July 26, 2016

July 8, 2016

Joyce and I made a road trip up to Deschutes River State Recreation Area yesterday to pick up a dump truck for Smith Rock.  The old Dodge truck we have now is really tired so this new rig is a welcome addition to the park.

July 16, 2016

“Time keeps on slipping, slipping, slipping…”

Not a whole lot going on here at Smith Rock other than we are very busy.  Since the park was named one of the Seven Wonders of Oregon we have seen a dramatic increase in visitors.

On Thursday Joyce and I made another road trip for the park.  This trip was to drop off the Dodge 2-ton truck at Willamette Mission State Park northwest of Salem.

July 26, 2016

Things have been rolling right along here at Smith Rock.

We have decided to come back here next July which will be our tenth year and Ranger Josie has offered us August as well.  We are still thinking about that as this area of Oregon gets very hot in August.

That being said, there is going to be a solar eclipse on 21 August 2017 and this area will be in the path to view it in totality.  This is a once in a lifetime experience so we may just stay here for that.

Here are some websites you might find interesting:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_eclipse_of_August_21,_2017
http://www.eclipse2017.org/2017/path_through_the_US.htm
http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEgoogle/SEgoogle2001/SE2017Aug21Tgoogle.html
http://www.greatamericaneclipse.com/best-places-to-view/

On Sunday the 24th we welcomed Gary and Marsha Stevenson for a short visit.  We had a nice time visiting with them as always.

Look who came to visit us.

 Storm clouds passing through

More later.

Barry & Joyce

July 8, 2016

July 2, 2016

On the 16th the Glaspey’s and us headed out to Seattle, WA for our Alaskan cruise with Royal Caribbean.  On the way we stopped at Ray and Lola Beradelli’s beautiful home in Tacoma where we were treated like royalty.  Thanks for the hospitality Ray and Lola.

After having a great breakfast prepared by Ray we made the drive up to Pier 19 to board the beautiful Explorer of the Seas.  After a little hassle getting the bags dropped off and finding the parking area we finally got on the ship.  Also joining us on this cruise was Joyce’s mother Judy and her nephew Benjamin and Jim’s brother and sister-in-law Ron and Tisha Glaspey plus their family.

Our first stop was in Juneau, AK.  While there Joyce, Judy and Ben took an excursion to a salmon bake.  I got off the ship with Jim, Jeanne, Ron and Tisha to do some exploring in town.

Our next stop was in Skagway where Joyce, Judy, Ben and I just walked around town.  Oh, and I got Joyce and nice little trinket as a remembrance of this cruise.

The next day we cruised up the Tracy Arm Fyord to the Dawes Glacier.  Although it was overcast and cold in the area, Joyce and I got up at 6 AM anyway and went out to the bow of the ship to get some pictures. We braved the cold temperature for a little bit and then went back to our cabin to take in the sights from our balcony.

Although Tracy Arm is only about 45 miles south of Juneau this area is in absolute wilderness.  I just wish the pictures I took could do the beauty of this area justice.

After cruising for that for another day we arrived in Victoria, British Columbia.  Victoria is a beautiful city but we really didn’t have much time to do a lot sightseeing.

Alaskan Cruise, June 2016

July 5, 2016

Joyce and I are now back for our ninth year as hosts at Smith Rock State Park.  There have been some major changes since last year, most of them for the better.  We’ve got a new seasonal ranger and another set of hosts who will be relieving us on our days off.  We no longer check for parking violations or sell annual passes making the days go a little easier.

More Later.

Barry & Joyce