September 11, 2012

RV Corral, Eugene, OR

When I first woke up this morning I had forgotten the significance of the date.  It wasn’t until I turned on the news that I was reminded it was the eleventh anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.  The memory of that morning is so vivid in my mind that it is difficult to believe that 11 years has passed.  There are certain events that occur that I am sure most people can remember exactly where they were and what they were doing at the time regardless how much time has elapsed.  I still remember sitting in my 2^nd grade classroom and hearing the news that President Kennedy had been shot.  The school was dismissed and we were all sent home.

We spent most of the day hanging around the rv while the techs worked on the slide.  Monte washed the bugs off the rig and I did some housecleaning and got caught up on financials.  As it got later in the day we began to realize that we were probably going to be staying another night.  At this point we were not even sure how much the repair was going to cost because I had lost track of how many hours the techs worked on our rig as they worked on other rigs in between working on ours.  After the fabricated bracket was installed, the techs could not align the slide.  They spent at least an hour lifting one side then the other side and then back again.  The service manager finally approached us and confessed that at this point they were stumped and would have to get some guidance from Keystone, the manufacturer of our RV.  We were a little upset, to say the least.  The only silver lining was that the charges to date were going to be covered by our extended warranty minus our $100 deductable. 

Our other issue was that our black water tank was getting very full.  We informed the service manager and he had one of the techs hitch up our rig and drive it to the dump station.  One more problem solved.

We decided to take a ride because I was getting tired of looking at a parking lot for the past couple of days.  I had read about the town of Florence and found out it was less than 60 miles away so we headed in that direction.  The scenery during the drive was beautiful as we wound around sharp curves and were rewarded with one breathtaking view after another including tall pine trees and winding rivers.  It was great to be able to open up our windows and breathe in the fresh air.  Even being delayed a couple of time along the way by construction didn’t mar the enjoyment of the trip. 

 

After an hour and a half we arrived in Florence and followed the signs for Old Town, an adorable section that is nestled along the Oregon coast.  Even though most of the cute shops were closed already, the town was hopping with people walking from one restaurant to another, reading the menus posted outside trying to decide where they wanted to eat.

We drove around a few minutes looking for a parking spot.  We finally found one and were shocked when we opened the door because it was very cold and windy.  Monte only had a light jacket on and I only had a pullover sweater and was wearing sandals.  But then I remembered that I had a pair of running shoes and socks in the trunk.  I also had an emergency jacket for me and a windbreaker for Monte.  It really made a difference.  We walked down along the dock to look at the different boats moored there and were treated by the sight of a seal frolicking in the ocean. 

We didn’t stay there long as it was very cold and our light jackets were not warm enough. 

We were quite hungry by this time and there were so many choices.  Most of the eateries offered some kind of seafood at very affordable prices.  I don’t eat seafood so that wasn’t a benefit to me.  Some also served chicken and steak but the prices were not in our budget.  We had somewhat decided on one restaurant but before we went in we noticed a man near the side of the building wearing a very dirty apron smoking a cigarette.  It instantly turned me off because I wasn’t sure if he was the dishwasher or the chef.  I didn’t want to take the chance that this was going to be the person preparing my meal so we moved on.  Our next choice was the Waterfront Depot that was housed in an old train station.  It sits on the shore of the Siuslaw River a stone’s throw from the Siuslaw River Bridge.  As soon as we entered we started to salivate as we inhaled the aromas emanating from the kitchen.  The restaurant, though quite small, was very charming.  Unfortunately the wait time for a table was a couple of hours.  BUMMER.  But the hostess informed us that the same owner also owned two other restaurants located directly across the street.  We decided to check out Restobar’s menu.  It appealed to us and the prices were reasonable so that is where we ended up dining. 

 

Monte ordered a bowl of clam chowder Florentine which he said was delicious.  For his entrée he chose Seafood Pasta which was linguini topped with scallops, shrimp and fish tossed with white wine and fresh garlic and accompanied with rosemary bread. 

I ordered a sirloin steak with a side of San Marzano topped pasta.  After taking one bite I knew we had chosen the right place.  We finished off the meal with a slice of apple/berry pie topped with a big glob of fresh whipping cream. 

We had a pleasant ride home, watched a little TV and then went to sleep.

  As I drifted off to sleep, I thought about how the day had started off a little stressful but had ended quite delightful.  Life is good.