Saturday, July 27, 2013
Back in Newport
OK...I will admit, we absolutely love Newport, Oregon. Beautiful beaches, exquisite eateries, fun shops, and a friendly atmosphere throughout. It is also just 1 hour from our house making it a perfect quick weekend getaway, thanks to our friends Barb & Linda. The other motivator this weekend is our good friend Michelle is playing Julia Child in a play at Pacific Shores where Julia Child meets Paula Deen. Not only is this ripe for disturbing content, but Michelle takes Julia to a WHOLE new level with wine drinking, BON appetite, and her rendition of stuffing a turkey....you can imagine where that goes. We have met a great group of owners that live over here and absolutely love coming over to say hi, catch up, and enjoy the relaxed atmosphere and fun spirit here, particularly in the summer months when the place is packed. Most of all, we love relaxing on the deck, plowing through some chapters in a good book and just enjoy the sunshine once the fog burns off in the morning. I hope everyone is having a great weekend...life is good!
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Upgrading Dash Stereo
Although we love our 9 year old coach, we were not in love with the technology of 2004 versus today. Our in-dash receiver (connected to our 10-disk CD changer) is just too old-school for us and we couldn't take it any longer. We both wanted to be able to stream music (via Bluetooth) through our phones, and I was specifically looking for bluetooth so I could talk hands free as well. Unfortunately, neither one of us possesses what I would call intuitive electronic abilities. Yes, we can hook up a receiver and deal with a wireless router, but as soon a there are more than 6 colors of wires our heads start to spin, our faces get more and more clinched, and our language starts approaching what you would find in a truck stop brawl. Needless to say, we had reached the point where we were willing to even take that risk to move ourselves to new technology in the coach.
We took the information on our old Kenwood received model to a local stereo store and explained our situation. As soon as the conversation moved towards the words "wiring harness" and involved the requisite 'more than 6 colors' we knew we were screwed. A task analogous to making toast for this shop installer was enough to raise our level of anxiety to one that was painfully obvious. Thankfully, this shop installer saw the grimaces on our faces and pointed us to another Kenwood product that he said "may just fit" into the same bracket and wiring harness as the last one....if we were lucky. If we were not lucky, it would mean a trip to the installation bay and 2-3 hours labor at a minimum....something we were hoping to avoid.
Our new found friend connected us with the Kenwood KDC-X597 receiver which includes a USB input, bluetooth audio as well as bluetooth phone connectivity. He said to "give it a try" with a friendly grin....one we didn't know how to interpret as "I just saved your ass" or "good luck...I will see you in the morning suckers". It was 5 p.m. and we thought....let's give it a try! We knew this was either one of the worst decisions of our lives, or one that would build our self-esteem to unprecedented levels. We got to the rig, scanned the manual and then proceeded to remove the old receiver with the removal tongs that the old owner faithfully left for us. Upon removal we found 3 inputs (wiring harness, antenna, and disk changer connector). We unplugged all three and proceeded to see if the new receiver would fit in the bracket. Surprise! Not only did it fit in the bracket, but the wiring harness snapped in and brought the unit to life immediately! It appears the friendly grin from our salesperson was one of....OK....I am going to save you guys from some serious misery. Clearly he knew this install would be a piece of cake and was taking pity on us by steering us to the same brand.
The final step was to attach the bluetooth microphone, which fit perfectly under the dash and clipped right below our backup camera screen. The bluetooth works like a charm, both with audio streaming AND via the phone. We discovered an added bonus....as long as we are in cell coverage....no need to use radios when parking the coach as I can be on the bluetooth with hands free while Paul can direct and be on his cell phone as needed. Awesome!
LESSON: If you are looking to replace your old dash receiver with a new one, use an expert, and stick with same brand, as you may end up, like us, with a wiring harness that simply plugs in and boom...done. If you have a Monaco with the same old Kenwood CD-changer receiver, I would highly recommend the brand we chose....works like a charm and a piece of cake to install!
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| Out with the Old Kenwood |
We took the information on our old Kenwood received model to a local stereo store and explained our situation. As soon as the conversation moved towards the words "wiring harness" and involved the requisite 'more than 6 colors' we knew we were screwed. A task analogous to making toast for this shop installer was enough to raise our level of anxiety to one that was painfully obvious. Thankfully, this shop installer saw the grimaces on our faces and pointed us to another Kenwood product that he said "may just fit" into the same bracket and wiring harness as the last one....if we were lucky. If we were not lucky, it would mean a trip to the installation bay and 2-3 hours labor at a minimum....something we were hoping to avoid.
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| Our new in-dash receiver |
Our new found friend connected us with the Kenwood KDC-X597 receiver which includes a USB input, bluetooth audio as well as bluetooth phone connectivity. He said to "give it a try" with a friendly grin....one we didn't know how to interpret as "I just saved your ass" or "good luck...I will see you in the morning suckers". It was 5 p.m. and we thought....let's give it a try! We knew this was either one of the worst decisions of our lives, or one that would build our self-esteem to unprecedented levels. We got to the rig, scanned the manual and then proceeded to remove the old receiver with the removal tongs that the old owner faithfully left for us. Upon removal we found 3 inputs (wiring harness, antenna, and disk changer connector). We unplugged all three and proceeded to see if the new receiver would fit in the bracket. Surprise! Not only did it fit in the bracket, but the wiring harness snapped in and brought the unit to life immediately! It appears the friendly grin from our salesperson was one of....OK....I am going to save you guys from some serious misery. Clearly he knew this install would be a piece of cake and was taking pity on us by steering us to the same brand.
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| Installed and fully operational! |
The final step was to attach the bluetooth microphone, which fit perfectly under the dash and clipped right below our backup camera screen. The bluetooth works like a charm, both with audio streaming AND via the phone. We discovered an added bonus....as long as we are in cell coverage....no need to use radios when parking the coach as I can be on the bluetooth with hands free while Paul can direct and be on his cell phone as needed. Awesome!
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| Microphone placement |
LESSON: If you are looking to replace your old dash receiver with a new one, use an expert, and stick with same brand, as you may end up, like us, with a wiring harness that simply plugs in and boom...done. If you have a Monaco with the same old Kenwood CD-changer receiver, I would highly recommend the brand we chose....works like a charm and a piece of cake to install!
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Winchester Bay - Oregon
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| View out of our front window |
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| Looking out the left side of the window |
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| View from our site #109 - nobody to the right |
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| Another ocean view lot |
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| Windy Cove Campground B - Popular ATV spot |
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| View of bay from end of dry camping area |
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| Dry Camping Area - Great views! |
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| Ocean facing lot at Winchester Bay RV Resort |
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| Dry Camping spot facing marina |
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| View from Ocean facing lot |
Monday, July 1, 2013
Emigrant Lake - Ashland, Oregon
In celebration of the end of the academic year and the 4th of July, Paul and I are taking the week for more Oregon exploration...first stop...Emigrant Lake County Park in Ashland, Oregon.
We absolutely love the arid, picturesque beauty of Southern Oregon...and of all of the cities in the region Ashland is by far our favorite. It is a hotspot for people watching, gourmet dining, unique shops, and abundant outdoor exploration, as well as the home of two very good friends Carl and Annette.
The choices in campground right near Ashland are pretty limited, but we certainly did not sacrifice at The Point RV park located at Emigrant Lake, a park with over 1400 acres and 12 miles of lakefront. A hotspot for fishing, water activities, and escaping the heat, Emigrant Lake is popular for residents of Ashland and Medford, particularly when the weather is in the high 90's like we are experiencing! The Point has 32 RV sites and there is a nearby tenting location that has 42 sites. There is an upper level and a lower level to the campground. The lower level has several sites with perfect views of the lake...#19 and #21 being the highly coveted. The upper level sites all have tremendous views of the lake, mountains, and the valley. Site reservations are essential here in the Summer, particularly if you want one of the prime spots. We reserved #29 which had a sweeping lake view from our living/dining room. Each of the sites has a fire pit and picnic table along with full hookups. The shower rooms are private and locking and the restrooms were very clean, although with limited sink and counter space.
There is no shade at the campground, so plan accordingly. We are happy our 2 A/C units are pumping out enough to keep us comfortable, but have watched several campers without A/C scoot out early. The rates are $30 a night and in our opinion, for the views, well worth it. Check it out....
We absolutely love the arid, picturesque beauty of Southern Oregon...and of all of the cities in the region Ashland is by far our favorite. It is a hotspot for people watching, gourmet dining, unique shops, and abundant outdoor exploration, as well as the home of two very good friends Carl and Annette.
The choices in campground right near Ashland are pretty limited, but we certainly did not sacrifice at The Point RV park located at Emigrant Lake, a park with over 1400 acres and 12 miles of lakefront. A hotspot for fishing, water activities, and escaping the heat, Emigrant Lake is popular for residents of Ashland and Medford, particularly when the weather is in the high 90's like we are experiencing! The Point has 32 RV sites and there is a nearby tenting location that has 42 sites. There is an upper level and a lower level to the campground. The lower level has several sites with perfect views of the lake...#19 and #21 being the highly coveted. The upper level sites all have tremendous views of the lake, mountains, and the valley. Site reservations are essential here in the Summer, particularly if you want one of the prime spots. We reserved #29 which had a sweeping lake view from our living/dining room. Each of the sites has a fire pit and picnic table along with full hookups. The shower rooms are private and locking and the restrooms were very clean, although with limited sink and counter space.
There is no shade at the campground, so plan accordingly. We are happy our 2 A/C units are pumping out enough to keep us comfortable, but have watched several campers without A/C scoot out early. The rates are $30 a night and in our opinion, for the views, well worth it. Check it out....
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| Restrooms |
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| View from Upper Level Sites |
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| One of the coveted sites #19 - teasing us |
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| Cluster on the Point - #21 pull through at end |
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| View from our picnic table |
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| Our site #29 on Upper Level |
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| View of campground from Emigrant Lake Park |
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