August 28, 2015

August 4, 2015

Yesterday we went to the Lincoln City Outlets so that I could get some new work shoes.  While in the G. H. Bass store, I also found a couple of pairs of light weight pants.

We then drove done to Newport to hit Freddy Myers to pick up a few groceries and some cable components so I can set up our portable satellite dish.

On the way back to Lincoln City we stopped at Gracie’s Sea Hag in Depoe Bay for some beverages and supper.

August 6, 2015

So, we have been here at Devil’s Lake for almost a week now and man, have things changed around here.  When we hosted here before in site B-1, the job was to clean yurts/camp sites, sell firewood on Wednesday and Thursday evenings and other stuff as necessary.  When we got here on Saturday, we had one night of firewood sales added to our schedule.  No big deal as we always thought that five nights of wood sales was a little much for hosts to handle.

Yesterday Joyce had to go over to Salem to see a dermatologist about some spots on her face.  The doctor burned off several spots and took biopsies on two others.  We should have the results in a week or so.

August 15, 2015

As most of y’all know by now, our son Justin and his wife Adrian have had a son, Travis Duskin Crocker, born 9 August 2015, 9 lbs, 21 in.  We are all very excited!

 First Bath

Abigail and Skyler, our grand kids who live in St. Augustine, FL, started school last week.

We have been very busy here at the park.  No RV sites are to be had without a reservation and for the most part, we have been full just about every night.  Yesterday the ranger’s checked with Beverly Beach and South Beach and they said they have been full as well.  Want to camp on the Oregon coast during the summer?  Make reservations way in advance.

Last Tuesday we had lunch with Dave and Debi Westphal at their home in Gleneden Beach.  They were the visitor center hosts at Smith Rock a couple of years ago and have remained active hosts since.  Debi fixed a great lunch and we had fun talking about what has been going on in our lives.

August 24, 2015

Last week Joyce had to go back over to Salem to have some basal cell spots on her arm and leg removed.  Hope that is the end of that for a while.

We have been closely monitoring the fire situations in Oregon, Washington and Idaho for the past few days right now our plans to spend some time in the Grand Teton National Park is looking iffy.  Some folks that are there now have reported on Facebook that the smoke is terrible and to the point that you can’t see the mountains.  For right now we are still planning on making the trip up to Rick and Patty Stills’ home in Rathdrum, ID but even that could change.  Hope not but as always our plans are written in Jello so we can stir the pot if necessary.

August 28, 2015

We are almost at the end of our hosting gig here at Devil’s Lake State Park.  We have had a good time here on the Oregon coast, especially enjoying the cooler weather.

Saturday the 22nd, there was a nice little car show here in Lincoln City.

On Tuesday Dave and Debbi Westphal came up to the park for a short visit.  For dinner we walked over to Kyllo's Seafood Grill were we all ordered off of the happy hour menu.  Kyllo’s is pretty pricey but their happy hour offerings are affordable.

We’re going to be buttoning down the hatches for the next couple of days.  The weather forecast is for significant rain here accompanied by some high winds.  Although the rain is welcomed, we could do without the gail force winds.

On Monday we plan to move over to Spirit Mountain Casino in Grand Ronde and meet up with Jim and Jeanne Glaspey and Dwayne and Donna Hayes for our last all-you-can eat crab night.  We’re going to spend the night there and then all of us are heading over to Champoeg State Park for two days.

More next time.

Barry & Joyce

August 2, 2015

July 20, 2015

In just a short ten days we will be packing up and moving over to Devil’s Lake State Park.  We have enjoyed our time here at Smith Rock but it’s time for a new adventure.

On the 18th and 19th, we visited Jim and Jeanie Glaspey, Donna and Dwayne Hayes and Ron and Tisha Glaspey at LaPine State Park.  Fun times as always with the Glaspey Clan.

July 27, 2015

On the 19th we welcomed Chuck and Sue Svendsen from Oakridge for a visit.  Monday morning we drove up to Three Creeks Lake, which is a few miles south of Sisters.  After relaxing there for a while, we then drove down to Sisters for a before dinner appetizer at the BJ’s Ice Cream parlor.  Dinner was at the Sandbagger Saloon at Crooked River Ranch.

Say Howdy Chuck!

A gift from Sue.  These were her fathers and I am honored to have them.

 

One of the resident's at Smith Rock!

Well Hello Ladies!

Mama and her twins.

On Tuesday we went to Bend to do some shopping at the Bend Factory Stores and at REI.  Then we had dinner with our co-hosts at the Oishi Japanese Restaurant in Redmond.

On Thursday we had Tom Halter of Advantage RV Service out to do the recall on our Norcold refrigerator and service our generator.  If you need service on your RV here in the the Bend/Redmond area, we highly recommend Tom.

August 2, 2015

Yesterday we made the run over to Devil’s Lake State Park in Lincoln City where we will be hosting for this month.  It is really nice to be in cooler weather!

We have had some inquiry’s about our itinerary for the run to Florida in September.  Well, as you can guess, we’ll be doing a lot of sight-seeing during the two month trip.  If any of our readers live or your traveling in the same areas we are, please give us a shout.  Perhaps we could get together.

On this I will be checking off some bucket list items including, three Presidential libraries and several Civil War battlefield areas.

Rathdrum, ID:  Visit Rick and Patty Stills.
Grand Teton National Park:  Rick and Patty will be going with us.
Casper, WY: Visit Joyce’s sister.
Scotts Bluff, NE:  I have always wanted to see Chimney Rock National Historic Site and Scotts Bluff National Monument.
Abilene, KS:  President Dwight Eisenhower’s Library.
Independence, MO:  President Harry Truman’s Library.
Booneville, MO:  Going to visit the Warm Springs Ranch where the Budweiser Clydesdales are born and raised.
Scott AFB, IL:  Close enough to St. Louis to see several sights there.
Union City, TN:  I was born close to there in Martin, TN.  I want to do some genealogy research in Gibson and Weakley Counties.
Corinth, MS:  See the Shiloh National Battlefield.
Nashville, TN:  Been there, done that before but we have good friends who we are going to see this time.
Lynchburg, TN:  Care to guess why we are going there?  Does Old No. 7 ring a bell?
Chattanooga, TN:  Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park.  Also, several other places.
Atlanta, GA:  Atlanta Cyclorama and Civil War Museum, President Jimmy Carter’s Library and more.
Americus, GA:  Andersonville National Historic Site and the National POW Museum.  May go over to Plains and see if President Carter and Rosalynn are home.  Peanuts anyone?
Savannah, GA:  We have been there once but didn’t get to do much sight-seeing due to very bad weather.  We’re hoping for sunny sky’s this time.
St. Augustine, FL:  Spend most of the winter here spoiling grand babies.

‘Nuff for now.

Barry & Joyce

July 6, 2015

June 26, 2015

Hot, hot, hot!  The weather guesser’s have said that it’s going to be 100 deg. here today and tomorrow up to 101.

This summer the Travel Oregon folks are hiding bicycles in all the designated Seven Wonders of Oregon.  Since Smith Rock State Park is one of the Seven Wonders, we get one.  The bike being hidden here was built by Vulture Bicycles of Bend and worth approximately $9000.  It was hidden here this morning at 2 AM and it was found at 4:30 AM. 

The Seven Wonders of Oregon Bike Giveaway Page: http://traveloregon.com/trip-ideas/oregon-stories/7-bikes-for-7-wonders/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=Cycling&utm_content=Sweepstakes&utm_campaign=7W_2015_US&gclid=COGio-vfrcYCFQeTfgodHUkBPw
June 30, 2015

Yesterday Joyce and I took a drive up thru Sisters and then out Elm Street (which turns to Three Creeks Road) to Three Creeks Lake.

Three Creeks is a beautiful alpine lake set at 6500 feet in the Sisters Wilderness and one we will definitely visit again.

July 2, 2015

On Tuesday after taking care of some chores that needed to be done in Bend, Joyce and I drove up to the Newberry Caldera in the Newberry National Volcanic Monument.  We have been here several times and always enjoy this beautiful area.

 Paulina and East Lakes and The Big Lava Flow

From the top of Paulina Peak

July 5, 2015

Thankfully, we had a very quiet and uneventfully 4th here at the Rock.  No fireworks of any kind are allowed here and for a very good reason.  We did have some folks come in after the parks official closing with plans to climb up Misery Ridge to watch the fireworks in Bend but we had to turn them away.

One of those folks were Julian Colesberry and his daughter Cecelia who drove all the way from Milwaukee, OR.  Julian was the ranger here at Smith Rock in our first year of hosting and has since moved on to other things.  What a nice surprise to see them again.  We hope the whole family will come visit us at Devil’s Lake in August.

Smith Rock, June 2015

 The two black dots just to the left of center are Golden Eagle nests.  We call those "The Condo's".

 Thanks Kacey for the following photo's!

See ya next time!

Barry & Joyce

June 24, 2015

May 24, 2015

I can’t believe how fast our time here at Pilot Butte has flown by.

For the most part, the folks who use Pilot Butte help us take care of the park.  We have seen people hiking with a trash bag picking up litter and also cleaning up after dogs, whose owners think that isn’t their responsibility.  That being said, we have experienced two incidences here in the last week that are very disturbing.

Sometime in the middle of the night a few days ago, we found that the men's restroom door had been pried open and bent beyond repair.  Not only that, but we think the automatic locking mechanism had been damaged as well.  Then, yesterday morning we get a call informing us that someone had set a fire up on the top of the Butte in the observation deck area.  Joyce and I drove up there and discovered not only did the perpetrators start a fire, but they had melted wax and spread that all over the place.  It took a lot of work getting that mess cleaned up.

I don’t know how much all of that damage is going to cost the park to fix but you can rest assured, it ain’t going to be cheap.  It’s sad that money will have to be spent for this kind of thing rather than on improving the park.

June 2, 2015

Yesterday we made the short run up Hwy 97 to Terrebonne and then out to Smith Rock State Park where we will be spending June and July.  This is our eight year hosting here so you might say, it’s our home park.

Jerry and Marilyn Howlett, our good friends and co-hosts are here again this season and as has become a tradition, we went to the Terrebonne Depot for dinner last night.  We were joined by Janice Railton, another good friend who is a new full-time RV’er.  As always, the food was excellent and the conversation was lively.

June 6, 2015 (1948)

Happy Birthday Barry!

Yep, another one of those darned things has come around and as a lot of y’all know, the days between them seem to go by much faster.

June 16, 2015

“Time keeps on ticking, ticking….”

On the 10th, Joyce and I took a park pickup and a flat bed trailer, then made a road trip to Harris Beach State Park located on the southern coast north of Brookings.  Our purpose was to pick up a slightly used Kubota 4X4 to replace our John Deere Gator that has seen it’s best days.  We were also tasked to take a Ford Escape from there up to Willamette Mission State Park, a few mile north of Salem.

The drive down to Harris Beach was 314 miles so we got an early start and after a few stops, we arrived at Harris about 2 PM.  It didn’t take too long to get the Kubota loaded up and then with Joyce following me in the car, we made the two hour drive back up to Grants Pass to spend the night.

The next morning we jumped on I-5 and made the long drive up to Willamette Mission, dropped off the Escape and then after another three hour drive we got back home around 5 PM.  All-in-all we drove 785 miles in two days.  Normally, a drive like that would take Joyce and I at least 3 days.

On Sunday the 14th, Joyce and I along with Jerry and Marilyn had dinner at the Kokanee Cafe in Camp Sherman which is a few miles up Highway 20 from Sisters.  This place has been on our bucket list for a long time so we made reservations to get it check off.

Yes, the Kokanee ain’t cheap but you need to dine there at least once.  The Lamb Chops were to die for, the salad was delicious and the service was impeccable.

June 23, 2015

On the 17th, Joyce and I drove over to Oakridge so that Jim Glaspey and I could make the drive down to Vacaville, CA on Thursday to attend our 2nd Aircrew Reunion.

Jim and I played golf on Tuesday and Wednesday in Oakridge and although our golfing was not great, we had a lot of fun.

The eight hour drive down to California went smoothly and we arrived at the Vineyard RV Park about 4 PM where we were greeted by Rick & Patty Stills and Jeff Hard and his wife Darcy.  In addition, there were several of our “old” flying buddies there enjoying some adult beverages so of course, Jim and I jumped right on that.

On Friday morning, we spent some time with Jim son who lives in Vacaville.  That evening there was a reception at the Travis Air Force Museum where about one hundred of us gathered for a meet and greet.

Saturday morning Rick and Patty made a huge breakfast that kicked our day off.  Then reunion was held at the Pippo Ranch in Vacaville and I can say it was even better that the last one.  Chief Master Sergeant Jack Pledger and his committee did an out standing job putting it all together and we had a great time.  Can’t wait for the next one in June 2017.

The C-141B, 63-8088.  One of the most beautiful airplanes ever built.

My office for many years.

Until next time, have a great one.

Barry & Joyce

May 22, 2015

May 11, 2015

We’ve been at Pilot Butte Scenic Viewpoint for ten days now and so far, everything is going well.  Our duties here are very light, just make sure the bathrooms are taken care of, do some litter picking once in a while and generally being a presence in the park.  We are also required to open the Summit Road gate each morning but last week and for the this week the road is closed for erosion control maintenance.

A few pictures from the top of Pilot Butte:

Looking north to Smith Rock State Park

We have been thinking of getting new bicycles for awhile and have been doing some shopping here in the Bend area.  Since this area is so big on biking, there are about a gazillion bike shops and I think we visited every one at least once.

After looking at numerous styles and price ranges, I just decided to have my Harlo bike completely gone through and be done with it.  I chose Bend Velo, a small shop on 1st Street to do the work and for $120 they replaced the brake calipers, a couple of cables, did a complete tuneup and put on a rack for me.

Since Joyce has never really liked the bike she has now and given the extensive maintenance that would be required to get it back to good riding condition, she decided to get a new one.  She really likes the “cruiser” style and after narrowing the choice downtown to two, she picked a Electra Loft 7i, purchased at Village Bike and Ski in Sunriver.  The 7i is a seven speed model with the gears in the hub so they are protected from the elements.  Scott, the owner, spent a lot of time discussing Joyce’s needs and offered a very fair price on the bike.

As most of y’all know, we are planning a trip to Florida this coming fall.  Here is our rough itinerary, written in Jello and subject to change:
Rathdrum, ID,  Grand Teton National Park, Casper, WY, Abilene, KS, Independence, MO, Union City, TN, Corinth, MS, Lynchburg, TN, Chattanooga, TN, Atlanta, GA, Americus, GA, Savannah, GA and then on into St. Augustine, FL.  If you live along our route, let us know.  Maybe we can visit you during our travels.

May 17, 2015

It’s been rainy and windy here at Pilot Butte for the past few days, but today the sun is out with just a light breeze in the air.

On Friday we welcomed Gary and Marcia Stevenson from Oakridge for a short visit to Pilot Butte.  They treated Joyce and I for an outstanding pizza supper at Jackson’s Corner in downtown Bend.  If you are looking for a place to have something to eat here in Bend, you won’t go wrong choosing Jackson’s.

May 22, 2015

Last Monday, we had to go over to Eugene for Joyce’s eye doctor appointment.  After getting that done, we headed up the hill to Oakridge to spend the night with Jim and Jeanne Glaspey.

Gary and Marcia Stevenson had us all over for a wonderful dinner that evening.

“Nuff said for now.

Barry & Joyce

May 4, 2015

April 27, 2015

After the ceremonies for the C-141 anniversary at Travis, we hooked up our CRV and headed north to Redding, CA.  After getting set up in the Win-River Casino parking lot (I hesitate to call it a campground or RV park) we had a nice dinner in their dinning room.

The next day we met up with Art and Kandi Jones at the Elks Lodge.  They were there to participate in Kool April Nights, a huge event that happens in Redding every year.

That evening we met Art and Kandi in downtown Redding for supper at Applebee’s and then went cruising in their rag-top 1967 GTO.  We had a ball checking out all of the cars and trucks that participated in the cruise.

Here are a few pictures:

There were several "survivor cars" in the cruise.

April 30, 2015

On Saturday morning we hookup up and made the drive up to Jim & Jeanne Glaspey’s RV Park in Oakridge, OR.  The plan is to hang out hear until Friday and then head over to Tumalo State Park in Bend, OR to begin out hosting gig.

After getting settled in, we went to had supper with Jim and Jeanne and his brother and sister-in-law Ron and Tisha, who live down the road in Dexter.  We were also joined by several friends from Oakridge so the conversation was very lively as you can imagine.

We had a wonderful dinner at the home of Chuck and Susan Svendsen at their beautiful home near where Joyce and I used to lived on High Prairie Road.

Yesterday I took our home to W & J Towing here in Oakridge to have the oil changed.  They did an excellent job and we were pleasantly surprised to have a bill of less that $640 for everything.

While that was being done and Joyce and Jeanne went to Eugene for doctor appointments, Jim, Ron and I played a round of golf at the Circle Bar Golf Club.  Although our golf games weren’t all that sterling, we had a great time whacking the balls around the course.

May 1, 2015

The other day, while cleaning under our bed, I slipped and hit my right ribs on the edge of the frame.  Didn’t seem like a big deal but after that round of golf on Wednesday, my right side was hurting pretty bad.  So yesterday, while Jim, Ron and Joyce played a round, Jeanne drove me into Eugene to an urgent care clinic to have it looked at.

The PA I saw did a very thorough examination and told me that, yes it is bruised but didn’t believe there was a fracture.  He told me to take it easy and take Ibuprofen.  I’m feeling much better today.

May 4, 2015

We’re now at Pilot Butte State Scenic Viewpoint in Bend, OR.  We were scheduled to be the camp hosts at Tumalo State Park however, due to on-going construction at Tumalo, we were asked to host at Pilot Butte.

Home for May.

This is a urban day-use park that is the exercise Mecca in Bend, getting heavy use on most days.  There are several hiking trails in the park, both at the bottom and to the top of the Butte.

Our duties here are opening the gate to the Summit Road, cleaning the bathrooms at the bottom and the top, litter picking and providing a general presence in the park.  If you are in the area, stop by and say Hey.

Until next time.

Barry & Joyce