June 11 & 12, 2008--AM Solar at Springfield, Oregon

From Trailbridge Campground we headed toward Springfield, Oregon and AM Solar. Bob wanted to put another solar panel on the rv. The two we have were working great--even on cloudy, rainy days! Bob knew one more would help keep us charged while we boondock.

It was a short drive (rainy and cool) from Trailbridge to AM Solar. AM Solar is in a new location on Marcola Road east of Springfield, Oregon. AM Solar is the company where Bob ordered our first panels. As we drove in the gate, Deb came out to greet us. Deb, Greg, and Kathy were very helpful. As we were purchasing the panel and supplies, we told them it was our first trip to Oregon. Deb and Kathy sat us down with Gazetteers and Benchmarks to show us the areas we needed to see along the coast! They offered to let us stay behind the building so Bob could install the new panel on Wednesday morning when the weather cleared. That way if he found he was without a tool, he could borrow one of theirs. We pulled behind the building and hooked into their power. They are set up to accommodate customers who need to stay over! They even had a bathroom with a hot shower for us to use!

Yes, that was our site behind the building and yes, Bob is unfolding a bicycle! We drove to Junction City to visit Camping World and purchase the YEAH bikes that were on sale. We didn't bring our bikes from home--trouble with the hitch rack--so we decided to get the fold-ups now that the weather is getting warmer (HAHA).

We enjoyed our visit at AM Solar. Deb, Greg, and Kathy were great! Bob installed our new panel in short time. The only tool he was missing was a caulk gun to put DICOR around the installation points.

As he was on the roof of our rig, he looked at Deb and Greg's rig and saw that they were well prepared for boondocking! They have a dozen panels on the roof of their rv!Deb even drives a cute ZAPCAR--an American made electric car!

After Bob completed installation of our new panel and I updated the blog for you folks, we thanked Deb, Greg, and Kathy for their help and hospitality, said our goodbyes and headed for the Oregon coast. We hope that we will be able to repay their hospitality when they visit Florida!

Deb and Kathy recommended that we drive south from Newport to Florence for the best views. That is our new plan--drive south along the Oregon coast, visit Redwood National Park in northern California, then drive back up the Oregon coast to Washington.