Paulina Lake

 It seems I'm doing almost back to back camping trips, which feels good!!!    This trip was an annual get-together with former Forest Service GIS co-workers.   I missed last year because of the virus, but this year felt a bit safer, so off we went.    

Paulina Lake is part of the Newberry National Volcanic Monument in central Oregon.     It is a wonderful place for exploring and learning about the geology of the area.   We rented a group site, so had lots of room for tents and campers and trailers, lots of trees and great waterfront access.

Plenty of opportunities to take the boats out on the water and we had a variety of boats; canoes, kayaks and a SUP, for water sports.

Looking at Paulina Peak

This trip was scheduled to coincide with the Perseid meteor shower, and the beach front property we had was perfect for viewing.   I didn't take any night photos, but there were some spectacular meteors that streaked across the very dark sky.

There are many hiking trails to choose from around the lake and we hiked up to Little Crater, for more great views, and geology.

                              Huge Lava Flow 

 There was concern this year about the smoke and the heat, but neither seemed to be a problem at the Lake.   Elevation near 6000' meant cooler temperatures; nothing much above 80 degrees most days, and cool nights.  The smoke rolled in one evening, and rolled out almost as quickly.   The last night and last morning there was enough smoke to make for beautiful sunsets and sunrises, but not so bad the breathing was an issue.

Looking at East Lake from Paulina Peak

Sunset from Paulina Peak

Looking at Paulina Lake from Paulina Peak

Sunrise paddle before heading home

I hope for a couple more outings before the end of the season.   What great places have you been exploring?

A little repair

 About a month ago I noticed that the trim that runs along the outside edges of Waddles was broken, and starting to peel off.   This is not uncommon, and is not a structural problem, simply cosmetic.  This trim covers up the screws along the outside edges.      

I have read that replacing this trim is not a hard job, so I ordered up a roll of 1" trim.  100', which should be way more than I'd need.

Today is hot outside, and Waddles is in a cool garage, so I decided it was a good day for this job.     

 I did the left side first, removing the screws under the trailer that hold either end of this trim piece.     Easy enough.   Then I had to figure out how to get the handles and covers off, as the trim runs under them.    This was a bit more difficult.   It really was just taking out a bunch of screws, but there is a lot of goo that the screws run through and under where the handle attaches to the trailer.   I had to break the tubes of goo that the screws run through, but I don't think that is a big deal.

Once all that was removed it was very easy to pull out the old trim.    

 Then to put in the new stuff.    First I started under the front of the trailer, and re-installed the screw at one end, then worked my way up and over the trailer, then under the back of the trailer, attaching the second screw.

Putting the handle and covers back on was not too bad.   I could not see where the screws went through the new trim, so I had to mark those spots and work a bit to get the angle of the screws just right so they lined up.   

First one done, and I just repeated the process on the second side.   Lining up the screws on the yellow cover was a bit trickier on the second side for some reason, but I got it done.  I globe some aquarium glue over the ends of the trim and where it turned the corner from under the trailer to keep out dirt and moisture.

So now Waddles is all shiny and pretty with no broken parts, and ready to roll.   Next trip is to Paulina Lake, Oregon, unless the smoke gets too bad.