towards Whidbey Island.

My arrival onto Whidbey Island is late, so stop at Mark and Cheryl′s and rest up from the long three day journey here from northern California. Then I have something to eat and plan on going to bed real early tonight.

I awake before sunrise and after my morning routines, do my laundry. Next, I go to the forest in search of the elusive Pileated woodpecker. I wait all morning and see nothing. However Gail tells me that he usually shows up around the same time as the school bus drives past, at about three-thirty pm. I leave and go to the post office and then the grocery store for some supplies. Then I return to the forest, set up my photo blind and wait for the Pileated. At about three-forty I look up and there he is, a male on the suet and I get a couple good photos before he leaves. Shortly afterwards, the school bus drives by. I will come back to this forest at three pm each day for several more days to increase the number of good photos of this remarkable creature.

Tonight, I read in the Bible for a while and then go to bed.

This day is spent entirely at the w-mart working on photos to get them ready to upload.

Again, after the sun sets, I move to the d-mart parking lot to park for the night and I read for a while before going to sleep.

Up for coffee and then work on the strategy for a notice of a new lease agreement for the tenant living in the rental house here in Oak Harbor. If I can get the tenant to sign the new lease agreement early, then that will allow me to leave early on my journey south. Later I deliver the notice to the tenant and then go to the meeting.

Afterwards, I return to the w-mart and spend the afternoon here. Later, I return to the shop (Mark and Cheryl′s garage) for the evening.

As the days continue to lengthen, it has become very hard to wake up before sunrise. Usually, it is the sun shining into the Windjammer that awakens me each morning now. The next couple of days will be for the ministry, arriving at the Hall before seven and staying out late into the afternoon.

I do spend some time helping Bob learn the accounting procedures as well as going to the bank to unlock the online banking access. After the ministry, I go back to the bank to have explained how to set up user accounts, and then spend several hours at the coffee mart learning how to do it and finally call Bob with his new user ID and password. Next, I go to the shop to prepare my supper and watch a cable movie. Lastly, I read for a while before going to sleep.

Except for the accounts training, today is a repeat of yesterday; after my early morning routines, I go to the Hall for the early ministry and meet with Larry and Dan. Then at nine am, we return to the Hall to meet with the regular ministry group and continue in the ministry until almost one pm. Finally, I go to the shop to prepare my lunch after which take a nap. Later, I am awaken by a loud engine roar and get up to see Mark leaving on his Harley. I too get up and putting my transmission in drive, head for the mountains and do not stop until I get to Newhalem, Washington right at the entrance of the North Cascades National Park.

Stoping at the visitors center, I find that it is open from nine to five daily so I find the nearest men′s room and then find a place to park for the night. In the many times I have driven through this park, I have never found out why it is a National Park and not just a Monument or a Recreational Area.

As the stars begin to show themselves I wonder what I will find out tomorrow about why this is a National Park. It is nine forty-five pm and there is an ever-so-slight sunglow on the western horizon.

One other thing that I have been questioning myselƒ about is if the jouissance has begun on this journey and the myselƒ continues to tell me that no, it has not. I reflect anent my unsettled thoughts in reference to the two recent tours, and how they have failed in bringing that longed for emotion upon me. Even after five years of trying to sell my home, neither did it′s sale in February bring on that intense uplifting feeling that I continue to desire.

Too, whenever I return to Oak Harbor, I now have the decided feeling that this place is no longer my home, that the jouissance I seek is nowhere to be found on this island and that I only desire to leave from this island at the earliest convenient moment possible.

My reflections continue, often into the negative thinking which tell me that I must wait for the paradise before the jouissance will to return to me but I supplicate Jehovah for something that will help allay my need for the jouissance.

After awaking early and going back to sleep, I finally get up at eight am and drive to the restroom. Next, I drive back to the visitors center and wait for it to open at nine.

Greg opens the door and walks out to raise the flag. Upon returning to the front door, he invites me in. I immediately ask him the first of the two questions that have been on my mind, Do you have a Junior Ranger program?

He tells me that this park does have the Junior Ranger program and he shows me four different age groups and each has it′s own journal and patch. I ask for the journal for the twelve and older age group and it takes me almost two hours to complete. Then I ask if I can earn the other patches also and he tells me yes, it is allowed.

Then, I ask my second question, Why is this a national park, what is so special about these mountains.

He gives me a detailed answer to my question, listing the reason why this park is a national park. He says that North Cascades National Park is: (1) geologically unique because of it′s vertical relief, a higher vertical to horizontal ratio than anywhere else in North America; (2) has over 300 glaciers with an area of 117 square km, the most of any US park outside Alaska; (3) protects the ancient remains of native people; (4) has the most snowfall than any other place in the lower 48; (5) protects the Skagit river which provides water for drinking to a large population base, water for irrigation to a large farm base in the Skagit valley and pure cold water for salmon to travel to their birthplaces; (6) has few maintained building and roads allowing 94 percent of the park to remain wilderness, accessible only by backpacking; (7) has eight distinctive life zones; (8) contains an estimated 236,000 acres (960 square km) of old-growth forests; and other features.

Methinks he has studied up on this topic. I then begin working on my second junior ranger booklet and finish it before I leave for the evening to locate a place to overnight.

After my morning routines, I enter the visitors center and present the third of the four Junior Ranger guides to Ranger Katie and after swearing me in with the Junior Ranger pledge, provides my JR Bear patch. I then begin on the fourth of the study guides. Later, I receive the JR Tree Frog Patch.

Later, I head west out of the park to make the meeting in Oak Harbor, after which I spend the night at the d-mart.

Taking the day off to work on the web site.

After sunset, I return to the jammer and read in my Bible.

Spend today working on the van in the shop.

Up at eight am and go first to do laundry and while waiting, I try on my spare pair of jeans, the one which has been to tight to wear for over a year and find that I am able to get them on again.

Too, I am five notches into my belt, which means that four notches show pulled through the buckle when wearing the belt. I knew that as soon as I rid myselƒ of the refrigerator that I would be able to begin losing the pounds, and doing so without even beginning my weight loss supplements.

After the clothes dry, I head for the shower and find out that I can use Canadian quarters in the coin mechanism. I had tried them at the car wash and the laundry but could not use them there. I will keep looking for places where the foreign quarters I still have can be used.

My day begins at six am, just like most days of late with the daylight becoming brighter than the parking lot lights. I do not feel grungy this morning like past weeks in the desert because I am getting hot showers every day now. I still take an occasional cold shower just to prove to myselƒ I can do it.

I meet Larry for the early ministry, then at nine with the group and finally return to the Windjammer around four. It has been a long day in the ministry and plan to do the same tomorrow.

Repeat of yesterday, only do not finish the ministry until six-thirty pm. Such a long day and feel good because of it. Also, because of staying so long in the ministry, I feel that except for the last week when the circuit overseer comes for his visit, I am done for the month, I have achieved my monthly goal. Before leaving the Hall, I put my request for recommendation to move to Mexico′s English field in the contribution box so that it will be given to the elders.

After a long ten hours in the ministry, I am tired and go to the shop and sit by the fire with Mark, his daughter Tara and their dogs Max and Chloe. At about dark-thirty, I excuse myselƒ and head over to the d-mart to set up for the evening and by ten-thirty pm, I am horizontal.

Awake to an overcast day but bright sunshine and drive to the city beach to take a shower. Next, I grab a cup of hot and drive south on SR 20, stopping to take a photo of the Penn Cove pier.

Then, I head for the Keystone ferry, get in line and await for the eight forty-five crossing.

Upon parking on the boat, I walk to the front to look for a photo opportunity and then back to the Windjammer because the crossing is only thirty minutes. Once across, I drive to the Olympic National Park visitors center in Port Angeles to get a patch and find out that most all of the park locations are open.

Then, I drive west along Crescent Lake, stoping occasionally for photographs and turn up the Sol Duc River road towards the hot springs. Arriving at Sol Duck Hot Springs, I go into the resort and enjoy the soak in the hot water (107 degrees) for about two hours alternating with the swimming pool (74 degrees) to keep from overheating. Then, I get dressed and drive to the campground to choose a campsite. Then back to the resort and wait for the restaurant to open at five-thirty. Justin has told me that there is a seafood special tonight and I look forward to a nice meal.

It has been raining all day, well ever since I entered the rain forest and I have been told that the forecast is for rain, more rain and then still more rain. That is ok with me because since coming back from the two weeks in the desert, the rain does not bother me at all now.

Up at six and go first to the outhouse, then drive out of the park and head south along the Sol Duc river stopping near Forks to make breakfast. Next, I drive up the Hoh River Rain Forest to the visitors center and at the visitors center, I tell the ranger that I saw a black bear and she goes to the back to get the official record book to record the sighting. Another visitor looks at me and says, Lucky you!

The ranger then asks me all kinds of questions about the size, weight, distance and marking on the bear and records it in the book. It was a small bear, maybe fifty pounds, probably young and crossed the road just before I drove up. It stopped when climbing over a log and turned around to look at me and then was gone before I had time to get a photograph.

After reporting to the ranger, I walk the Valley of the Mosses trail, the same trail I walked with Eric over ten years ago when he and I came to the Olympic park to do some backpacking. We were so impressed with the downed fir tree that was, I don′t remember, about two hundred feet long and fifteen feet in diameter. It seems much smaller in diameter now and has disintegrated quite a quite a bit, but the mosses have grown.

Later, I leave the park and drive through Aberdeen to look for a Kingdom Hall for the meeting tonight.

After buying breakfast at a roadside restaurant and gassing up the Windjammer, I begin the fifty-two mile drive up the North Fork of the Toutle River towards the Johnson Ridge Observatory in the Mount Saint Hellens National Volcanic Monument and later, upon entering the park see a sign stating: You Are Entering the Blast Zone.

Arriving just before nine am and see that the visitors center does not open until ten am so I wait in the Windjammer and work on my journal. The top of the ridge is covered in clouds severely limiting the visibility and the rain continues coming down outside.

When I finally walk into the visitors center, I show my National Parks Senior pass and get in free. Then I go to the book store, find the park patch and purchase it. Later, when browsing the book store I see an entirely different patch and buy it also. When questioning the ranger, she said that this new patch is this years patch and asks me if I want to trade last years for the new patch. No, I said, I want both. Continuing, I have been a patch collector for fifty years, ever since I joined the Boy Scouts in 1963. This made me think of photographing the patches and showing them on the web page with the park they come from, and then methinks, like I need more to do.

Another question that I ask the ranger is Do you have a junior ranger program to which the ranger says yes and hands me the program guide. Then I begin answering the questions as I learn the information from the displays in the center. I attend five ranger program talks and learn even more. All along, I am keeping an eye on the mountain and when it looks like the clouds are starting to clear, I step outside and take several photos. At three pm, I take my junior ranger program guide to the ranger station and give it to Terry who grades it, tells me that the answers are excellent and then asks Do you want to do the pledge? I tell him Of course. He begins, Repeat after me: I promise to...;

Later, I drive south into Oregon to find a state park to stay at for the night and after driving to the mouth of the Columbia River, I stop at Fort Stevens State Park.

After raining all night, the rain stops early this morning which allow me to heat water for coffee and make my Daystart breakfast. At ten, I walk across the road to the amphitheater for a junior ranger program about Safari held by Ranger Patrick. He tells us that safari is a African word that means to go on a journey and usually one to find animals. He then describes several different ways to determine if an animal has been where you are.

We then go on a safari in the Land of the Loop (which is campground loop N) and he tells us to beware of the dangerous creatures who live in the Land of the Loop, the looplanders, (campers and their pets.) Then he sends us on safari in search of animal signs. Upon returning back to the amphitheater, everyone gets a nice poster for participating. It is a really nice program and we have a lot of fun.

I work on my journal until quarter til one pm and then head for the ranger program at the wreck of the Peter Ireadale. When I arrive at the beach, it is cold, windy and raining so Ranger Patrick tells me that he is not going to give the program due to the bad weather and since I am the only person who showed up. He does show me a large picture of the shipwreck that was taken a day after it ran aground.

I awake several times in the early morning but continue to sleep until seven, still tired from the drive yesterday. Then I get up to take a shower and head for the Hall for the service meeting. Last evening, I found out that the detour around the Skagit Bridge begins at exit 226, College street and more than likely, goes down Riverside Drive across the Skagit River and then back onto the highway at exit 229, the first one north of the Skagit Bridge.

On my drive north, I got off before the exit for the detour, at exit 221 to Fir Island and had no trouble with increased traffic even though there was a noticeable increase on the surface roads. I have set my GPS to avoid that area of the interstate because I suspect that it will take some time to have the bridge operational again.

I put on my ministry clothes, drive to the Hall, arrive at eight-thirty am, park and sit in the Windjammer to drink my coffee and wait. I begin to work on the journal and by nine am, no one has arrived. It is raining now, a light rain typical of Whidbey Island this time of the year. Finally there are a couple of friends who show up just after nine-thirty.

I work with them for the morning and afterwards drive to the w-mart to continue working on my computer.

Later, I pack out to the jammer and park for the evening. The sea gulls are as noisy as ever.

Another day much like yesterday, except the ministry meeting begins at nine with enough for one group. Later, I go to the Hall for the evening ministry and service meetings and then the first talk by the Circuit Overseer, You are never Alone.

After the meeting, I retire at the sea gull mart.

There are quite a few out today, several car groups, this being the first day that the CO meets for the morning and afternoon ministry meetings. I get to work with Dennis, the CO during the morning and we even do a couple of doors together. He offers the householder a Good News brochure and the man asks Do you have another one? Dennis, thinking he meant that he wanted an extra one for his wife, reached into his bag, pulled out another one and gave him two.

When showing him the back, he asked, What topic interest you the most? The man said that he wants to look the topics over but he had to go to work now. Dennis then asked when he could come back and the man said any day at this time. As we walked away, Dennis said that he didn't think that the man wanted two but it is still OK that he has both of them.

At the afternoon ministry meeting, Dennis relates the experience and says. And I get to count two brochures. Everyone here gets a chuckle from the comment.

After a day in the ministry, I drive to the w-mart to write in my journal. Later, I retire to the sea gull-mart.

I had previously arranged with Larry to meet for early morning ministry and at about eight-thirty am, Larry gets a call from the CO asking him to conduct the meetings for the ministry at the hall. Larry agrees and we returned to the Hall so that Larry can prepare for doing so. There are fewer out today both for the morning and afternoon meetings.

The meeting tonight is quite encouraging as the talk was entitled For those loving Jehovah, there is no stumbling block. Afterwards, I head to the WiFi mart and catch up on my journal entries, staying up until after eleven pm.

Early each day when the light of day over powers the parking lights, I have been pulling a pillow over my head so that I can continue sleeping and do so until seven-thirty this morning. Then, after taking care of my routines, I head to the hall to get dressed for the nine am ministry meeting. My ministry goal this month is reached early this morning and I choose not to go out in the afternoon but drive to the shop to park and take a short nap before the servant body meeting at six pm this evening. I open the rear lift gate and a very cool breeze flows through the Windjammer, so cool that I have to shut the lift gate after a short while.

I then call to talk to one of my siblings, one who lives in Oklahoma City, an area which has been ravaged by tornados both ten days ago and again today. She tells me that she escaped without injuries but not without water getting into her home. Also, she had to hide in the stairwell with several of her neighbors, one of whom was a NPR representative who was online and reporting to National Public Radio during the worst part of the storm.

Then at five-something, I head to the hall for the servant body meeting with the Circuit Overseer. Arriving early, I find Dennis doing a test run on the movie presentation for this Sunday. When six pm arrives, his talk begins and has as the theme part of Hebrews 10:25 which reads: encouraging one another, and all the more so as YOU behold the day drawing near. Yes, even the servant body needs to encourage one another, and we each especially need to be part of our close brotherhood who show true friendship and true love to one another. Amazingly, the encouragement from this talk is exactly what I need at this time in my life and look forward in the upcoming days and weeks to see how each of the servant body follows through with the admonition.

I arrive at the Hall before eight-thirty, get dressed and go inside for the ministry meeting then out with Guy until we meet back at the Hall to do a cleaning of it. Then I head for the shop to relax for a while before cooking my supper after which I read for a while before sleep.

After the morning ministry, I stay at the hall for the public meeting and soon, there are many arriving. We move the chairs from the conference room out to the front and then count the chairs to find that there are one hundred and seventy. The attendance for the CO's talk is one hundred and fifty, the most that has attended here in the new Hall. Even thought there are a lot of the friends who have come from other congregations, there is still several studies and new ones who attend.

In the late afternoon the temperature becomes too warm for me so I return to the shop and take up a chair in the shade for a little relaxation. Later, Mark and Cheryl arrive and I join them as Mark prepares a fire while Cheryl performs the duties of the fine host that she is. Before we realize it, the night is very late so we retire to our night′s rest.

After being up til near midnight last night, I do not get up until eight am this morning. I go first to the city beach for a shower, then for cup of hot and WiFi and finally to the laundry mat.

Very warm day.

Waiting to receive items ordered online and work on photos.

Another warm day.

I leave the island and head for the mountains to find a cooler place to sleep.

A little better.

Today, I explore both the North Cascades National Park and Ross Lake National Recreation Area. These two parks are joined both in proximity and in administration. The relationship is that the recreation area is the road and all lake areas adjacent to and splitting the back county of the national park into north and south units. Therefore, when you drive through the park, you are only driving in the Ross Lake Recreation Area.

I continue up to the PCT and park at the trailhead. It is both very dark and quite here but this location has an eerie feeling to it.

This morning I awake in the Cascade Mountains near the Pacific Crest Trail. I drive east and then south along the Methow River toward Lake Chelan National Recreation Area, another unit of the North Cascades complex, where I stop to learn about this very deep lake, third deepest in the United States.

In the afternoon, I stop on the Columbia at the Rocky Breach Dam visitor's center. Finally, I drive up Wenatchee River valley towards Stevens Pass and stop at a road side park and watch a group of young adults do some bolder climbing. This is like rock or cliff climbing but with bolder climbing, you have a shorter distance to fall. I take a nap and then feed a pair of Steller′s jays.

Later in the evening, I drive back to the island and park at the d-mart.

Rising, I drive to the w-mart for coffee, com and computer.

In just a short time, I pack out, dress in my suit and drive to the meeting for the ministry. I spend the day in the ministry with the friends and afterwards, I drive back to the w-mart to get back online.

When the store closes, I pack out and get into the jammer for the evening.