The view from the front of the bus when the sun came up today. We're not at the beach anymore, but this farm fresh view was a pleasure to just stare out the window at breakfast. (We're parked on Grandmas land, just a few steps from their house- buut far enough away that you can't hear any screaming).

We can’t head for Portland to pick up the replacement vinyl plotter until Monday, so we opted to sneak in a visit to one of our more interesting itinerary stops today.

Bruce Campbell, the aircraft owner, has a bundle of information about how to buy and outfit an aircraft for a perfect living enclosure, moving a jet, the upcoming Oregon earthquake and general fascinating observations. He was a very kind man with so much information to share.

The Jetliner in the Woods. I spoke with the owner this morning, to ask about when the best time to visit would be, and he said there was an open house of sorts, as he was preparing to leave the country for an extended time, and he was greeting friends, etc at his home before he departed. Good for us, to catch him before his departure… 11 of us traveled there in 2 vans, turning off of the paved mountain road onto his primitive dirt/gravel driveway and heading into dense Ponderosa pines that just contained the 1 ½ car-wide driveway. At the top of the 1/4 mile drive, the aircraft is barely visible through the trees, and appears surreal positioned 15’ above the ground, on a hilltop. You’d never know it was there driving by. Maybe if you were flying over, but never from the curb.

Mr Campbell had the keys to the jet, so Lauren wasn't at any risk of taking off...

Apparently the local politicians are hassling him over trivial issues like foundation and distance of the toilet from the nearest wall, with which a 1969 jetliner does not comply with. This jet was Greek, having flown under the Olympic Airlines banner until Mr Campbell purchased it from a salvage agency. The jet was flown into a local airport, the salvage company had their way, the wings were mostly removed, and then it was trucked to its final resting position. It is resting on pallets currently, and when you’re inside the plane shakes when visitors walk along the wings to hop down. (The emergency exit over the wing is one of the access doors- we used the rear air stairs to get in and out). He has removed almost all of the original flooring and replaced it with clear acrylic- so you can see the expansive cargo bays, mechanical runs and control cables within centimeters of your foot. The cockpit is largely intact, with some instrument holes that he is working on getting replaced. He reported that the salvage company was ruthless when they went through and removed more than their fair share, creating hurdles for his to find and replace items necessary for cosmetic accuracy, and operational integrity as his goal was to get the craft back to working like it was when in service- short of the flight surfaces/engines- which have been removed completely…. I could go on and on, but you have to see it for yourself. We found this thanks to Roadside America, and will have a hard time beating this find…  Everyone had a chance to get inside, and Trevor and I even had a lesson on how to remove (and replace) an emergency exit door? I’ll not many folks can say “Yes, flight attendant, I AM comfortable sitting in the exit row AND I have experience operating these doors”.



Complete with permanent power service and now, water and sewer connections. It's been in place for 11 years, was built in 1969, and will last forever.

We stopped on the way home for a bite to eat at ALF’s Diner in McMinnville- they have a spider monkey housed in their dining room. But, eating with a monkey was nothing after you come down off the mountain having seen a jetliner perched on blocks with a guy living in it.



Yesterday, Grandpa JR set Simon and Henry up with this Praying Mantis to gently inspect. I'd never seen one before.


So, I'm holding the blinds that we're replacing up with my left foot, and trying to snap the mounting clip to the head rail and I either need to get my right knee up there to push harder or get someone else to help and Kelly walks in, and grabs my camera! Not the help I was looking for, but funny situation. I had to turn off the water since someone's butt kept turning it on. It was a classy comedy act.