June 16, 2013

06/09/2013

Last night we had all the hosts plus Scott Brown (Park Manager) and Eric Isman (Ranger) over for a BBQ pulled-pork supper to celebrate my birthday.  The food was delicious and the conversation was lively.

 Joyce and Carol hiked the new Summit Trail.

06/13/2013

On our two days off Joyce and I took a short road trip up to the Columbia Gorge.

After a beautiful drive up through the mountains and just to the west of Mount Hood, we arrived in the little town of Hood River.  We stopped at the Full Sail Brewing Company where we had lunch one the deck overlooking the Columbia River.

Our next stop was to check out the Deschutes River State Recreation Area, a small park that mainly caters to fisherman.

Our next stop was to cross the bridge at Biggs, OR into Washington and go see Maryhill Stonehedge.  This replica of the one in England was commissioned by Samuel Hill as a memorial to those that died in World War I and is the first of it's kind in the United States.

The next item on our agenda was to visit the Maryhill Museum of Art, just west on Hwy 14.

Since it was getting late in the day and close to dinner time, we drove back to Hood River, checked into our hotel and then headed to a recommended restaurant, the 3 Rivers Grill.  If you have a chance to visit Hood River, be sure to have lunch or dinner at this outstanding eatery.

Tuesday started out very cloudy with a lot of wind.  However, nothing was going to stop us from our appointed rounds.

First stop, Viento and Ainsworth State Parks to check out hosting opportunities.  If you like trains, you'll be right at home in these parks but they are not for us.

After leaving Ainsworth we drove west on historic Hwy 30 where we stopped at a couple of water falls.  We skipped Multnomah Falls as both of us had seen it before.  Also on the road is a "must see", the Vista House.

Next stop, the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center and Museum in The Dalles.  If your ever in the area don't miss this great museum.  The cafe' there is really good.

We then headed south on Hwy 197 out of The Dalles headed toward the little town of Maupin, making a side trip to check out White River Falls State Park.  The park hosts there must like to be "one with nature" as they had a full-size bed set up out on the lawn next to their trailer.

 

Joyce took some great pictures of the sunset here last night.

Until next time.

Barry & Joyce

June 7, 2013

05/23/2103

On Monday we drove up to Reno and met up with Joyce's mother, brother and sister-in-law at the Atlantis Casino Resort.

On Tuesday Frank and I toured the National Automobile Museum.  The majority of the automobiles were once owned by Bill Harrah, the founder of Harrah's Hotels and Casinos.

Just a small sampling of the automobiles in the museum's collection.

05/26/2013

After leaving Reno, we decided to drive over the mountains to Lake Tahoe instead of doing the very boring I-80 route.  It was a beautiful day and of course Lake Tahoe was beautiful as always.

Lake Tahoe is a beautiful place!

We had planned to to eat lunch in one of the casinos in South Lake but all but one was closed during the week.  So we punted and discovered The Beach Hut Deli.  Joyce and I both thought that our sandwiches we some of the best we have ever had.

After returning to Travis, we did laundry and generally relaxed.  Joyce did visit with Don Rickett who was her boss when she worked at Ramp Services.

On Friday we hooked up and headed north to Oregon with a stop for one night in Redding, CA.  Traffic in I-5 was very heavy with numerous weekend warriors heading out for the Memorial Day holiday.

We made it into Oakridge, OR and to Jim and Jeanne Glaspey's home about 3 PM yesterday.  The drive up through Lake Shasta was beautiful and the traffic wasn't nearly as bad.  We'll be here until we go over to Smith Rock State Park on Friday.

05/27/2013

Yesterday we all pilled into the Glaspey's car and drove up to Portland to look at toy haulers.  Jim and Jeanne are contemplating getting a new rig so they wanted to check out the 2014 Voltages.  Man, the manufacturer's have really upgraded toy haulers over the past few years.  Most of the higher-end rigs come with six-point auto leveling systems, at least 2 TV's, stereo surround sound and even Blue Ray players.  A couple we looked at had 14 cubic foot side-by-side refrigerator's and many other amenities.

Another one we looked at was the Heartland Cyclone 4000.  This guy is a very high-end rig with just about everything you would want in a 5th-wheel.  This model even has a bath tub!

05/28/2013

On Monday Gary and Marsha Stevenson invited us along with Chuck and Susan Svendsen to their home for dinner.  Marsha made a delicious Italian meal, the wine was fantastic and the conversation was lively.  What an night!

06/01/2013

Our visit in Oakridge came to end way to soon yesterday when we had to pack up and move to our first hosting gig here at Smith Rock State Park.  Joyce decided to ride her scooter the 120 miles which is the most she has ridden it in a long time.

So, here are the stats of this trip from St. Augustine, FL to Smith Rock:
Miles Driven:  7216
Fuel Used:  565
Average MPG: 12.7
Average Price:  $3.96
Total Cost For Fuel:  $2237.40

It is really good to be back in Central Oregon and at this beautiful park.  We're hosting with Jerry & Marylyn Howlett from Grass Valley, CA and Bill & Carol Smith who call Bend, OR home but are actually full-timer's like us.  We have a great crew and we can't wait to get started.

Yes, that is a lot of money but we both agree that the trip back to Florida was totally worth it.  We were able to see some amazing things and places, do a couple of cruises and spend time with Harold, Michelle, Abigail and Skyler.  There is no way you can put a price one that!

I told y'all that I would report on the performance of Wilson Electronics Sleek Cell Signal Booster that we purchased from 3G Store a few months ago.  In addition to the basic unit, we also bought the Home/Office accessory kit and a charging adaptor for our Verizon Jetpack.

During the short time we have had the Sleek, our cell tower signals have been boosted at least two or three bars.  Here at Smith Rock we have a weak 4G signal at one or two bars but with the Sleek connected the Jetpack is at a full five bars with very fast internet.   Ya gotta love this guy!

06/03/2013

Yesterday we moved into our parking site in the bivouac area where we will spend the next two months.  Our "regular" rock hippies aren't here this year but have been replaced with a whole new bunch.

The grand opening for the new Smith Rock Visitor Center was held on Saturday the 1st.

Golden Eagle.  This beautiful gal is 17 years old.

Steve, our resident "Snake Man".

06/07/2013

Yesterday I turned a new page in my life and found out I am not 65 years old.  Where did all that time go anyway?

Tuesday I had two medical appointments in Bend; one with my Optometrist and to have a bone density test.  Both went well.  However, when I checked in with the young lady in Dr. Mathews office, she said in a very bubbly voice, "Oh.  I see you are on Medicare now."  I probably shouldn't say what I thought about that!

Last year I when I had my eyes checked I didn't have to pay anything out of pocket except for a small co-pay.  Now that I am on Medicare and Tricare For Life, I had to pay $40 for a part of my exam.  So, so far this month I have had to pay $105 for Medicare Part B plus the forty bucks!  What the hay?  The gal that took my credit card said, "Welcome to the new Medicare".  I'm thinking I wish I could stay on Tricare Standard.

More later!

May 19, 2013

05/03/2013

We've been here at the Edwards AFB Famcamp for a few days now and have been very busy.

On Wednesday we drove down to San Diego to visit our daughter-in-law Adrian who has been going to graduate school at San Diego State since Justin has been deployed.  We had a really nice visit and had a wonderful pizza dinner.

Justin will be getting home tomorrow from his deployment in Afghanistan.  It has been a long ten months for him and I can assure you, a very long one for Adrian and us as well.  During our visit with Adrian we learned that he has been honored with an assignment as a company commander.  More details on that will follow.

Since it was such a long drive to San Diego, we got a room at Miramar Marine Corps Air Station which turned out to be only 10 miles from Adrian's apartment.  So we spent the night there and returned to Edwards yesterday morning.

05/05/2013

On Friday we drove out into the desert to find a Geocache near the YB-49 Crash Site, northwest of Edwards.  The base is named for the test pilot, Captain Glen Edwards who was the pilot.  More images here:  https://www.google.com/search?q=yb-49+crash&client=firefox-a&hs=7FO&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=-I2GUd3kNOX4igKSnYCIBw&ved=0CDEQsAQ&biw=1467&bih=753

We then spent the evening with John and Melay Marcrum who live in Lancaster.  John fixed us a very tasty rib and sausage dinner and we had a great time catching up.  Thanks very much John and Melay for your hospitality and friendship.

Yesterday morning we hooked up and headed over the Tehachapi Pass and down into the San Joaquin Valley, arriving at NAS Lemoore about 3 PM.  We're going to stay here tonight and then head up to Fresno tomorrow morning.

05/06/2013

Since there isn't a whole lot to do and see in this part of the Central Valley, especially near Lemoore, we have been just kicking back.  We got our laundry done (free here), got some cleaning done and not much more.

Today we are heading up to Fresno to spend a week visiting my mother and the rest of the family.

05/10/2013

Joyce and Mother took a drive up to one of the local casinos on Wednesday so that Joyce could make her donation to the local welfare fund.  Then, they decided to go do it again today!  Later in the evening we had supper with my brother Alan and his wife.

Mother's computer, which she has had since 1993, finally died, so yesterday Joyce and I took her to the Apple Store "to look around".  It didn't take her long to decide on a new iMac with all the bells and whistles.  It's a beautiful go-fast machine and will serve her needs very well.

05/14/2013

Yesterday we moved up to Calistoga to visit Joyce's family.  If you haven't driven in California lately, watch out!  The roads that we took from Fresno to here were bumpy, full of cracks and generally a mess.  Highway 12 from Lodi to Fairfield was very bad.  For most of the way I never got over 50 MPH and for 90% of the drive I had to stay below 40 MPH.

05/18/2013

We had a very good time visiting with the family in St. Helena and of course, the time went way to fast.  We're going to need to spend more time in the Napa Valley the next time we come back.

Yesterday morning we made the short run to Travis AFB and are now parked in the Famcamp.  We're going to be here for a week visiting friends and attending the 7th, 44th and 86th Military Airlift Squadron's reunion.

The first event was held last night at the Hometown Buffet in Vacaville.  Thirty-seven folks showed up and we all had a great time.  Some tall stories, er...lies were told and a lot of laughter was heard all over the restaurant.  On young man stopped me and asked what was the occasion.  When I told him, he laughed and said his company would never have anything like that.  There is something really special about being part of an organization that you want to see your co-workers again.

Yesterday, the reunion day started with a visit to the C-141B, 63-8088 here on Travis AFB.  Being onboard that beautiful lady brought back many memories of my Air Force career including my younger days in aircraft maintenance when I worked on her as a young airman in the 602 Organizational Maintenance Squadron, then to my last flight as a flight engineer.  What a ride!

 With my best friend, Jim Glaspey.

 Is it time for crew rest?

 Jim's normal position during cruise!

Jeanne Galspey...Hey Engineer, Before Starting Engines Check Please.

 With Troy Fore, Ed Zakarakas

 Engineer...Arm the doors please!

Later we gathered at Pippo's Ranch in Vacaville for the main party.  I won't go into all the detail but suffice it to say there were a lot of war stories told, a good amount of adult beverages consumed and even a few tears were shed.  It was good to see all my "old" friends again.

7th & 44th Members.

86th Members.

This morning Joe and Lori Martin took Joyce and I out for a delicious brunch at the Cast Iron Grill & Bar in Suisun City.  It is always nice to reconnect with good friends again, especially with Joe and Lori.