August 11, 2012

07/25/2012

On Monday we made a day-trip out to John Day, OR to visit the Kam Wah Chung State Heritage Site.  The museum was once the center of a thriving Chinese community where there were numerous businesses, homes and even a brothel.  Businessman Lung On and herbal doctor Ing Hay lived and worked in what is now the museum.

Our next stop was at the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument Visitor Center near Kimberly, OR.  In addition to welcoming visitors to the Monument, the centers holds a vast collection of fossils that have been collected in the area and is also an active research center.  Many of the specimens on display area over 40 million years old.  Very interesting and informative.

Last evening I was inducted into the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. Bend Lodge #1371 performed a beautiful ceremony, welcoming myself along with five others into the lodge.  Although I won't be able to attend lodge meetings in Bend until we return next year, Joyce and I plan to do so while on the road.

08/02/2012

"On the road again.  Just can't wait to be on the road again."  I am writing this morning from Hermiston, OR where we spent last night, heading to Rick and Patty Stills' home in Rathdrum, ID.

We spent last Sunday thru Tuesday afternoon in Oakridge, OR visiting Jim and Jeanne Glaspey.  Thanks y'all for the fun time we had!

After getting set up in out site at the Pioneer RV Park, Mike and Dorothy Clements picked up and treated us to a great dinner at their favorite Mexican restaurant.  We met Mike and Dorothy when we hosted at Smith Rock together a few years ago and have stayed in touch ever since.  Thanks for the great evening y'all!

08/06/2012

After a very easy 200 mile run up Hwy 375 and I-90 we arrived at Rick and Patty Stills' B&B and RV Park in Rathdrum, ID.  As you may recall, Barry served with Rick in the 7th Military Airlift Squadron at Travis AFB for several years.

With Rick's expert guidance, we backed our 5'er through their gate and into the backyard where we have 30 amp electric and water hookups.  In addition to that, they have Wifi as well!  Sweet!

Rick's Famous Whiskey Glazed Ribs...Yummmm! 

On Friday we enjoyed a boat cruise on Lake Coeur d' Alene.  After the cruise we had supper at Capone's Pub and Grill.

Cruising The Lake

Some Of The Beauatiful Homes

The Famous Island 14th Green, Lake Coeur d' Alene Galf Club

Capone's Pub and Grill

On Monday we drove up to the touristy community of Sandpoint.  Our plan was to take a cruise on the lake but that didn't work out so we headed back to Rathdrum.

Tuesday we visited Dennis and Lori Keller at their their home in Athol.  Dennis was my first instructor when I checked into the 7th MAS at Travis and then did my initial instructor evaluation when I upgraded.  Dennis and Lori are now living their dream, raising buffalo in Athol.

The Wild Ones...Not!

 08/11/2012

A lot has happened in the past few days; some good and some not so pleasant.

After packing up and saying goodbye to Rick and Patty we jumped on I-90 and headed to our first stop in Dear Lodge, MT.

While descending down a very steep and extremely rough part of the highway, a trucker pulled up next to us and blew his horn.  I immediately looked into the mirror and saw that Joyce's scooter had come loose and was falling off of the Swivel Wheel.  Since I was only going about 45 MPH due to the very bumpy ride, I was able to get off on the side pretty quick.

Well, to make a long story short, we discovered that two of the straps had snapped.  We then flagged down some folks who helped up get it back on the trailer and tied down again.  What a mess!

Anyway, there is some damage to Joyce's pride and joy but it all can be fixed.  When and where we will make the necessary repairs is anyone's guess right now.

We spent Tuesday evening in Deer Lodge and then the next night in Hardin, MT.  I am now writing this from the Fort Casper RV Park in Casper, WY where we are visiting Joyce's sister who she hasn't seen in ten years.

More later.

Barry & Joyce

July 24, 2012

07/13//2012

Good Mornin' Everyone!

It has been a while since we last posted and believe me, a lot has been happening here at Smith Rock.

Smith Rock State Park, OR

The black dots in the center are Golden Eagle nests.

 Monkey Face

 Natural Bridge

During the last week of June we welcomed the new Day Use Hosts, Jeff and Sheryl Bright who are full-time RV'ers from Oregon.  They are taking care of the day use area and other projects.

Jim and Jeanne Glaspey came to visit with us here at the Park, parking in our site in from of our rig.  While they were here, Rick and Patty Still stopped in on their way back to their home in Rathdrum, ID.  We had a great time visiting with all of our friends.

The past couple of weeks have been very interesting to say the least.

On June 28th I was filling-in at the Welcome Center when my hands and the bottom of my feet started itching like crazy.  That went on for a while so I called Scott, the park manager to come down and take a look at me.  While waiting for him, my throat started swelling accompanied with difficulty swallowing.  Scott immediately called 911 and I was taken to the hospital in Redmond.

The medic's gave me oxygen, started an IV and a shot of Benadryl on the way to the hospital.  Buy the time we arrived I was feeling much better.

The doctor didn't really know what caused the reaction but he speculated  I got bit by a spider.  He gave me a steroid shot and I was released after about four hours.


Then, on the 30th I noticed that my right arm was swelling followed very shortly by my throat closing again.  Joyce called 911  and I was off to the hospital again.  Same routine but this time the doctor gave me some additional meds to take home.

On Monday I had a followup with my doctor and he prescribed a EpiPen that I am now required to carry with me everywhere I go.  What a pain that is!

On July 10th Joyce and I drove over the Santiam Pass to Clear Lake and hiked the five-mile Clear Lake Trail.  The lake lives up to it's name and is indeed very clear.  The Resort is operated by Linn County Parks and Recreation and has cabins for rent along with a campground.

Clear Lake, OR

During the hike around the lake I got a black fly bite on my right thumb.  Yes, I was using some bug spray but got bit anyway.  Later that evening my hand started swelling and it about 20 minutes the swelling started moving up my arm.  This time I didn't have a problem with my throat but just to be safe Joyce took my to the emergency room...again.  That's three times folks!

07/22/12

Man, time really flies when your having fun!

I have my annual physical with Dr. Russell on the 9th and everything seems to be going along OK.  My blood pressure was 154/70 so he has adjusted that with a new medication.  Cholesterol, PSA and all the other blood work was really good with my at 127 and A1C very good.

Joyce and I have decided to join the Elks Lodge, our home lodge being Lodge No. 1371 in Bend, OR.  I went to the orientation last Thursday evening and will be initiated on Tuesday.  We plan to stop at several Lodges while we are making our way back east this summer and fall.

Both the Golden Eagle and Bald Eagle chicks that were hatched here at Smith Rock have fledged.  The Golden has been seen flying around the rocks on several occasions so he will be on his own soon.  The Bald chick is now flying a little but the adults are still staying very close to the nest.

Below are some of the areas we are going to be on our trip back east.  If you live near one of the places, drop us a line and we'll see if we can meet somewhere.

Rathdrum, ID, 2-6 Aug, Visiting Rick and Patty Stills.
Casper, WY, 9-13 Aug.  Visiting Joyce's sister.
E. Warren AFB, WY, 13-16 Aug.
Offutt AFB, NE, 17-20 Aug.
Ozark, MO, 23-26 Aug
Eureka Springs, AR, 26-29 Aug
Union City, TN, 30 Aug-4 Sep
Fort Knox, KY, 7-14 Sep
Wright-Patterson AFB, OH, 15-22 Sep
Gettysburg, PA, 23-26 Sep
Colts Neck, NJ, 26-28 Sep
Hanscom AFB, MA, 30 Sep-16 Oct (cruising 7-13 Oct)
Andrews AFB, MD, 19-26 Oct
Charleston, SC, 27 Oct-1Nov
Saint Augustine, FL, 1 Nov-28 Feb 1013

More later!

June 15, 2012

06/12/2012

We have been at Smith Rock for almost two weeks now and I can tell you, it's great to be back in Central Oregon and to our favorite park.

Mount Bachelor, Broken Top and the Three Sisters, Faith, Hope and Charity

Joyce and I have been a little busier this year than in years past.  Our co-hosts last year, Jerry and Marilyn Howlett, couldn't make it to Smith Rock due to a medical issue.  So, Joyce and I have had to step up to the plate and put in a few extra hours.  Not a big deal, but we don't have as much free time as we like.  The good news is that Matt, our new ranger and host coordinator has found some folks that will be here the last week in June.

On Tuesday last week, we took a long drive over into the Ochoco National Forest, through Mitchell, OR and then into the Painted Hills Unit of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument.  The Fossil Beds in actually headquartered in John Day, OR and has four units, the Painted Hills Unit being one of them.  We hope to see more to the Monument before we leave the area in August, especially the Thomas Condon Paleontology Center at the Sheep Rock Unit.

After leaving Smith Rock, we took Highway 26 out of Prineville.  This park of the  highway winds it's way through the beautiful lodgepole pine forest, which is especially nice this time of the year. Although it was a partly cloudy and windy day, we really enjoyed that part of the drive.

After descending  out of the pines, we made our way down into the high desert, finally arriving at the small town of Mitchell, OR.  Not much more that a wide spot on the road, Mitchell never-the-less has a diner, a hotel and I think I saw a hardware store to boot.  Oh, and I almost forgot to add, the Silver Spur Lounge.  We enjoyed our picnic lunch at the city park which, believe it or not, boasts an RV Park.

After visiting the booming town of Mitchell, we backtracked to the Fossil Beds and a must see if you are in the area.  The hills were alive with color, which was caused by volcanic activity many moons ago.  Absolutely beautiful!

From the Fossil Beds, we took Highway 207 north out of Mitchell and then Highway 19 up through Fossill, OR.  Out of Fossil we took Highway 218 then 293 over to Highway 97 south through Madras.  It was a long, but  beautiful drive.

On Sunday the 10th, Joyce and I along with Scott, Smith Rock Manager attended the 72nd Annual Sisters Rodeo.  Although much smaller than the San Antonio rodeo, this rodeo had a small town feel (much like the Goliad, TX rodeo), with the majority of the cowboys and girls being from Oregon.  However, since this is a Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association event, there were several contestants from as far away as Texas.  We have already made plans to attend the 73rd event next June.

The Team Bronc Riding event, which Joyce and I had never seen before was really wild.  In this event, three-man teams must catch a wild horse, halter and saddle it, then a team member mounts to ride the horse past a barrel at the far end of the arena. The team has a mugger, an anchor and a rider. The horses are ranch-raised but unbroke animals who may grow up to be in bucking strings if they like the job. This was one of the first events in Sisters Rodeo history.


On Monday the 11th, we drove up to The Cove Palisades State Park in Culver to have supper with Rick and Patty Stills who were on their way to visit family and friends in Vacaville, CA.  Rick and I served together in the 7th MAS at Travis before he got an assignment to Altus AFB, OK.  It was great to see them again.  We plan to visit there home in Rathdrum, ID in August when we start our trip to the east coast.

Retired and Lovin' It!

06/15/2012

Last night we had supper with Sharon, Smith Rock's Interpretive Host at the Pump House Bar and Grill in Terrebonne.  Sharon is a full-time RV'er who has been traveling for several years and at one time made a trip across the country in a camper-van.  She also has a son who lives in Peru, and has visited there a few times.

More later!

June 2, 2012

05/17/2012

Good Mornin' All!

We have been at Devil's Lake for two weeks now.  It's good to be back in Oregon State Parks, the best state parks in the country.

Devil's Lake is not near as busy as it was when we were here last September.  You can actually drive in and select just about any camping site you want and if you can believe this, yurts are available, except on the weekends.

The weather has been great for the most part while we have been here, even getting up to 75 deg. one day.  It would be usually raining this time of year so we're really lucky.  Hope it lasts until we leave on 1 June.

On Monday the 14th, Jim and Jeanne Glaspey came to the park for a visit.  Jim and I did a lot of relaxing and the ladies played bingo a couple of times.

Jimmy likes his wine!

On Thursday the 17th, Jim's sister Donna and her husband Dwayne arrived.

Oregon Coast

05/31/2012

Wow, time really fly's when your havin' fun!

The last half of the month at Devil's Lake was fairly quiet for the most part.  We did have a few days of rainy weather but later in the month we finally got some sun making our stay much nicer.

We did have the weekend warriors from Portland hit the park with a bang on Memorial Day, filling almost every camping site and all the yurts.  For the most part they were all good campers just out for a good time.  We did have a some isolated incidents but nothing serious.

Yesterday morning we hooked up and went to Les Schwab's in Lincoln City to have the brakes on the trailer checked.  After some troubleshooting time they discovered that the brakes were in fine shape but all four if the bearing seals had blown out causing grease to get all over everything.  The technician cleaned everything (using a case of cleaning fluid in the process), lubed the bearings and replaced the seals.  He said that the seals were not installed correctly at the factory causing them to blow.  Anyway, the brakes work much better now.

We are now at Champoeg State Park for two nights.  After getting setup in our parking site we drove over to Wilsonville to have a bite to eat.  We found a small pizza joint called Boone's Junction that turned out to be pretty darned good.  Not the best pizza we have ever had but the atmosphere was great and the beer was cold.  Oh, and Joyce got to win on their Lottery machines.

Last night we got an email informing us that Bobby Bragg, a former 7th Military Airlift Squadron Flight Engineer has passed on to his reward.  I flew with Bobby several times, including my first trip to Sydney, Australia back in 1979.  Rest In Peace brother!

06/02/2012

After a nice restful couple of days at Champoeg, we hooked up and made the run over the Cascades to Smith Rock State Park.

As she did from Devil's Lake to Champoeg, Joyce rode her scooter ahead of me.  It was a beautiful day with very mild temperatures and plenty of sunshine, just the kind of day for a motorcycle ride.

I caught up with her just west of Detroit Lake so we pulled in there and had a great sandwich at the local deli.  We met a couple from Houston, TX who were on their annual two month vacation and were very interested in our full-time RVing lifestyle.

More later!

May 5, 2012

04/17/2012

We are now back at the Napa County Fairgrounds RV Park in Calistoga visiting family and friends.

Last night we had supper at Tomatina Pizzera in St. Helena.  Good pizza but a little pricey as most things are there and all over the Napa Valley.

04/23/2012

We left Calistoga on Friday the 20th and drove to the Rolling Hills Casino near Corning, CA.  After getting set up in our site we had dinner at their seafood buffet which we rated about a six on the one-to-ten scale.  The only thing fresh on the menu were the oysters and even those were a little mushy.

On Saturday morning we head up I-5 and met Art and Kandi Jones for lunch in Redding.  I flew with Art in the 7th Military Airlift Squadron and had not seen him in over 25 years.  It is always a treat to see an old friend again.

Our plan after leaving Redding was to drive to Klamath Falls, OR and spend one night at the Air National Guard base on Kingsley Field.  The base doesn't take reservations and no one was answering the phone but we decided to give it a try anyway.  When we pulled up to the gate the guard told us that the RV park was full.  After calling one of the RV parks in the area, which was also full, we just decided to just drive on to Oakridge.  We are now parked at Jim and Jeanne Glaspey's home with full hookups including free WiFi service.  What a deal!

Glaspey's RV Park, Oakridge, OR

Max and Lacy Glaspey

Max wants a cold one too!

Yesterday Jim and I did some work on our coach and started getting the Swivel Wheel ready for the scooter.

Last night Gary and Marcia Stevensen had us over to their home for a wonderful chicken parmesan dinner.  Maria is a great cook and we often wonder why Gary doesn't weigh 300 pounds.

Today we have to go to Eugene for Joyce's eye doctor appointment and pick up a few things to finish the Swivel Wheel.

04/29/2012

We have now moved on to Champoeg State Park near Saint Paul, OR.

Our stay with Jim and Jeanne was fantastic!  On Tuesday we visited with my cousin, Leonard Vance and his wife Susan.  Len had recently had back surgery done and is now recovering nicely.  It is always a pleasure to see Len and Sue.

On Wednesday Jeanne along with her daughter Heather and son-in-law Brian arrived from Arroyo Grande, CA.  Jeanne had been down to their home dog sitting while Heather and Brian were in Las Vegas where Heather ran in the marathon.  She as competed in several marathon's and is running in the Eugene Marathon today.

On Friday we had dinner with Chuck and Susan Svendsen.  Chuck smoked some killer ribs that just about melted in your mouth.

As always, our visit with Jim and Jeanne came to an end way too soon.  But, they are coming over to Devil's Lake State Park for a visit while we are hosting there in May.

The drive up to Champoeg was uneventful with Joyce's scooter riding on the Swivel Wheel just fine.

05/01/2012

We have been at Champoeg for a couple of days and have really enjoyed our stay.  It's a beautiful park in a very historical part of Oregon and with plenty to see in the area.

Champoeg State Park

On Sunday we drove over to Newberg to do some shopping at Fred Meyers.  This Freddie's had diesel fuel so we filled up at $4.29 a gallon with our members card discount.

After putting the groceries away we then drove over to Aurora, a small town just off of I-5.  This community is big for antiques so we hit a few of them looking for cuff links that Joyce uses in crocheting projects.

Monday we went over to McMinnville for a tour of the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum, the home for The Spruce Goose.  Joyce and I have visited to the museum before but several new exhibits have been added along with an IMax theater, a water park and a new building for the space exhibits.

05/02/2012

After over 4800 miles on the truck and 409 gallons of diesel fuel averaging about 12.5 MPG, we have finally made it to Devil's Lake for our May hosting gig.  Since leaving Texas in March, the average price we paid for fuel was $4.29; expensive but not as bad as it was in 2008.

It's good to be back in Oregon!