September 9, 2018

August 15, 2018

 We have had some really smokey skies here at Smith Rock for the past few days.  The weather folks are telling us that it’s all coming from fires down in California and Idaho.

 On Monday we found out that Glacier National Park has closed the west entrance due to a major fire.  This is especially bad new for us since that was our destination in September.  As you may recall this same thing happened to us last year so we are very disappointed.  We’ll keep an eye on the situation in Glacier and hope the fire fighter’s get everything under control.

August 22, 2018

 Still very smokey in Central Oregon and there appears no relief in sight in the near future.  It’s really getting hard to catch your breath and our eyes are burning a lot.

 On Monday we drove over to Oakridge to spend some time with the Glaspey’s.  Jim and I loaded up his new toy, a Polaris Razor and headed up the hill to Huckleberry Flats to do some riding.  We had a great time driving around the roads and I have to say that thing is cool!

 

 We only have nine days left here at Smith Rock then we will start our travels to Texas.  The west side of Glacier National Park is closed for a major fire as of today so we’re not sure if we can make it up there.  We are still planning on getting up to Rick and Patty Stills’ home in Rathdrum, ID on September 10th for right now but as always our plan’s are written Jello.

August 27, 2018

 Things had pretty quite around Smith Rock for the past few days but that all changed yesterday afternoon.  There was a young man free-climbing near Phoenix Buttress and Southern Tip climbing area, an area that is not normally climbed.  He fell off the rock and fell over 150 feet, sustaining life-threatening injuries.  The life flight helicopter flew him to St. Charles hospital and then to Portland where he is in critical condition.  Not a good day.  https://www.ktvz.com/news/man-badly-hurt-in-smith-rock-fall-rescue-underway/786696654

August 29, 2018

 Moving day.  This morning we hooked up the CRV and after going into Redmond for propane, we headed up US 97 north to begin our fall migration to Texas.  The drive up to I-84 wasn’t too bad even though it is the beginning of a 3-day weekend.  Traffic really picked up when we turned west on I-84 but we made pretty good time and arrived at Memaloose State Park on the Columbia River Gorge.  We’re only spending two days then up to Hermiston for a couple of days.

September 3, 2018

 Had a very nice stay at Mamaloose.  Yesterday we took a drive up into the hills to Trout Lake, WA.  This little town is known for it’s Huckleberry picking opportunities when they are in season.  However, the “lake” was completely dry this time of the year.

 We did stop in town and checked out the local flea market then had lunch at The Station Cafe which we found to be just OK.  The joint was packed and there was only one person cooking.  To say she was slow is an under statement since she was cooking one….order….at….a….time.  We waited forty minutes for our sandwiches.

Mount Adams, Washingtom

 We left Memaloose about 10 AM and after a stop at Fred Myers in The Dalles for some fuel, we headed east on _84 then a short distance up I-82 to the Pioneer RV Park in Hermiston, OR.   We have been to this park several times and since it’s Passport America affiliated we only had to pay $20.  We plan to be here just one night then head on up to Rathdrum, ID.

September 5, 2018

 Yesterday we left Hermiston and headed up to Rick and Patty’s B&B and RV Park in Rathdrum, ID.  We started running into smoke in the Tri-Cities area and it progressively got worse the closer we got to Spokane.  It started getting a tad better as we got into Idaho but the air quality is still in the moderate range.

September 8, 2018

 Thursday I took Joyce to an urgent care clinic where they gave her a nebulizer treatment that really helped her breathing.  The doctor wrote a prescription for a home nebulizer along with the medication.  We were able to get that filled at Fred Myers but had to pay for the machine which we will submit to Tricare and try to get reimbursed

 Thursday evening we all went out to celebrate Patty’s birthday.  She had picked out a new club in downtown Coeur d’Alene that was having a grand opening and had a “dueling pianos” show.  The food was alright but the entertainment was outstanding.

 Yesterday morning we decided to get out of Dodge and try to get Joyce out of some of the very bad smoke in the Rathdrum area.  After a stop for some fuel and to dump our holding tanks, we headed south on US 95 headed to the Hillview RV Park in Clarkston, WA.  The drive down wasn’t too bad but we did run into a lot of road construction.  Today we are going further south to Grangeville, ID where the air quality is forecasted to be much better.

 We left Clarkston about 11:00 Am this morning, got on US 95 south and arrived at the Bear Den RV Park in Grangeville, ID about 1:30 PM.  God, these under a 100 mile days are killing us.

 The smoke is in this area but not as bad as it was up north.  However, Joyce is still staying in the RV as much as possible and we’re hoping when we get to Boise the air quality will be better. 

Barry & Joyce

August 15, 2018

July 22, 2018

 Things are rolling right along here at Smith Rock.  It has been very hot most days but yesterday we got a little bit of a reprieve with a high of only 87 degrees.  This next week it looks like we will be back into the 90s.

 On Friday evening we had all of our fellow hosts down to our place for supper.  Joyce made her killer pulled pork and of course we all ate too much.  We hope to have another cookout before we part ways for another year.

July 23, 2018

 Last evening a guy came down from the Bivi area and tells me there is a rattlesnake in the cooking circle. I didn’t think it would be a rattler in that area, maybe a garter or bull snake.  I jumped in the Gator, went down there and sure enough there was a it was a rattler curled up in the rocks very near some folks cooking their supper. Our Ranger came down and we decided to call Steve Lay. our Interpretive Host and local snake wrangler. When Steve got there with his equipment he was able to grab the snake who was about three feet long with eight buttons. That is the first time I have seen a rattler in that area in the 11 years hosting here.

 This morning Steve came by and asked if I wanted to go with him to release the snake he caught last evening.  During the drive over to the area when he wanted to let the snake loose, he rattled all the way over.  I can tell you he was pretty darned pissed when Steve let him out of the bucket.  We spent a few minutes taking pictures and then left him alone to go about his business.

 

July 25, 2018

 Yesterday we drove over to Oakridge to help celebrate Jim Glaspey’s 70th birthday.  We had a good visit and then had supper at Big Mountain Pizza with more friends.

 August 9, 2018

 Been quite a while since I last wrote so let me bring you up-to-date.

 We have been having some problems with our living room slide coming in without assistance by me pushing on the outside while Joyce operates the switch.  In fact this has been going on since 2015 and replacing the batteries fixed the problem not once but twice.

 This time the batteries that I put in the coach in Arizona this past winter fixed the issue until we left Tumalo State Park when the problem happened again.  I had to get a couple of folks to give me a hand pushing to get it to retract.

 I called Tom from Advantage RV in Bend who has done some work for us in the past.  He immediately said that the motor is probably worn out so we ordered one from Amazon.  When it came in Tom came out and installed it but when we operated the slide it still failed to retract.  After more troubleshooting we found out the voltage drop when the slide was trying to come in was dramatic so Tom thought the batteries were just not strong enough.

 Joyce and I took the batteries down to Napa Auto Supply, they checked them and actually found one bad and another one very weak.  They replaced the batteries under the warranty, but we paid for the upgrade to better ones.

 We brought the batteries back, installed them and guess what?  Yep, the slide still didn’t retract properly.  Now what Ke-mo-sabe? 

 Tom came back out and did some more checking and found that the inverter/charger was only only charging the batteries at 13.6 volts.  He said he had one at home and when he checked his it was charging at 14.58 volts, a significant difference.  He brought that one out, installed it and it worked.  The slide retracted as it should and actually a tad faster that it ever did.

 So, we actually had multiple problems which made it difficult to find the actual problem, that being the inverter/charger.  But it’s fixed now so we are very thankful for that.

 While all that was going on we had some visitors come to Smith Rock.  Jim and Jeanne Glaspey drove over from Oakridge to spend a day.  Then Bret Sherlock, an old flying buddy from my days in the 7th Airlift Squadron stopped by.  And on Tuesday we had lunch with Stan and Linda Peters who we have hosted with here at Smith Rock.

 Joyce has been having some problems with her ears for a while now and was tested this past spring by a doctor she saw in Medford.  She was diagnosed with tinnitus so when we got to Bend she filed a claim with the Veterans Administration.  The VA sent her for an evaluation by another doctor in Bend.

 This morning Joyce found out that the VA has awarded her 10% for tinnitus making her total disabilities 30%.

August 14, 2018

 As y’all probably know we have been planning a trip up to Glacier National Park in September.  Yesterday we found out that the west entrance to the park is closed due to a fire that is burning near Lake McDonald. 

 Joyce and I have been planing to go up to Rick and Patty Stills’ home in Rathdrum, ID. then we are all going up to Glacier together.  This exact thing to happened to us last year.

 Right now are plans haven’t changed but since our travel plans are always written in Jello, we’ll adapt.

More next time.

Barry & Joyce

July 19, 2018

June 30, 2018

 Last Sunday Jim and Jeanne Glaspey came over to the park for a visit.  Also joining us was  Ben and Caroline Reed who are staying at the Expo Center RV Park in Redmond.  We all had a great time solving all the RV issues we have had and some of the worlds problems over adult beverages and some really great barbecue chicken.

 On Tuesday Ben flew back to Tucson for his induction in to the Elks Lodge.  As a retired mechanic Ben and Caroline can fly standby but when they got to the airport Caroline wasn’t able to get a seat.

 On Wednesday Caroline and Joyce went for a hike at Sparks Lake and then had lunch at the Elk Lake Lodge.

 On Thursday we went up to Redmond to see Ben and Caroline again.  After touring their Pace Arrow motor coach we drove up to Terrebonne and had supper at the Pump House.  We then took them on a tour of Smith Rock State Park.

 Today is our last day at Tumalo State Park so we’ll be packing up the RV and getting ready for our move to Smith Rock.  Having been here for two months and putting things away for convince rather than for traveling we have some packing to do.

July 3, 2018

 On Sunday morning we pulled out of Tumalo and headed up to Smith Rock State Park.  Can you believe this time will mark our eleventh year hosting here?  Amazing how fast time goes by.

Our Home for July and August

 

 Yesterday we went to Bend to do some shopping making of our stops at Costco.  Our old vacuum cleaner wasn’t doing a very good job so we took advantage of the Dyson sale and pick us up a V8 cordless stick vacuum.  We tried it out and let me tell you this thing is powerful.  After running it in the living room I had to go out and check the basement to make sure everything in there was still in place.

July 11, 2018

 On Saturday we drove over to Oakridge to visit with Jim and Jeanne Glaspey.  Jim and I just hung out at the house in the afternoon while Joyce and Jeanne got in a round of golf.  Later we all went down to the Big Mountain Pizza for supper.

 Yesterday Jeanne and Joyce played another round of golf in the morning then we drove into Eugene so that Joyce could have Dr. Stockstad look at her right contact.  Dr. Stockstad has developed a special 3D tool that allowing him to customize contacts like the ones Joyce has.  After that we joined Jim and Jeanne at the Olive Garden for supper.

July 13, 2018

Things have really slowed down here at Smith Rock.  Last night we only had seven cars in the Bivi and very few day use visitors.  Tomorrow there is a bike race going on so we will be a tad busier but even with that the heat is keeping a lot of folks away.  Suits us just fine.

July 15, 2018

 It’s been really hot in Central Oregon, getting up in the low to mid 90s everyday.  We get a small reprieve today as it’s only going to make it to 89 but tomorrow is forecasted to be 95.  But, it dry heat don’t forget.

July 18, 2018

 Had my annual checkup with Dr. Russell, my primary physician this morning.  All seems to be well but my heart rate is still low.  Went up to talk to my cardiologist but he is on vacation right now.  I did discuss all this with his nurse and she is going to discuss all of this with another doctor.  Stay tuned for more.

Sunset through Astrick Pass.

Visitors for lunch.

The twins have gotta eat too.

This guy was one the Canyon Trail one day last week.  At Smith Rock watch where you walk.  He was not happy having his picture taken.

This guy didn't care.

Later.

Barry & Joyce

June 22, 2018

June 9, 2018

 As I mentioned in another post I had an appointment with Dr. Brewer, my Osteopathic Doctor who recommended I do a home sleep study and a complete Pulmonary Function test.

 Dr. Brewer said that he did not see anything serious from the Pulmonary study but that I do have some COPD in the form of emphysema, probably caused by my years of cigarette smoking.  For that he prescribed an inhaler that I will be using daily.

 The results of the sleep study showed that I have severe Sleep Apnea and Dr. Brewer recommended that I start using a continuous positive airway pressure therapy (CPAP) machine.  Because I travel full-time he ordered one from Lincare, a nationwide company. The office here in Bend will be my “home office” where I will order any supplies I will need..  On Thursday I went to their office to pick up my new ResMed AirSense 10 Autoset machine.

 I used the machine for the first time last Saturday night.  I have been told that it will take some time adjusting to using the machine and they were right but, when I did get to sleep I slept soundly.  Since I sleep on my side I may have to get a different pillow that doesn’t interfere with the full-face mask.  I have an app on my phone that downloads my sleep information from the CPAP.

 On the 5th one of my best friends Donald Johnson past to his reward in Fairfield, CA.  Don, a retired Air Force Master Sergeant and the father of my ex-wife Susanna, was one of the finest men I have ever met.  He was a kind gentle soul who loved his family and lived his life to the fullest.  Rest in peace Don.  I will miss you for the rest of my life.

Don and Michelle

 On the 6th I celebrated my 70th birthday.  I can hardly believe that I am that I have made that many trips around the sun but I do hope I have many more in my future.

  Yesterday we did some shopping for tires for our Honda CRV here in Bend.  Costco has Michelin’s on sale for $70 off of four and plus $60 off if you use the Anywhere card.  A good deal.

June 11, 2018

 Here is our itinerary for our travels to Texas in the fall:
   
    September:
    1-3: Memaloose State Park, OR (Columbia Gorge)
    3-5: Hermiston, OR (visit friends)
    5-10:  Rick & Patty Stills RV Park, Rathdrum, ID
    10-11: Missoula, MT
    11-15: Columbia Falls, MT (Glacier National Park)
    15-16: Lolo, MT
    16-20: Challis, ID (Sawtooth Mountains)
    20-21: Idaho Falls, ID
    21-24: Hill AFB, UT
    24-27: Spanish Fork, UT (visit friends in Payson, UT)
    27-28: Fort Bridger, WY
    28-29: Rawlins, WY
    29-2 Oct: Casper, WY (visit Joyce’s sister & family)
    October:
    2-4: F.E. Warren AFB, Cheyenne, WY
    4-7:  Not sure yet.
    7-9: Amarillo, TX. (visit friends)
    9-13: Altus AFB, OK
    13-14: Haskell, TX
    14-17: Dyess AFB, Abilene, TX
    17-21: Waco, TX
    21-23: College Station, TX. (visit George H. W. Bush’s Library)
    23-24: La Grange, TX
    24-28: Goliad, TX (visit friends)
    28-1 Nov: Aransas Pass, TX
    Nov 1 thru Feb 2019, Hidden Valley RV Park, Von Ormy, TX., just outside San Antonio.

 If anyone reading this is close to where we are going to be please set us know.  We’d love to see you.

June 16, 2018

 I’ve been using my CPAP machine for over a week now and have not found getting use to it as had as some folks led me to believe it would.  The really hard part was finding a position for my pillow that worked with the full-face mask.  Well, that didn’t work out so good so Joyce ordered me a pillow made specifically for use with CPAP machines.  I am not finding the CPAP Pillow as comfortable as I did the My Pillow I have had for a couple of years but I hope it works out.

 We’re starting to get very busy here at Tumalo.  The park is full almost every night now and we think this will continue throughout the summer with most of the arrivals having made a reservation.  The times of just showing up and expecting to snag a campsite in most Oregon State Park’s, especially in the summer are gone.

 I finally got the results of my new VA claim the other day.  I filed asking the VA to rate me for four things; a broken nose, sinus problems and sleeping and breathing issues.  The VA combined the sinus and breathing issues and awarded me a 30% disability rating for sinusitis.  So, I am now 60% disabled overall but will only get paid for 50%, the magic number for retired military folks.  The reason that I will not be paid for the whole 60% is due to the way the VA combines percentages.  Read more about that here:  https://www.benefits.va.gov/compensation/rates-index.asp#howcalc

Nice pic of Abigail and Skyler

Until next time.

Barry & Joyce

June 4, 2018

May 18, 2018

 For a long time now Joyce and I have been discussing changing to the Beyond Unlimited phone plan with Verizon and today we made the move.  Our old plan had unlimited talk and text with data usage set at 30 gigs.  Several times in the past year we have bumped up against that limit and this month we actually went over by 3 gigs which cost us an additional $45.  The new plan gives us the same unlimited talk/text but we now have “unlimited” data usage.  The “unlimited” is actually full LTE/4g service up to 15 gigs and per hot spot then you are subject to prioritizing on the cell towers.  With that in mind we purchased another MiFi Jetpack which gives us another 15 gigs of data before the possibility of being prioritized.

May 20, 2018

 We were pretty busy on our days off this week.  On Friday Joyce had a doctors appointment and then we got some shopping done.  Yesterday we drove over Oakridge to visit Jim and Jeanne Glaspey.

 Last week Max Glaspey, Jim and Jeanne Glaspey’s Great Dane crossed the rainbow bridge.  He was a special friend to not only Jim and Jeanne but he was my buddy.  I loved that guy and will miss him terribly.  I think he is up there playing with my other buddy’s Hunter and Paddy Stills.

My Buddy Max.

May 22, 2018

 Things are rolling right along here at Tumalo State Park.  We’re starting to fill all the yurts and camp sites every night which is not unusual here.  If past history is any indicator of what will happen this year, after the first of June we will be completely booked every night.

Later in the day….

 I started seeing flashes of light on the left side of my left eye, best described as looking through a prism.  As you may know I am partially blind in my right eye due to a TIA I had several years ago so you can believe I was really concerned about what I was seeing in my good eye.

 After a few minutes I told Joyce and of course she insisted we head over to the urgent care at Bend Memorial Clinic (BMC).  The nurse there sent us over to the emergency room at St. Charles Medical Center.

 The emergency room doctor referred me to an ophthalmologist, so we made an appointment with Dr. Majerczyk at BMC.  After his very thorough examination he believed I had a Ocular Migraine which is a pretty common thing.  Jut one more thing to add to my list of that proves, “gettin’ old ain’t for sissy’s”.

June 3, 2018

 On Friday we drove over to Oakridge to visit Jim and Jeanne Glaspey.  Shortly after arriving Jim said he had to go to Eugene to buy a keg of beer.  I thought that a tad strange since I had brought over a couple of 12-packs and I knew he had at least that much in his refrigerator but what the heck, lets go.

 Since it was Jim and Jeanne’s thirty-second wedding anniversary we stopped at Fred Myers so that he could pick up some flowers for Jeanne.  On the way up the hill back to Oakridge Jim asked me if I knew anything was going on at his house would I tell him and of course I said, “Heck no”.

 When we turned into their driveway I noticed some balloons tied to the railing of the deck and then I saw extra cars parked near the garage.  I still didn’t get it but I did notice Jim was smiling a little.  The a bunch of people came running out of the house yelling Happy Birthday.  Joyce, Jeanne and Jim had planned a 70th birthday party for me.

 We had a wonderful time with plenty of food and beverages.  Among the presents and card that I was given, Joyce’s card contained seventy $1 bills.  Thanks Joyce, Jim and Jeanne!

Later.

Barry & Joyce

May 18, 2018

May 2, 2018

 We had a very nice visit with the Glaspey’s but as always with us it was time to move on to new adventures.  Yesterday,  after a great breakfast prepared by Jim we hooked up the CRV and headed up Hwy 58 and then Hwy 97 to Bend, OR and Tumalo State Park where we will be the Yurt Hosts for the next two months.

 If memory serves me this will be out fourth time hosting here at Tumalo.  Tumalo is not really a destination park but more used by folks passing through the area or visiting the Bend area for a short time.  We like it mainly because of the close proximity to the amenities in Bend.

May 6, 2018

 We are the Yurt Hosts here at Tumalo so we have seven of those guys we keep cleaned.  Cleaning yurts is a piece of cake most of the time, especially when the occupants sweep and take out their own trash.  We also are responsible for cleaning the camping sites in C-loop and relieving the other hosts on their days off.  Pretty darned good gig.

 Yesterday we drove down to La Pine State Park about 22 miles south of here near La Pine, OR to visit Jim & Jeanne, Ron & Tisha Glaspey and Dwayne & Donna Hayes who are spending a few days there.  We spent the afternoon just hanging around telling stories and then had a delicious steak dinner.

May 8, 2018

 As most of y’all know I am in the process of making a new claim with the Veterans Administration of complications resulting from a broken nose that happened many moons ago.  On Thursday the 3rd I had an appointment with a doctor investigating my case.

 The VA now contracts Veterans Evaluation Services, a company based in Houston, TX.  Their job is to schedule appointments, provide a medical professional to evaluate your case and report their findings to the VA.

 When I showed up for the appointment the doctor told me what his role was in my case.  He would not be doing an examination but would be looking trough my records to establish a “paper trail” that backs up my claim.  He had to search my records using key words to find something since the VA records are so jumbled.  After several minutes he found where I had went to the flight surgeon back in 1979 for a sinus block which established the paper trail.

 He then asked numerous questions to determine if I have had chronic problems since then.  He also asked about any medications I have been taking for my problems.

 The doctor took several minutes to explain the claim process moving forward.  One of my problems is that I never went to the doctor for sinus issues from 1979 to 2010 which could cause the VA to deny my claim.  Back in the day, most military folks didn’t go to the doctor for minor issues.  This was especially true for flying personnel for fear of being grounded and not allowed to fly again.

May 11, 2018

 Yesterday was overcast and cool but we wanted to get out of the park anyway.  I had heard there was a really good burger joint in Monument, OR and since we had never been there, and even with the bad weather we decided to make the drive anyway.

 On the way out we made a potty stop at one of the roadside parks on the John Day River.  There was a ranger there cleaning the bathrooms and while we waited for him to finish I struct up a conversation with him.  He noticed my Air Force retired hat and mentioned he was in the Army.  I mentioned that our son is in the Army with the 3rd Special Forces Group and he smiled and said he had been in the 6th Special Forces Group back in the day.  He also told us that the burger joint we were headed to try has been closed for a year.  Ducky, just ducky.

  Since we were almost there anyway we kept going.  Just so y’all know, there ain’t much in Monument, OR.  They did have a small store so we stopped in and got us a couple of ice creams and a soda.  And we thought Oakridge was isolated.

 

 Read more about Grant County here:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grant_County,_Oregon

 On the way home we stopped at the Club Pioneer restaurant in Prineville for supper.  Not a bad place but a bit pricey.

May 16, 2018

 It’s been fairly quiet around Tumalo for the past few days.  The park is getting busy, especially on the weekends and very soon we will be booked up completely every night.

 One thing we have noticed that is a little annoying for us is the amount of folks that make a reservation and not show up.  More and more folks have started making reservations nine months out knowing that they may not be able to use them.  This morning I counted six sites that had reservations but no one showed up.

 For some reason we are only getting one bar of Verizon cell service here this year.  In the past years we have hosted here we usually got up to four bars, sometimes dropping down to two once in a while.  Our Jetpack MiFi is getting one as well but we have it connected to a Sleek signal booster which bumps that up to four bars.  To make phone calls here in our coach we have to use our wifi which bites into our data usage.  We’re now in the process of making decisions about our cell service, particularly our data usage.

May 18, 2018

 As part of my new VA claim for Sleep Apnea and other issues caused by the broken nose I suffered at Losing AFB, ME., I wanted to get a second opinion just in case the VA turns me down.  So, I started that process a week or so ago,

 First, I went to see my family doctor and he then referred me to a ENT and Dr. Brewer, one of the pulmonary function doctors.  I saw him last week and he believes I do in fact have sleep apnea but also COPD.  So I am now being tested for both of those issues.

 Yesterday I went back to BNC and picked up a home sleep test kit.  The last time I was tested for sleep apnea in Hemet, CA. I had to go into the clinic and spend the night there.  The kit I used last night was much easier to use and I could do the test at home.

 Next I am scheduled for a pulmonary function test on the 31st then I will see Dr. Brewer again that afternoon.  I sure hope the disease had progressed far enough that I will need supplemental oxygen.  This gettin’ old stuff ain’t for the faint of heart thats for sure.

More later.

Barry and Joyce

May 6, 2018

April 12, 2018

 We had a nice time visiting with Rick and Patty Stills at the Dixon May Fair Campground last week.  One of the highlights was meeting Misty, the new Golden Retriever member of the family.

 Last Friday evening we all went out to dinner with Joe and Lori Martin at Cattleman’s Steakhouse.  We had a great time reminiscing about the “old days” at Travis AFB.  Joyce and I had breakfast with Joe and Lori at Bud’s Bar and Grill on Saturday.

April 13, 2018

 After a delicious breakfast made by Rick and Patty, Joyce and I hooked up the towd and headed up the road toward the Winn-River Casino in Redding, CA.  When Joyce called for a reservation for their RV park she scored us a free night of camping vice a free room in the hotel.  It was also military appreciation night so we got 15% of our dinner in Elements Restaurant and $10 free play.

 We got up early on Tuesday morning and after stopping for some fuel, we jumped on I-5 heading north for Oregon.  I hated to buy fuel in California (3.60 a gallon) again but we wanted to make sure we had enough to get over the hills without having to buy some in Yreka.

 It rained most of the way up through Shasta but the driving was fairly easy over the passes and down into the Ashland area.  We decided to stop in Central Point to top off our propane tank and fill up with diesel again.  This time we paid $2.99 a gallon, a much more reasonable price.

 After fueling up it was just a few miles up the road to Valley of the Rogue State Park where we will be spending a couple of weeks.  Although this park is right on the interstate it is beautiful and you adjust to the highway noise pretty quickly.

 A couple of hours after getting set up in our site we welcomed the Glaspey Clan to the park.  It is great to see Jim & Jeanne, Ron and Tisha and Dwayne & Donna again.

April 15, 2018

 On Thursday evening Jim, Jeanne, Joyce and I were invited on to Gary and Marcia Stevenson’s home in Grants Pass for dinner.  Gary and Marcia moved to this area from Oakridge this past year to be closer to their daughter Stephanie and her husband Jimmy and the new addition, Zane who is now four months old.

 Marcia made a delicious Chicken Parmesan dinner which was topped off with her homemade  mud pie that was amazing.  Thank you Gary and Marcia for your hospitality and even more for your friendship.

 On Friday Joyce, Jim, Jeanne and I met Gary and Marcia at the Taprock Northwest Grill in Grants Pass for drinks and appetizers.  The Taprock has several nice beers on tap and some of the best fried oysters I have ever eaten.  To make it really good it was happy hour so they had $1 off beer and half-price appetizers.  After appetizers Gary and Marcia joined the whole gang at the campground for a steak dinner.

The Gang

April 20, 2018

 On Tuesday morning Jere and Janet Scott came by for a visit.  Joyce has known Jere for may years, back to the days when she was in high school.  We drove over to Cave Junction for lunch at Taylor’s Sausage.

 Tuesday afternoon we welcomed Rick, Parry and Misty Stills to the park.  They are on their way home to Rathdrum, ID after a seven month road trip that took them all the way to Florida.  For supper I made some Taylor’s brats and Joyce fixed a killer German potato salad.

 On Wednesday we more or less just hung around the park.  Rick and I did make a no-notice inspection on the Rogue River VFW.  Gotta make sure they are keeping the beer cold don’t ya know.

 Rick and Patty brought some beef, chicken and pork fajita meat with them so we had a really great dinner.

Rick & Patty gettin' their Two-Step goin'

 Joyce had an appointment with an ENT doctor to check her ears on Wednesday.  For quite a while now she has had what we thought was fluid in her left ear and couldn’t clear that ear.  Come to find out Joyce has no fluid in that ear and has some permanent hearing loss.  She also has Tinnitus as well.  The doctor attributes then problems she has with her years of flying while in the Air Force Reserve.  So, when we get to Bend she is going to meet with the DAV Service Officer to file a claim for those problems.

 The Stills’ left yesterday morning and we moved over to spot F27 here at Valley of the Rogue.  We’ll be here until the 23rd when we’ll head up the road to Oakridge, OR.

April 21, 2018

 Last evening Joyce and I visited Jere and Janet Scott at their apartment in Rogue Valley Manor, a beautiful retirement community in Medford.  The Manor has every amenity you can think of including three dinning rooms, exercise  facilities, two golf courses and much more.  Jere and Janet treated us to dinner in one of the dining rooms and it was delicious.

I took a little road trip over to Brookings, OR

Harris Beach State Park

This is where Joyce and I get our mail delivered

April 27, 2018

 On Sunday evening Gary and Marcia had us over for supper again.  They had prepared a delicious prime rib with all the fixings.  Thanks again Gary and Marcia for the hospitality while were were in southern Oregon.

 Monday morning we packed up and made the short drive up to Tri City RV Park near Myrtle Creek.  After getting setup in our site we drove down to the Seven Feathers Casino for supper.

 After a good nights sleep we hooked up and headed up the Jim and Jeanne Glaspey’s RV Park in Oakridge, OR.  Jeanne is down in California so Jim, Joyce and I went down to Mountain Pizza for supper.

 On Wednesday Jim and I tackled replacing the motor for our entry door steps which quit working on our way up to Oakridge.  I had ordered a new one a couple of weeks ago from Amazon (it actually is made to fit the drives window on a 1886/87 Thunderbird) but when Jim got under the coach and and looked at the old one he discovered I had actually received the on for the passenger’s window.  After turning the motor around Jim thought it would actually work if it was mounted 180 degrees and by gosh it did.  Problem solved.

 Yesterday Joyce played a round of golf while Jim changed the back right brake on his toy hauler.  Me?  I gave him a lot of moral support.
Done for now.  later.

Barry & Joyce