August 24, 2019

August 3, 2019

 Sadly, we left Smith Rock State Park on Thursday the 1st and headed across the hills to Jim and Jeanne’s B&B and RV Park in Oakridge.  We had an easy drive with just one stop for lunch and rolled in here at 2 PM.

Had a visitor the day before leaving Smith Rock.  I darned near stepped one this guy.

Before leaving Smith Rock.

 Jim and I went down to the barn where we have had our 8X12 foot covered trailer parked since we started full-time RVing and brought it up to the house.  We then started the major task of cleaning it out.

 Our plan was to pack everything we wanted to keep in our car and then get rid of everything else.  Well, after looking at all the “stuff” we had in the trailer we quickly realized that that was going to be a challenge.

 Both Joyce and I fretted all night about that problem.  We both woke up very early yesterday morning and discussed our options.  So the plan now is to go through everything in the trailer, pack up what is irreplaceable like our military mementos, some of my Masonic books and other things and leave them in the trailer.  We will then come back out to Oregon next spring, rent a small moving van and then drive back to Florida.

 Joyce and I made a major dent in the sorting process yesterday morning.  We went through several boxes and then put the “keeper stuff” in plastic bins.  Jim and I then took two loads to St. Vincent’s DePaul in Oakridge.  We will be working again today and I think we can get everything done.

 Also, Joyce got her scooter sold yesterday.  A gal who lives in Oregon City bought it for full price and then rode it back home.

August 8, 2019

 Joyce and I got all the sorting done in the trailer on Sunday.  Jim and I made three trips to Saint Vincents DePaul in Oakridge with stuff we decided to donate and then one trip to the dump to get rid of some junk.

 Yesterday we drove up to Seattle to an Airbnb for a two night stay before we go on our Alaska cruise on Friday.  We are staying in a really nice place on NE 41st St.  We have found that staying in Airbnb’s are a lot nicer and for the most part cheaper than staying in hotels.

 After getting settled in we got an Uber to the Sand Point Grill for supper.  Although they said they have parking we decided to take Uber and are glad we did.  All of the parking in that area was full.

 After having drinks we had a delicious dinner.  I chose their halibut that was the very best I have ever had.  Joyce chose the cioppino that she thought was very good.

 On Thursday we took an Uber to the huge Pike Place Market to take a food and culture tour of the market.  Our guide John gave us a lot of information about the market and took us to some really great food shops.  We tasted everything from the most delicious yogurt we have ever tasted to some outstanding chocolates.  We bought some truffle salt at the Truffle Queen that we can’t wait to try on popcorn.

 If you have never been to Pike Place put it on your bucket list.  One of on the places you have to visit is the Pike Place Fish Market where they throw fish.  It’s amazing.  You could spend a couple of days wandering around the market and then maybe not see everything.  Read more here:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pike_Place_Market

August 10, 2019

 Yesterday we took the short drive from our Airbnb to the Port of Seattle to board Royal Caribbean’s Ovation of the Seas for our Alaskan cruise. This is our third cruise to Alaska and the first time on this ship.

 After a very easy checkin process (it pays to have loyalty status) and getting on the ship, I headed to the Schooner Bar for a cold one  and Joyce went up to the spa to make her thermal suite reservations.

August 19, 2019

 The cruise cruise to Alaska was outstanding.  Since this was our third cruise to Alaska in Juneau I stayed on the ship in and Joyce got off to buy some t-shirts.  In Skagway we took the White Pass Train excursion that was really interesting.  The next day our captain took us up to the Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier that was beautiful to say the least.  After another day of cruising we arrived in Victoria, British Columbia.  Joyce decided to go into town while I elected to stay on the ship.

Towel Sculptures

 After getting off the ship we made the drive back down to Jim & Jeanne’s B&B and RV Park where we were greeted by Jim and Rick & Patty Stills who were down from Rathdrum, ID.  We had a good time visiting and telling stories about our days flying the C-141 Starlifter.

August 23, 2019

 Joyce and I packed everything up and left Oakridge on Wednesday, jumped on Hwy 58 and headed east where we picked up Hwy 97 south then I-5 in Weed, CA.  We stopped in Klamath Fall to get fuel so we will only have to buy minimal diesel in California.  We arrived at the Elks Lodge in Red Bluff, CA.  After getting setup we went inside and had a drinks before enjoying a great Chicken Parmesan supper.

 After a good nights sleep we headed south on I-5 headed to Travis AFB, CA., arriving here at the Famcamp about 1:30.  After plugging in the power cord and running our coach on their 50 amp connection we noticed some of the power kicked off.  I checked the GFI in the bathroom and that was OK.  After checking our surge protector I saw that we had lost on leg of power at the plug.  I got that reset and all seemed to be good.

 Joe and Lori Martin picked us up at 4:30 to out for dinner at the Chevy’s in Fairfield.  I served with Joe, who was a C-5 Galaxy flight engineer, when we were at the 60th Air Mobility Wing Aircrew Standardization here at Travis.  We had a good supper and great conversation reminiscing about “the good old days”.  And hey, Joe even picked up the check.  Thanks for a great time guys.

 When we go back to the motorhome all of a sudden we started loosing power again.  So after messing with the power connections for a while I finally hooked up to the 30 amp plug and all was good for the night.

 This morning I went to the office to report the problem.  The park host said that they had the same problem the day before yesterday and had an electrician out who work for four hours who “fixed” the problem with a new plug and wiring.  I didn’t ask why someone in the park didn’t checkout his work but I should have.  Anyway, we had to move to another spot today and everything is good now.

Gotta throw in some family pictures.

Move later.

Barry & Joyce

July 31, 2019

June 27, 2019

 As most of you know I have had problems in the past with my legs and have had both of them “rotor-routed” a couple of times.  A couple of months ago I started having some pain in my left calf again so I asked my cardiologist to refer me to a vascular surgeon to get examined.  On the 26th I had an appointment at Oregon Vascular in Bend.

 They did an ultrasound of both my legs and technician told me that blood was flowing good on in my right leg but not so good on the left.  In the afternoon I had another appointment to see Dr. Nelson who recommended I have angioplasty done on the leg.

 During the procedure Dr. Nelson put in two stents in the leg just below the knee to make sure the artery stays open.

June 29, 2019

 So far is going well after my leg was cleaned out.  I did have some minor pain in my calf yesterday but that has now gone away.  My surgical nurse called to check on me yesterday morning and told me that that is normal since the lower part of my leg hasn’t had that much blood flowing for some time.  I’m not ready to run a marathon yet but I am feeling much better.

July 1, 2019

 Today we will be saying goodbye to Jerry and Marilyn Howlett who we have been hosting with here at Smith Rock for ten years.  We first them at our Initial Host Training in Salem back in 2008 and we became good friends.  Adios treasured friends.  Good luck with your new home building and safe travels always.  We love y’all and hope to see you again sooner rather than later.

 Yesterday we had Quentin and Carine Malrain from France visit Smith Rock.  They are driving their modified 1948 Citroën 2CV from southern Peru all the way to Purdue Bay, Alaska and then all the way across Canada.  Check them out here: http://ptiket2ride.free.fr and https://www.facebook.com/PtiKet2Ride

July 2, 2019

 This morning we sadly said goodbye to our friends Jerry and Susan Wentzel.  We met them several years ago have hosted with them here at Smith Rock for several years.  We hope to see y’all again soon.

July 5, 2019

 We had a relatively quiet 4th of July, just the way we like it here at Smith Rock.  We did have a lot of visitors and campers but since it was hot a lot of folks stayed away.

July 27, 2019

 Wow, I can’t believe how fast time has flown by.

 We have stayed pretty busy here at the park.  Even though it has been hot the last couple of weeks we are still experiencing a lot of visitors and campers.

 On Tuesday we took our RV to Dale The Mobile Mechanic to have it serviced.  Including all the parts, labor and fluids it cost us $1213.  Hey, he did give us a $26 veteran discount.

 Last evening Smith Rock hosted Hunter Noack, a classical pianist who grew up in Sunriver, OR.  For the past few years Hunter has been traveling all over Oregon with his 1912 9 foot Steinway piano doing what he calls the “ In A Landscape" tour.

 Hunter played several pieces from Beethoven and Chopin to some more modern classical works.  One (that I can’t remember the name or composer that wrote it), was the highlight of the night for me.  Before playing the song Hunter told a story of what he thinks about when he plays it.  He imagines himself standing in a beautiful meadow and off in the distance there is a mill.  He is drawn to the mill and the closer he gets the sound of a milling machine gets louder and louder.  Then he sees a worker standing nearby who is gazing out the window and Hunter thinks he is day-dreaming about the beautiful sunshine.  So, when Hunter plays the song he tries to emulate those feelings on the keyboard.  I closed my eyes, listened closely and I could actually feel the machine getting louder and louder.  Then Hunter is planing this beautiful melody representing the day-dreaming worker.  Next, the music changes to represent the milling machine consuming the day-dream and then finishes with a soft ending.  It was amazing.

The following pictures were taken by another photographer.

 During the concert Hunter was joined by James Edmund Greeley, an American Indian with tribal ties to Hopi from the Mesa people of Arizona and Warm Springs-Wasco from the Columbia River people of Oregon.  James played two songs, one on a small flute that was made by his mother and the another on a more traditional flute.  The second tune morphed into “Amazing Grace”.  That was the night’s highlight for Joyce.

Here are a few more web sites about Hunter and James:

https://expo.oregonlive.com/life-and-culture/g66l-2019/06/917c1e44326306/pianist-hunter-noack-takes-classical-music-outdoors-with-in-a-landscape-series.html

https://www.opb.org/television/programs/artbeat/segment/piano-oregon-tour-hunter-noack/

http://www.warmsprings.biz/flutist/index.html

https://jamesedmundgreeley.bandcamp.com

Until next time.

Barry & Joyce

June 24, 2019

June 6, 2019

 Happy Birthday to me.  Yep, made one more trip around the sun and here’s hoping for many more.

 It’s hard to believe Joyce and I have been volunteering at Smith Rock State Park for 12 years.  To be sure we’ve seen a lot of changes over the years, some good and some not so good.  One of the major changes is the number of folks visiting the park each year.  A few years ago Smith Rock was named one of the Seven Wonders of Oregon which put Smith Rock “on the map” so to speak.  The number of visitors has increased dramatically which has had a huge impact on the park.  It is good to see folks out enjoying the park whether it is rock climbing, hiking or just admiring the beauty of the area.

 Of course, with the increase in visitors we’ve seen more litter and some thefts, especially in the bivouac area.  Back a few years ago you could leave just about anything laying around and no one would touch it.  Not any longer.

These pictures were taken by Amy who hikes the Summit Trail a lot.

 One of the things we do every year when in the Bend area is get our “doctoring” done.

 On May 1st I had an appointment with Dr. Walker, my cardiologist.  My blood pressure was running a tad high using our home machine so I wanted to have him to check me out.  When the nurse took my blood pressure, although high, it wasn’t nearly as elevated as I thought.  However, when she did an EKG my heart rate was only 38 beats per minute.  Dr. Walker then scheduled me for a stress test.

  That test was done May 3rd and all seemed to be well.  Dr. Walker thinks that my high blood pressure might be pulmonary related so he recommended that we wait until I see Dr. Brewer, my pulmonary doctor to take any action.

 I had that appointment on May 30th and Dr. Brewer made an adjustment to my CPAP machine.  Hopefully that will help lowering my blood pressure.

 On June 3rd I had a followup visit with Dr. Walker to discuss the stress test results.  During that visit he found the pulse in both of my legs to be very weak.  As most of y’all know I have had problems with clogging in my legs in the past so this news got my attention.  Dr. Walker has scheduled an appointment with a vascular surgeon for the 25th.

 Today I had my annual appointment with Dr. Mathews, my ophthalmologist and all is well with my eyes.  At least a part of me is still working good.

 Joyce has been seeing her doctor’s as well.  Her visit with her primary doctor went well but Dr. Towle recommend she see an allergist.  She had that appointment last week and he recommended a change to her medication.

June 8, 2019

 I have started seeing Dr. Laura at Body Wise Chiropractic and Massage in Redmond last week to hopefully get some relief from the back pain I have been experiencing lately.  She is a very caring and thorough chiropractor who has done wonders for me in only two visits.  I plan to go twice a week for the rest of the time we are in the area.

June 9, 2019

 With the mild temperatures and light winds yesterday we got very busy here at Smith Rock.  Parking in the day use was scarce for most of the day and here in the Bivi area we had a lot of over-nighter’s.  We didn’t completely fill up but came very close.

June 12, 2019

 On Monday morning we took a drive over to Eugene to have Joyce’s new contacts and glasses checked by Dr. Stockstad.  After that was taken care of we then headed up to Oakridge to spend the night with Jim and Jeanne Glaspey.

 Joyce and I had bought some roof rails for our CR-V so that we could put a roof box on the top.  While Jim and I we preparing to install the rails Jim’s brother and sister-in-law Ron and Tisha showed up.  Ron jumped right in to help Jim get them installed.  Me?  I wound up being the gopher.

 That chore taken care of and after visiting for a while we all went to Mountain Pizza where we were joined with Dwayne and Donna Hayes for supper.  Jeanne had made a delicious German chocolate cake for my birthday.

 On the way back to Smith Rock we stopped in Bend to checkout a Thule car top box I had seen on Crag’s List.  The box was like new so we bought it for $275.  

June 14, 2019

 It’s never a dull moment around Smith Rock.  Last week we had a rescue for a rock climber who took a fall and shattered her ankle.  Then late yesterday afternoon there was another rescue.  This time it was for a lady who had stepped off the trail to let someone pass, slipped and took a tumble.

June 23, 2019

 Last Tuesday we took a drive up south of Sisters to Three Creeks Lake.  The road winds up past the Three Sisters and Broken Top mountains where you enjoy some spectacular views.  This time of year in the high country of Central Oregon you need bug spray and thankfully, we had some in the car.

 Yesterday we attended the wedding of Matt Davey and Kacey Epplett at the D&D Ranch just a couple of miles from Smith Rock.  Joyce and I actually introduced Matt and Kacey several years ago when Matt was a Ranger at Smith Rock and Kacey worked as a Seasonal Ranger at Tumalo State Park.  Matt will be taking over as the Manager here in July from Scott Brown who is transferring to LaPine State Park.

Abby and Skyler have been going to surf school in St. Augustine.

Later,

Barry & Joyce

June 5, 2019

May 23, 2019

 Not too much exciting has been going on here at Cline Falls lately.  Joyce had her annual physical yesterday and on Tuesday we got our dental checkups done.  The weather has been rainy and cold for the past week so we haven’t been out exploring very much.

  Joyce and I have been studying about hanging up the RV keys and settling down somewhere for a couple of years now but we just couldn’t come up with a place we both like.  Since we have grandchildren in St. Augustine, Florida and Southern Pines, North Carolina, one of the places we have looked at was the Charleston, South Carolina area.  We also have discussed living in the San Antonio, Texas area but we both think that is too far away from our family.

 As you can imagine, our lives have been turned upside down with the loss of Michelle’s husband.  Joyce and I feel that we need to be closer to her and within a descent driving distance from Justin and his family.

 All that being said, we have decided to head to Florida in August.  We still have a cruise out of Seattle booked in August so we’re going to park our rig at Jim and Jeanne Glaspey’s home in Oakridge while we do that trip.  As I write this we plan to leave Oregon in mid to late August and start working our way east.

 Neither Joyce and I want to live in that very touristy city so we have been looking in the Palm Coast area which is just a thirty minute drive south of St. Augustine.  The cost of living there is much more affordable and we will be close enough to Michelle to help her when she needs us.

 While we were in St. Augustine back in March we made a day trip down to Palm Coast to do some exploring.  Our first stop was at the Chamber of Commerce where we got maps and informational brochures about the area.  We then took a drive around some of the housing areas to get a feel for the town.  Another stop was at the Palm Coast Community Center where we got a note book of the activities that they offer.  Believe me, if you get bored in Palm Coast it’s your fault.

 Another thing that we have decided is not purchase a house right off the bat.  We’re going to rent for the first year or so and settle down, getting used to not moving every few months.

May 26, 2019

 Yesterday started out to be a very nice day but then about 4 PM we started getting some clouds and wind.  About 5 PM the skies opened up with a lot of rain which lasted until late in the evening.  Joyce and I have become used to this May weather in Central Oregon but it still is annoying.  The forecast for today is moistly cloudy but with no rain.

 I had planned to grill some steaks last night but with the rain coming down we decided to go out instead.  We started to go to the Mazatlan Mexican Restaurant but then decided on the Fiesta Mazatlan instead.  The Fiesta is part of the Mazatlan restaurants that are all over Oregon and I think are owned by the same family.  The food and service were excellent.

May 29, 2019

 On Monday we took a drive over to Oakridge to visit with Jim and Jeanne.  In the afternoon we all went down to Dexter for a barbecue at Jim’s brother’s home.  We all ate way too much but had a good time.

I don't know who lives in that house on the ridge but they sure have a great view:

June 1, 2019

 Yesterday we got the park cleaned up and after having lunch at Yi’s Wok, we made the move up to Smith Rock State Park.  This is our twelfth year hosting hosting here in one of the most beautiful places in Oregon.  Here are some web links that you might like to look check out:

https://smithrock.com

https://traveloregon.com/things-to-do/destinations/parks-forests-wildlife-areas/smith-rock/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smith_Rock_State_Park

https://www.mountainproject.com/area/105788989/smith-rock

Back in the Bivi.

More later.

Barry & Joyce

May 20, 2019

April 26, 2017

 We’ve had a good time at Valley of the Rouge State Park visiting with the Glaspey Clan;  Jim and Jeanne’s, Ron and Tisha and Dwayne and Donna Hayes.  It’s always a lot of fun when we all get together.

 We left Valley of the Rouge around 9 AM and headed up to Oakridge, OR. for a stay at Jim and Jeanne Glaspey’s B & B and RV Park, arriving about 2 PM.  We are going to be here for five days.

May 1, 2019

 We had a really good time visiting with Jim and Jeanne and also seeing some of our other Oakridge friends.  But as always good things must come to an end so yesterday morning we made the drive to Cline Falls State Scenic Viewpoint for our first hosting gig in Oregon State Parks this summer.  Cline Falls is located right on the Deschutes River off of OR Hwy 126 just west of Redmond.  It’s a day-use park that is poplar for picnicking, swimming and fishing as well as hiking down river to the actual water falls.

 The trip from San Antonio, TX to Cline Falls was about 1586 miles.  We averaged 8.0 MPG with an average cost $3.60 a gallon with the cheapest fuel at the Army & Air Force  Exchange at Fort Bliss, Texas and the most expensive being at the Flying J in Lodi, CA.

May 3, 2019

 Yesterday we got started with our duties here.  We clean the bathrooms, emptying trash cans and general litter picking.  Since this park is a “wayside” the bathrooms have to remain open all night and smoking is allowed.  If we have picked up one cigarette butt, I think we’ve picked up a million of them.  The scary part of that is we’ve noticed some folks just throw the butts on the ground without putting them out.

 Cline Falls was a pretty rowdy place a few years back with a lot of drunks and drug deals going on at night.  Oregon Parks banned alcohol use and put in a host site.  Also, Sheriff Deputies  and State Troopers drive trough on a regular basis.  All of that has made the park much nicer for park visitors and a really nice hosting gig.

 Today we are moving a lot of limbs that have broken off the trees caused by all the snow that Central Oregon had this past winter.  There is also a lot of litter picking to be done over the next few days.

 We then drove up to The Pump House Bar & Grill in Terrebonne to met up with our friends Jerry & Marylin Howlett and Jerry & Susan Wentzel.  We all host at Smith Rock State Park every year and always have a lot of fun when we get-together.

May 5, 2019

 We got a knock on the door early this morning from a guy who was fishing on the river and said he saw a cougar.  Said he heard a “growl” behind him, turned around and saw a small one on the small hill behind him.  He also said he saw one a couple of weeks ago when he was fishing up near Mt. Hood.  It is very unusual to see one cougar in your lifetime but to see two of them?  Amazing!

May 9, 2019

 On Monday Joyce and I took a road trip over to Salem to the Oregon Lottery Commission to collect Joyce’s winnings.  We then drove to Jim and Jeanne Glaspey’s home in Oakridge to get some medications that were mailed to their house .  We all went to supper at Mountain Pizza where we met up with more friends.

 We left Oakridge about 11 AM making a stop at Costco in Bend to pick up a few things then at Eye Mart to order new glasses for Joyce.

 Last night Joyce heard the cougar that has been hanging around here at Cline Falls.  She then saw a car speeding around the loop at about the same time.  We don’t know that that was all about but you never know what you might see here.

May 12, 2019

 We’ve been busy here at Cline Falls for the past week.  One of the things we have been working on is getting the lawn irrigation system up and running.  The park staff always shuts down the system during the winter so it takes some priming and replacing/adjusting the sprinkler heads in the spring.  We ran the system last night in automatic mode and all seems well.

 Another thing that needs attention is the pressure tank for the potable water system.  The pump was recently replaced but the tank needs replacing as well.  Hopefully that will be done this next week.

May 19, 2019

 Time sure flies when you’re havin’ fun.

 The nice weather here in the Redmond area was beautiful last week so the park has busy.  However, the last few days have been cool and rainy so the visitors have stopped coming for the most part.

 We did get that new pressure tank installed and so far it is working as advertised.

 Kacey, one of our rangers at Tumalo State Park (the management unit for us here at Cline Falls) was out the other day and did some work on the plumbing in the pipe chase and then started work on the irrigation system again.  Unfortunately she found a couple of leaks in the lines so yesterday she, Blythe and Kelli showed up to do some digging.  They found both leaks so when the weather breaks a little they plan to fix those.

 Speaking of Tumalo there have been some personnel changes.  Rangers Taylor and Jacob have left for new jobs.  So that leaves just Kelli and Blythe along with Kacey who is actually a seasonal at LaPine State Park but on loan to Tumalo.

More later.

Barry & Joyce