August 30, 2016

August 8, 2016

We have been at Devil’s Lake State Recreation Area for over a week now and I can say with out a doubt that things around here haven’t changed much.  We still have grid-lock traffic in Lincoln City and normal coastal unpredictable weather.

When we got here on the 1st the sun was shinning with very light winds and that lasted until Sunday.  We had rain yesterday and for the most part we’ll have more of the same today.  The good news is we are supposed to clear up by Wednesday.

We had a really nice surprise today.  Bruce and Val Rust from Tucson, AZ stopped by for a visit.  We hosted with them here five years ago and haven’t seen them since we visited them at their home in Tucson four years ago.  We plan to get together with them while they are in the local area and then on our way to Texas in the fall.

August 13, 2016

We’re just about one-half the way through our gig here at Devil’s Lake.  So far things have been going good but we have noticed a marked increase in visitors who leave their site and yurts a mess.  We have picked up trash and even garbage out of the sites.  Also, we have seen a lot more dog poop around the park that is not being cleaned up by the owners.  To top all that off, yesterday Joyce was walking by the showers in B-Loop and a lady (I hesitate to call her that but…) came out of a stall with two dogs in tow and left the stall a mess.  Just another reason that we don’t use the public facilities unless we absolutely have no other choice.

Last night we went over to the Spirit Mountain Casino for supper.  On Friday’s they have the all-you-can-eat seafood buffet that includes fresh crab.  Of course we over ate by a bunch but it was oh-so-good.

Ben came to visit us.  He did all the work on this trike including the paint.

August 20, 2016

On Monday the 15th we drove over to Spirit Mountain Casino to meet up with Jim and Jeanne Glaspey, his brother Ron and his wife Tisha and his sister Donna and her husband Dwayne.  They had all been to the music festival in Lebanon and decided to spend a couple of days relaxing.

The other day I met a gentleman that is staying in one of our yurts along with several family members.  We talked a while and yesterday hr came down to our house with a for a visit.

Gary and I discussed where we grew up and he told me that he had been adopted as a young boy.  Some of his adopted family lived in El Centro, CA and over the years they would go there for to visit them.  During those trips he remembers playing with two of his “cousins”, Mary and Cherilyn Sarkisian.  Gary then told me that Mary turned into a prostitute and Cherilyn became a rock star who we know today as Cher.  Very interesting.

Later in the day I met Grum and Juliet from Christchurch, NZ.  They are biking from Portland to Los Angeles and are staying in our Hiker/Biker camp for the night.  Since I have spent a fair amount of time in that beautiful city we had a good time talking about CC and their travels here in the U.S.  Check out their web page at:  http://www.grumgoesglobal.com/about-grum.html.

August 23, 2016

Yesterday we welcomed Gary and Marcia Stevenson to Devil’s Lake for a one day visit.  It is always fun to have visitors and we especially enjoy Gary and Marcia.

August 26, 2016

On Thursday I met a lady named Charlotte from North Carolina who pulled into Devil’s Lake in a 1995 Dodge travel van.  As usual I struck up a conversation and she began to tell me about her adventures driving US Highway 20 from Boston, MA all the way to Newport, OR.  Now mind you, Charlotte is a feisty 81 year old who could talk a mile a minute and who I could have listened to for hours.  She told me she only got off Hwy 20 when it merged with I-90 and “when the bastards forced me off for fires”.  Now that is a great adventure.

August 30, 2016

Yesterday we hooked up the CRV and left Devil’s Lake headed to Champoeg State Heritage Area near Woodburn, OR.  It was a short and easy run over the hills and with a stop at Spirit Mountain Casino it only took us 2.5 hours.

Joyce and I each get 10 days free camping a month in Oregon State Parks so our three day here only cost us $8 for registration.  BTW, if you are a disabled veteran Oregon State Parks offers this benefit to you even if you are not a Oregon resident.  Learn more and download an application here:  http://oregonstateparks.org/?do=v.page&id=19

Got to throw in some grand baby pictures!

Abigail.  She is growing up so fast and getting more beautiful each day.

Skyler.  Getin' his swagger on.

Travis is a 1 year old now.

 

Just for fun.  I spent may hours doing just that but I was always studying my -1 flight manual.  You know that bridge in Lake Havasu?  I'll sell it to you real cheap.  LOL!  Don't know who drew this.

More later.

Barry & Joyce

August 4, 2016

July 29, 2016

Joyce and I are almost to the end of our Smith Rock gig.  We will leave here Monday and head over to Devil’s Lake State Recreation Area in Lincoln City for the month of August.  In September we’ll start making the trip to Texas.

Here is our itinerary:

Sep:
1-4, Oakridge, OR.  Staying at Jim and Jeanne Glaspey’s B & B and RV Park.
4-8, Valley of the Rouge State Park, Gold Hill, OR.  Jim & Jeanne are going to join us there.
8-9, Redding, CA, Win-River Resort & Casino.
9-12, Travis AFB, CA.
12-16, Calistoga, CA.  Visit family and friends.
16-20, Travis AFB, CA.
20-25, Elks Lodge, Fresno, CA.  Going to attend my 50th high school reunion and visit family.
25-28, Camp San Luis Obispo, CA.  Gonna explore that part of the California coast.
28-1 Oct, Port Hueneme Naval Construction Battalion Center, Port Hueneme, CA.  We’re going to visit President Ronald Reagan’s Presidential Library in Simi Valley, CA.  Going to pay our respects to Nancy.
Oct:
1-3, Elks Lodge, Ontario, CA.
3-5, Elks Lodge, Indio, CA.
5-6, Quartzite, AZ.  Pass through.
6-9, Elks Lodge, Tempe, AZ.  Visit my brother and sister-in-law who live in the area.
9-13, Davis-Monthan AFB, Tucson, AZ.
13-16, Deming, NM.  Tour Silver City and Columbus, NM.
16-20, White Sands Missile Range, NM.  We have been there before and toured White Sands National Monument.  Anyone have suggestions for other things to see in the area?
20-21, Fort Stockton, TX.  Just passing through.
21-25, Elks Lodge, Kerrville, TX.  Going to spend an evening in Lukenbach or two at the Sunday and Monday Evening Pickers Circle.
25-29, Jim Hogg COE Campground, Georgetown, TX.  This park is not far from Austin where we hope to see our friends The Peterson Brothers Band along with their parents, Glenn Sr. and Deanna.
29-1 Nov, Lockhart State Park, Lockhart, TX.  Gonna get me some Texas b-b-que and play some golf.
1 Nov-1 Jan 2017, Goliad State Historical Park, Goliad, TX.  This will be our second time hosting at this park.  Looking forward to seeing friends that we made the last time we were there.
1 Jan-1 Mar, Hidden Valley RV Park, just outside San Antonio, TX.  Going to take a trip to Florida to visit Michelle and her family and in February, we're taking a cruise out of Galveston.

If you are reading this and live near one of those places get in touch.  We would love to see you.

August 2, 2016

We left Smith Rock yesterday morning and headed across the hills to Devil’s Lake State Recreation Area in Lincoln City, Oregon.  The drive over was fairly easy except the gaggle going through Salem.  You really have to be on your toes driving through the traffic in that city.

As most of y’all probably know Joyce and I have hosted here several times, this being our forth time I believe. We’ll be cleaning yurts, selling firewood and generally keeping the park clean.  On most days we’re usually completely done with our duties by 2 PM.

Thanks Marcia Stevenson for the pictures of Smith Rock.  We really enjoyed Gary and your visit. Hope we can do it again at Devil's Lake.

Until next time.

Barry & Joyce

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

June 28, 2016

May 24, 2016

On Monday I had an a cardiologist appointment at Bend Memorial Clinic for a followup on all the work I had done in Florida.

Dr. Koch had ordered a echo-cardiograph so I did that and then I saw him right after it was done.  He reviewed all of the work that was done in Florida and the medications that I have been taking since then.  Dr. Koch took me off a couple of meds including Imdur, which I really hated. I woke up every morning with a bad headache and during the day I just plain didn’t feel very good.  I’m darned glad to be rid of that stuff.

Dr. Koch didn’t understand why the doctor in Florida gave me that drug in the first place.  He also questioned why I was subjected to two heart caths as well.  I’m not going into details here about our conversation but suffice it to say he would have done things differently and not as intrusive.

Today was another doctor and dentist day.

First, both Joyce and I got our teeth cleaned and x-rays done.  Both of us came out with a good bill of health there.  Next, Joyce had an appointment to have the stitches removed on her leg where she had a mole removed last week.  Finally, I had an ophthalmologist appointment with Dr. Matthews.  My glasses prescription has changed slightly but probably not enough to get a new pair.

May 29, 2016

Last Sunday we went up to Smith Rock for a enchilada supper hosted by Mike and Dorothy Clements who are the Bivouac Hosts.  Dorothy’s enchilada’s are fantastic and of course we all ate way too much.

I have been working very hard on my genealogy this past couple of weeks.  I’ve been transferring all my files to ancestry.com so I can take advantage of their automatic search features.

I’m sure you have seen the commercials on TV talking about all of the leafs that popup.  Well, right now I have over 2000 of them little buggers and I get more everyday.  Some of the information about my ancestors I already knew but my DNA testing has opened up a whole new world in my genealogy research.

June 1, 2016

We left Pilot Butte yesterday morning and made the run over the hills to the Keizer Elks Lodge.  We could have left on Monday but we decided to hang around and let all the weekend warriors get off the roads.

The RV park here has forty-one parking sites with most having full-hookups.  Our good friends Jerry and Susan Wentzel had paid a deposit for us so were sure to have a site.
This morning we drove up to Portland and picked up our grand daughter Abigail at the airport.  Abby lives in St. Augustine, FL so her mother had to drive her to Atlanta so that she could catch a direct flight.

June 3, 2016

We left Keizer yesterday and headed up to the Boardman Marina and RV Park.  Rick and Patty Stills told us about this great park situated right on the Columbia River.  The roads in the park are a tad bit tight but if you go slow most folks won’t have a problem.

We bought Abby a bike for her to ride so she tried it out after we got settled in our site.  When she leaves to go home we’ll donate it to Goodwill.

Today we’re heading over to La Grande where we’ll be spending one night and then on Friday we’ll move up to Wallowa State Park for three days.

June 5, 2016

We spent Friday night at the Eagles Hot RV Park just south of La Grande.

Our good friends Charles and Vicki Shaffer, who moved to this area from Dripping Springs, Texas invited us out to their place for supper.  Vicki made a killer spaghetti supper and for desert we had very decadent chocolate brownies.

For several years I helped Vicki with the Gibson County, Tennessee Genealogy web page and a few years back Joyce and I visited them at their ranch in Texas.  It was great seeing them again.

Yesterday we made the short run up to Wallowa Lake State Park just south of Joseph.  This is a beautiful park situated just below the Wallowa Mountains and on the very picturesque Lake Wallowa.

Joyce and I came up to this park in July of 2005 and it is just a beautiful now as it was then.  As with all Oregon State Parks, you need to make reservations a long time in advance to get a good site here, especially June through August.  We highly recommend visiting this area during Chief Joseph Days that is always held the last full weekend in July.

June 8, 2016

Abby loved riding her bike around the campground and having a fire each evening.  I taught her how to chop some kindling which she really enjoyed.  We also roasted some hot dogs and of course, Abby had samores every night.

On the 6th we rode the Wallowa Lake Tramway to the top of Mt. Howard.  Although a bit pricey, the ride was spectacular with views of the mountains and especially the valley below.

There was still a lot of snow on the ground that Abby really enjoyed and we had a nice lunch at the restaurant as well.

Our visit to the Joseph area came to an end much too soon.  There was much more of the area we would have liked to have seen but all good things come to an end at some point.

We left the state park about 10:00 AM and made the 265 mile run to Memaloose State Park near Mosier, OR.

Memaloose is a small park located right next to the rest area at mile marker 72 on I-84.  Our spot backed up to the interstate so the noise level is pretty high.  However, with our Disabled Veteran Pass the only thing we had to pay was a $8 reservation fee for a full-hookup site with 30-amp electrical.

By-the-way, if you are a disabled veteran you can get one of the passes even if you are not a resident of Oregon.  Check it out here:  http://oregonstateparks.org/?do=v.page&id=19

June 10, 2016

We’re now at Nehalem Bay State Park in Manzanita, OR.  The drive over from The Gorge wasn’t too bad even with the heavy traffic in Portland.  I think we only had to come to a complete stop four times which is darned good for the interstates in that area.

When checking in at the booth we were greeted by one of the rangers that we haven’t seen in a couple of years.  Jason also let us know that a couple we have hosted with here at Nehalem Bay are here so we’ll try and visit with them.

After settling in our site we took a drive up to Seaside to find Abby a sweatshirt and to have dinner.

Joyce and I have been using the same mailing service in Tillamook ever since we started our full-timing adventures but it looks like that association is coming to an end.  The woman that owns the business has decided to retire very shortly so we will be switching to a new service soon.  Today we are going down to Tillamook to pick up our mail and to arrange for the final mailings from Home Base Oregon.

June 11, 2016

Since we had to be in Tillamook anyway we took Abby to the Blue Heron French Cheese Company for lunch.  Not only do they have some great cheeses they also make some really good sandwiches as well.

Our next stop?  Yep, when in Tillamook gotta go to the Tillamook Cheese Factory to do some tasting and especially to get some ice cream.  Abby was fascinated watching the folks make and package their cheese but she couldn’t wait to get that ice cream cone.

June 12, 2016

Yesterday was a full day of discovery for Abigail.

First, we drove up the coast to Astoria where we crossed the Astoria–Megler Bridge into Washington.  Our destination was to Cape Disappointment State Park to visit the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center.

This amazing place tells the complete story of the Corps of Discovery’s journey.  Abby was fascinated with the displays.

Next be drove back to Astoria and after having some lunch we visited the Astoria Column.  Grandma and Abby made the climb up to the top and then if that wasn’t enough, Abby did it two more times.  This old fat boy stayed at the bottom.

June 25, 2016

Since Abby’s flight back home was at 6 AM, on Sunday the 13th we drove over to Troutdale to be closer to the Portland Airport.

After dropping Abby off at the airport we drove down to Oakridge to Jim and Jeanne’s RV Park.  We’re going to stay here for a couple of days before our cruise to Alaska.  More on that next time.