decision day(s)

morning 7 (Tuesday, Sept 1) – breakfast at the Grand Hotel, feeling very civilized, then off to the suburbs of the big city of Portland.  Here we come Lake Oswego and Outsidevan. I am stressed.

day 7 – meet Erik and start the exhausting process of configuring my van.  After months of thinking about Sprinters and looking for Sprinters to buy on the web, setting Carfax alerts and such, here is the van that is to be mine!  Big and blue, and already nicknamed “Papa Smurf” … it’s fate!  Erik gives every van a code name – makes sense to me, I imagine it helps with their internal tracking.  Papa Smurf seems perfect for it … and for me :).  I love the smurfs, I love blue … I could do a lot worse than being Papa Smurf!

1. We agree on a set of features, he comes up with a number, we waffle and wrangle and annoy each other for a while, but in the end come to an agreement.
2. He drives me to the dealer through which he sells the vans. I write a big fat check to buy the van outright.  woo hoo … I guess … I am now the proud owner of a pickup truck and a delivery van.
3. We drive back to the shop and talk details some more.
4. I write a smaller, but still pretty large check for 1/2 of the customizations we agreed upon.
5. I loved my McMenamin’s experience so much that I am going to stay at Edgefield tonight.  As part of the plan for going there I get in the my truck and follow Erik to StereoKing, where Dave the Stereo guy pleasures me with electronic fantasies about all the expensive electronics things he can do for me, then I come to my senses and buy about 1/3 of what we talked about.
6. I write my third and final hefty check of the day, for 1/2 of the electronics.  I have spent $48K-ish today, no wonder I am stressed.
7. I follow Erik around the Portland beltway, right on the Columbia Gorge freeway to Troutdale, where he guides me to Edgefield.

night 7 – ahh Edgefield!  There are so many fun things to do I can’t do them fast enough.  I don’t remember the details, but I drink beer, hit the soaking pools, hit that fatal late night happy hour, then pass out after my busy day.

morning 8 – vile hangover, ameliorated somewhat by free coffee and a very tasty danish on the veranda.

day 8 – On Erik’s suggestion I take the Mt Hood loop as the long way to get to Hood River, where I am to meet him tomorrow for yet more hashing out of details.   so many details … propane heat or diesel heat?  microwave?  toilet?  water filter?  sideways sofa bed or cross-ways sofa bed?  swivel seat?  removable table?  what size refrigerator? awning?

But I jump ahead … The Hood River loop was quite enjoyable.  I drove to the end of the road to the CCC-era ski lodge.  By the time I got there I was feeling almost human again, and took my time enjoying the amazing stonework and woodwork.  Then around the corner I stopped for a nice 3-4 mile hike up the creek to a waterfall.

evening 8 – meet Erik, eat pizza and drink beer and find a motel (the Vagabond Lodge) and crash.

day 9 – go to Erik’s house and meed Sonja, the other half of the Outsidevan team.  One more day of yakking about the details, and I am off to Portland!