June 2011

June - from the Pacific Coast to the Northern Plains

The scenery and the things we have done while RVing along the Pacific Coast Highway since April has been nothing short of spectacular. What we find great about roaming through retirement is when the yearning to be with family and friends calls, we just do it. By mid-June, we left the PCH and spent the remainder of June and half of July in Idaho, North Dakota, Minnesota and Kentucky. Plus, we have not missed a single birthday of any of our five grandchildren, and this year will be no exception. Clara turned five years old on the first day of summer. All these pictures can be enlarged by clicking on them. Enjoy. Let us know what you are up to by clicking on this email link Larry and Glorine.


	The natural beauty of the Oregon coast pretty much speaks for itself, but there is also some man made stuff that comes out of nowhere and becomes a WOW! Here we are entering Gold Beach on Highway 101 and came across this bridge, built in 1931, spanning the Rogue River before dumping into the Pacific Ocean. Gold Beach got its name from all the prospectors who panned the Rogue River for gold back in the 1850s.	Coos Bay was our first stop along the Oregon Coast. We did not know what to expect, especially after touring the Redwoods, but we were not disappointed. We stayed at a great RV resort with all the amenities. Here we are walking the boardwalk and ran into this fish market that had just brought in a load of fresh crabs. Our options were to take them raw, cooked, or eat them there. We chose the latter and loved every bit of them.

	Coos Bay is the largest city on the Oregon Coast. The bay is in the form of a large horse shoe which surrounds Coos Bay and its sister city, North Bend. Along with fishing, it has a rich history of ship building and timber. Here is just one of a dozens of marinas that line the bay, from which comes some of the finest sea food we had eaten on our trip thus far.	On the drive along the coastline south of Coos Bay we came across Shore Acres State Park, which overlooks the ocean, but what makes this so unique is the acres and acres of flowers, a large gazebo (which on the day we were there, hosted a fiddlers contest), a large Chinese pond and a museum showcasing the people who gifted this property to the state.

	We departed from the coast highway and took the SUV on the Seven Devils highway, which was appropriately named. Here we saw the remnants of clear cutting, which appears to have been done some time ago with no reforestation, which is now required. The highway was mostly dirt and gravel with little signage, which meant we drove down the same road a couple of times.	Oregon sports 11 lighthouses, most of which were built in the 1800s. This is Coquille River Lighthouse located in Bandon, about 50 miles south of Coos Bay. It is one of a few building that withstood a large forest fire back in the 1930s. Most lighthouses are relics of the past, passed up by automated beacons and Global Positioning Systems. But they are still nice to see.

	About a mile from Bandon is another state park called Face Rock, which resembles a woman's face. There is an American Indian legend about this spot. "Some say they hear a maiden's voice from the wind when standing on the cliff overlooking the ocean." The hiking trail along this area is well maintained and fun to explore sea shells when the tide is low.	Clamming and crabbing is great in nearly every part of Coos Bay. Crabs are meatier in the fall and winter, but still good eating in the summer. Here is one of several commercial fishing companies ready for another day on the water

	As we drove past this pile of oyster shells, I remembered my Mom and Dad feeding crush oyster shells to our laying hens. They are a good source of calcium to make the eggs harder. They say that oyster shells are also good for controlling garden snails and slugs. Some of these shells are used for crafts, but the vast majority wind up in landfills.	While ship building was once a big industry in Coos Bay, now it is more into rebuilding boats and yachts. Here we drove through an area along the bay that looked more like a junk yard for old crafts, but saw a couple being totally retrofitted into beautiful wooden yachts.

	After a week in Coos Bay, we crossed the mountains (actually we went through the mountains) over to Central Oregon to start prepping for a month vacation in North Dakota and Minnesota. The road was great and the views spectacular. On this trip we saw sun shine, rain, fog and even some snow (thank goodness it was alongside the road).	Larry's sister Claudia and Lou came from Salem to La Pine for an overnight visit. Thanks to them, we got into RV membership, which gives deep discounts to some of the nicest RV resorts in the USA. One of the requirements is a "home park" which Claudia transferred to us. This is it--Cascade Meadows. Once we acquired it, we bought into three membership groups - Resorts of Distinction, Resort Parks International and Coast to Coast. Glorine calculated our savings and from the time we started our trip in Santa Barbara to here, we paid for our entire year's membership.

	In route to North Dakota, we spent a few days in Boise visiting friends and acquaintances. Here Brian (a former colleague of Larry's) and his wife Lisa is sampling rum and Tequila and deciding on which cigar we brought back from our Caribbean vacation to accept as a gift. Between visiting friends, we also got the RV into Camping World for its annual checkup and some warranty work.	The drive from Idaho to North Dakota was long (two days), but the splendor of the Rockies were spectacular. Here it is - the middle of June, and most of the mountains were still covered with snow. This late snow melt and larger than normal rain fall is causing lots of flooding problems throughout the Northern Plains down to St. Louis.

	Our first stop in the North Dakota was with Larry's twin sister, Lorraine and her husband Frank. Hard to believe we are nearly 65 years old, although Lorraine still looks 20 years younger. We spent the night and had a great time reminiscing and catching up on kids and grandkids. Frank and Lorraine are both proud antique collectors and have it all nicely displayed in their spacious basement. It is starting to look like a museum.	Here is one of approximately 800 homes in the Bismarck Mandan area that were either destroyed or severely damaged by the rising waters of the Missouri River. As of the end of June, more than 4,000 people have been forced from their homes on both sides of the river. High water is expected through August as water is released 60 miles upstream from the Garrison Dam, at a rate of up to 150,000 cubic feet per second. These flood waters are the highest recorded since the dam was built back in the 1950s.

	Here is one of several sand spiders machines used to fill millions of sand bags used to save the homes throughout the Bismarck Mandan area.	And here are pallets of sand bags ready to be picked up by anyone who needed them.

	Here we are dinning out with three of the five of Glorine's siblings who live in Bismarck/Mandan. Marlene is the one sitting by Glorine and Ray is the second from the right. The rest of us are in-laws and two nieces. Thank goodness, none of these family members had homes near the flood area. Great food and no one had to do dishes.	As luck would have it, Larry's cousin and buddy, Dennis Barnhardt and his wife Nancy from near Tucson were in Bismarck visiting family. Here is Dennis hiding behind those sunglasses; along with several of us family members who came to help him celebrate an early """70th""" birthday bash. Happy Birthday buddy - and many more!!!!

	Here is another Dennis, who became friends with Larry when they both worked at the Capitol in Bismarck back in the 1980s. Here we are at their new home north of Bismarck as Dennis and Larry pose for this picture with cigars and rum we brought back from the Caribbean. Dennis's wife Betty prepared the most scrumptious dinner. It was another great evening in the "old country".	On to the Twin Cities to spend a couple of weeks with our daughter Denise, her husband Craig and their kids, Clara and Chase. Here we are at the State Fair Grounds where they were hosting their annual vintage car show. Larry once had one of these - a 1948 Ford five passenger business coupe. After the engine went out, it sat in a corn field for nearly 20 years before Larry gifted it to one of his godsons who promptly sold it for $250.

	Of the many cars Larry went through as a youngster, his 1957 Chevy two door coupe was his favorite. Looking like this one, but only "GTO Rally Green" he replaced its original 6 cylinder with a 327 cubic inch V8 engine and a four speed transmission. After driving it for about five years, he sold it to a guy in Kentucky for $500. Both the Ford and the Chevy are worth about $25,000 each today. Oh, if we had only known!!	Here is our birthday girl Clara. We helped stretch her birthday, which is the first day of summer, into a "birthday week". We got her this scooter that she took for a test ride one evening. Notice the helmet, knee and elbow pads. Yes she survived the test ride.

	As Clara moves into new toys, guess who is there to pick up the old ones - yes Chase. Here we are on a short ride to the nearby park to play on the swings and slide. It was another great night with the grandkids.	And yes, while we have five grandchildren, we still have two grand dogs, Pebbles and Bam Bam, both about 14 years old. For a long while, we thought all we would have were these two grand dogs. While a bit old, they still love their walks.

	In the middle of the Mall of America is a big amusement park called Nichilodeon Park. Here Clara spent another day of her "birthday week" celebrating it with Dora the Explorer and her friend Boots.	Here Clara and Chase are with Grandma Cherrie and Papa Al (Craig's Mom and step Dad). This is one of about thirty rides in the park, all of which Clara rode, if she was tall enough.

	Here Grandma Glorine and Chase were riding on a race car that spun around so fast, it made you hold on for dear life. Doesn't look like it is phasing Chase any!	One of the last rides of the day was the log chute. Here Grandma Glorine, Grandpa Larry, Clara and Chase are coming down a big water fall. It was so much fun, we did it twice. OK we got a little wet, but for grandkids, we would do anything.

	We got a chance to watch Chase learn a few new strokes in one of his swim classes. Swimming is a survival skill when one lives on a lake.	This is Clara's second year of swimming and is now mastering different strokes, like the back stroke. She just loves the water. She is also a water lover and has recently mastered the art of water skiing (with trainer skis) behind a boat.

	The day has finally arrived - Happy Birthday, Clara. Here she is with her playmates in the playhouse eating pizza. We think there were about 20 kids up there at one time. Larry and Craig assembled this playhouse a couple of years ago.	One of the traditions that has been a part of nearly every one of Clara's birthday party is the Pinata. All the kids are line up by age and size and each get three swings. Finally the last person in line swung it so hard that all the candy flew out. And everyone was grateful.

	Ah!! Time for the "Birthday Cookie"! Yes, rather than the traditional cake, Clara wanted a couple of giant birthday cookies. They were the size of a big pizza and it was a big hit.	Denise is a great birthday organizer. This year she had horse heads and poles all ready for the kids and all they had to do was decorate the head. Some were quite innovative. Then she lined the kids up by age groups and had horse races. The kids loved it, as well as the parents.

	After the birthday week, we jumped on an airplane to spend time with a couple of our dear Kentucky friends. Here is Larry with his college buddy Scott and his wife Joy. Joy is struggling with a bout of Leukemia, but is being treated at a great cancer treatment center at the University of Kentucky near their home. Best wishes Joy - our thoughts and prayers go to you and Scott for a quick and full recovery.	Down the road a bit, is one of Glorine's dear friends Diane and her husband David. Glorine and Diane worked together back in the early 1970s when we first moved to Kentucky. They have RVed with us a couple of times and are lots of fun to be with. They have a beautiful home that they built in the country near the university that Larry went to.

	It is the last day of June and we are back in North Dakota, this time for the big Barnhardt reunion. This is one of many "pre parties" to get ready for the reunion. Here is Larry's nephew Randy and Marla, who spent a week in Mexico with us last year. He works in the oil fields in Western North Dakota and unfortunately duty called and he had to miss the reunion. But he is enjoying this evening.	Here are the Barnhardt boys! Well at least the older ones - Larry with his brothers Bob and Jack. Bob lives in Nebraska and Jack lives in Bismarck. They are among five Barnhardt siblings who had daughters, all born in 1961. This year they all turned 50 years old. This is the reason for the reunion. But you will have to wait for our July website to get a glimpse at all the fun we had.

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June's web page includes June 1 through June 30.