About 1923 Thursday And We................................

made it about a 110 miles down the road to Sand Lake to play in the sand dunes for the next couple of day. Doug, Tami and the Twerps will arrive tomorrow sometime. We didn't have a reservation and managed to find a spot that allows both satellite dishes to be set up so we're doing OK............I got my MTV and "B" wasn't without her internet for long enough to have affected her. We're both happy!

Took a little tour in the Rhino all the way to the back 40 and then came on home. This small portion of the Oregon sand dunes isn't very large but close enough to let you get your "sand fix" if you need one. Also, there are 4 geocaches located nearby, two more were placed in the dunes and two on the access roads so we'll probably go hunt them down tomorrow. Also Friday is Seafood Buffet at the Chinook Winds Casino in Lincoln City. It's about 30 miles or so away so we'll be driving down tomorrow to get our Dungness Crab Fix and we might even pick up some fresh oysters to put on the bar-b-que. Had a dozen of them the last time we were here..........unfortunately only 7 of them worked. Shoulda asked for some of my money back.

Becky was snapping pictures so am including some of them............if anyone from Arizona checks this out you'll be happy to learn that I'll probably be freezing my tail off.........it was about 68 degrees when we arrived and as soon as the sun fades away the temp will drop rapidly. Heck, there may even be ice on the windshield when we wake up in the morning!

Anyways, here's where our abode will be for the next few days, some pictures of the beach and sand dunes and we found a smooth area of sand where we could open up the Rhino (should have dropped into two-wheel drive and maybe we could have reached that elusive "50"). Last picture is the famous Haystack Rock that is located off shore from Pacific City. I suspect it's about 6 miles away as the crow flies.

Later, W&B

Thinking About Leaving Paradise Point...............

Park sometime tomorrow, loading up the Rhino and driving down to Sand Lake for the weekend. Weather forecast is good so maybe this trip we won't encounter the wind that we found at Coos Bay. I had an appointment at the VA Hospital this morning.........my CPAP machine was kinda acting up so Wednesday is the day they take care of that stuff. I walked in, waited about 10 minutes, told them what I thought the problem was and they picked up my own machine, checked me out on a new one, gave me some supplies and we were gone in about a total of 30 minutes. Nice to do business with them!!

We got home and decided to do our domestic chores so off to Woodland and the laundermat. I've been just sitting here "thinking" about tearing down the satellite dishes and stowing everything away..............as a matter of fact I've been "thinking" about it for the last hour or so.............maybe it can wait until tomorrow morning. No hurry to get to Sand Lake since I don't think we'll have any problem with finding a campsite.

Maybe more later from the sand dunes. W&B

Did A Little Caching Yesterday..........

with Larry and Audrey at the Milo McIver State Park near Estacada, OR. Nice day, warm and sunny and we saw another nice Oregon park that has a campground. Have to file it away as a nice quiet area where we can park the M/H for a few days.

Sunday we drove into Vancouver and found Doug working on his new Rhino, Tami and the Twerps were off to a birthday party and we never saw them. Yesterday Larry took us on a little tour of one of his caching areas...........he had already found the caches in the park and watched as we stumbled along, giving us hints when he could remember where the caches were hidden. Outside the park we found a historic Little Red Schoolhouse, last used about 1939 and since restored. It was complete with the little red outhouse out back. We revisited the Original Stash Cache, the spot where geocaching started back in 2000, took a few pictures of the plaque and displayed our geocoins which were given to us by "Jeep'en Jumpers", a frustrated cacher in Yuma who is presently swealtering in triple digit heat!!! Becky needed a picture taken of her walking stick "Frankinbears" at the holy shrine.

Remainder of the pictures show some of our caching finds. We met two old farts at the Original Stash Cache and shot the breeze with them for a while. One, "Old Grouch" was from Iowa and his friend "Tincuphunter" was a local Oregon cacher. We had crossed paths with them several times during the day. Becky will take a picture of anything...............she found a humongous, dead, timber rattlesnake that she took a picture of...........at least I think it was a gigantic timber rattler, although it could have been a garden snake.

Super nice day!!! W&B

Saturday Evening.......................

finds us back at Paradise Point State Park. We pulled in about 1500 this afternoon, got my MTV up and running and the internet as well. We'll be here until the 20th or 21st and then make a speedrun to California to keep a doctor appointment for "B". Should be back on the Oregon Coast for more sand duning the weekend of the 25th.

The rest of the troops headed straight back to Vancouver and "B" and I drove 101 up the Oregon Coast. We had planned on stopping at any state park where there was an opening.........never found a vacancy so we spent Friday night at the Spirit Mountain Casino. Had dinner there and we then contributed $10.00 to my poor Red Brothers. Breakfast at the casino this morning and we were losing some $$$s, winning some back and finally got on the road when we were 20 cents AHEAD!

Weatherman ses it's going to be hot for the rest of the weekend and then cool down to the low 80s for the rest of the week. No plans for next week............hoping to get hooked up with one of our Arizona buds, who's in Gresham, sometime to pad geocache numbers.

More later if anything interesting happens. W&B

Oh, click on this link to see where we are, we're users 3467.

http://map.datastormusers.com/user1.cfm?user=3467

Wednesday and Thursday...............

found us still trying to avoid heavy winds.........a task that's impossible here, the winds always blow; but, they are worse than usual. Got a picture of John actually tending to their dog, Lucy, instead of yelling at her, while Trace stuffed marshmellows down his face. Wednesday morning we all headed for Reedsport, Or since the Twerps wanted to try out the skateboard park there. They skated and some of us went searching for geocaches. Found 3 of them in Reedsport, 1 in Winchester Bay and a couple along the highway. Trace found one under a bunch of bushes but there were no "treasures" to trade. He made several trades and finally ended up with a figurine of a turtle dove.............go figure, he had a nice frog at one time???

We stopped alongside a view point on a cliff and Cassidy and Trace decided they'd jump off........it took them about 20 minutes to climb back up. Trace found a cache hidden under a boardwalk on the beach, he stepped on it and we all yelled "that's it!" Like those plastic containers. Cassidy found a cache near the Discovery Center and we spent some time browsing around there. A small restaurant had a humongous sign stating they had "Award Winning Chowder". I talked everyone in giving it a try. I gave the Old Crone in charge so much crap about when did they win the award, is the same cook still cooking, is there a money back guarantee, do I get a senior discount, etc. etc. etc. I actually thought she was going to toss my ass out of there. Anyway, the chowder was just "so so" and I didn't have the intestinal fortitude to advise her of same. I quietly paid the bill and slunk out of there.

Today we had to maintain tradition by driving down to Bandon, OR to buy new sweatshirts for the Twerps and stop for fish and chips. Tami and Becky had a big crab sandwich while Cassidy scoffed down some clam chowder. Trace stuck with his usual corndog. We messed around the pier, took a scenic drive along the shore line and finally came back to the sand dunes. Wind still blowing..................too much for this old guy to venture out into the sand so am updating Blog instead. Tomorrow we'll be heading back to Vancouver. Becky and I may drive up the coast and spend an overnight in Lincoln City...........or wherever we can find a vacancy in one of the Oregon State Parks. Rest of the troops will be driving straight back to Vancouver.

Here's some pics of our last two days. Later. W&B

Tuesday..................

we did a little caching yesterday, I think we found seven. The troops called us when they were about 25 miles away so back to the dunes we went to arrive shortly after they did. We found some caches tucked away in the brambles and you can see the results of my encounter with them. Becky and Cassidy started counting fire plugs when they noticed that they received some artistic touchs. We found the last cache in a park, Becky is holding it, and the guys who painted the fire plugs were hard at work painting another one. We wanted to talk to them but they finished up their artwork before we found the cache.........there's probably a story behind the painted fireplugs but guess that'll just have to wait for another day. The troops got everything unloaded and rigs parked, they went for a short ride and Becky and I went down town for some dinner and entertainment at the casino. Weather still sunny but wind is still blowing. Bummer.

Today we went out into the sand dunes to look around. Unknown to us at the time we made our reservations.............the Oregon Sand Fest was being held this week. They've got rigs parked all over the sand and vendors selling their junk. It costs $35.00 for an wrist band to enter the closed area............a little steep for my blood. The Twerps wanted to play in one of the "ponds" so we all drove out there and messed around. After awhile Doug managed to get his "idiot proof" kite in the air. Wind was really blowing hard and I thought it would drag Cassidy over the sand dunes............she doesn't have much beef on her butt for ballast. I worked on my sun tan while others played in the water and flew kites. I decided to give Doug's 4 wheeler a spin and after a brief outting I brought it back. I now remember why I only drive things with a steering wheel. We stopped by the entrance toSand Fest, confirmed that it cost $35.00 and then came back to camp. Doug met someone he used to work with who is the DJ at Sand Fest and he might possibly score some wrist bands for us. That would be the only way I'd attend.

More later if anything interesting happens. W & B & The Troops

Monday Morning.............

and we're at the sand dunes, Coos Bay, Oregon. Cassidy, Becky and I left Vancouver about noon on Saturday and took our time getting down here. We made a detour to Florence, OR and spent the night there at the port RV park. Got my TV hooked up when we arrived at the sand dunes yesterday but the wind was blowing pretty hard so didn't set up the internet until this morning. Doug, Tami, Trace are on the road and will probably get here early this afternoon. Nice, bright and sunny and the wind has calmed down, weather forecast calls for low 70s the remainder of our stay here. Here's some pictures of our last couple of days.

At Florence we drove out to the South Jetty and found an old pier extending out into the river. A seal was swimming around so we watched him for a while and then Cassidy and I found a rope tied onto the end of the pier. We pulled it up and it turned out to be a crab trap with a couple of nice crabs in it. We shoulda stole them. We found some great fish and chips in Florence, toured Old Town and kicked back with cable TV for the night. Yesterday morning we headed to the Hot Rod Grill for breakfast. A bunch of old car are scattered about and a statue, firmed bolted down, of Big Boy. A 1950 Ford is in the center of the restaurant where you can sit and eat. After that we drove up to Sea Lion Caves; but, we were too cheap to pay the price to take the elevator down to the caves. Becky did that last year.

Took pictures of the "famous" lighthouse...............it's so famous that I can't remember the name of it. Heceta Lighthouse, I think. Here's a pic of where we stayed in Florence and a pic of the bridge on the south end of Florence on 101. We drove to Charleston Basin to look for some fresh crab yesterday...........no luck at all, they had crab early in the morning but were sold out when we arrived. Man said it was too windy for the boats so they might have some more crab later in the week. We'll just have to call them. Crab was $6.99 a pound, cooked...............I remember when we paid $2.99 a pound a couple of years ago. We went to the Casino and had some clam chowder and while I lost $5.00 Becky and Cassidy strolled the boardwalk and took pictures. We drove down to the beach and Cassidy and I wedged a dime in a crack on one of the posts..........we'll check it next year to see if it's still there. Wind was blowing............as you can see. Here's where we're parked waiting for the crazies to arrived with the sand vehicles.

More later if anything interesting happens. W B & C

Recovering from North West Crud...........

and we ventured to Portland yesterday about noon to pick up the Twerp from his skateboarding class. Managed to get lost..........it's been a loooong time since I prowled that area of Portland.......about 36 years to be exact.... when I was stationed at the Navy Recuiting Office in downtown Portland. Anyway we found the place and this morning we got up nice and early to take him to his class at 0900. Cassiday hung around with the old folk today...........said her mother wasn't going to take her to work again today........never figured that one out. Maybe the Twerp will fold under more interrogation. We had time to burn before my doctor appointment so we toured NW Portland and found the old statue of Paul Bunyon. He used to be in a different location and the plaque indicated that he was refurbished and relocated in the mid 80s. Still a nice greeting to visitors to Portland.

We picked up Trace about 1300, made a stop at Wally World and then to Doug's house for the rest of the afternoon. I went in to the local clinic to get xrays taken of my knees as my doc figures the next step is a knee replacement. She zapped me with some cortisone injections and said she'd let me know results of xrays. Guess I'll have to get it done as I plan on taking up skateboarding as soon as possible. I'm even into the lingo.............like ollies, truck, fakies, goofyfoot, etc. etc. etc. A little more hanging around the skate pits and I'll be talking like a pro!

Later, no plans for the Fourth. W&B

Tuesday And All I've Done..................

for the past two days is spy on the neighbors as they come and go. Sunday evening I came down with the "Washington Crud" and haven't left the M/H since then. Maybe I can get out later this afternoon.............will probably have to as the old holding tanks are filling up. This state park is nice but no sewer connections at the campsites.................can't complain though 'cause the price is right. Better I get over the crud now before we leave for Coos Bay on Saturday. Last year at this same time I got sick when we went to Coos Bay so didn't get to play much in the sand dunes. Will be OK this time though.

Becky doing great but still has tendency to tire herself out too much. At least she rests whenever she feels the need.

Was supposed to be doing "grandfatherly" duties this week..........maybe will be able to pick up on them tomorrow and see if Trace is learning some new stuff from his skateboarding camp.

Later. W&B

Skateboarding On Sunday.............

at a neat skate board park in Battleground, WA. We got there early this morning before it starting getting HOT and before the local skaterats hit the park. Trace is doing better but still manages to crash and burn when trying to do some "tricks". Cassidy just chugs along and isn't as aggressive but she enjoys skating also.

Trace was working on his "drop ins" (thats what I think they are called) and skated into a giant black hole............we never saw him again.....and Cass was just messing around on her butt.

Tomorrow Trace has a skateboard camp in Portland to attend. The class will last four days so hopefully he'll pick up some good pointers and find some things to work on that are

within his ability. Becky and I will be picking both kids up tomorrow morning, drop Trace at his classes and then either hang around or else we'll go exploring in Portland and pick up Trace after his class.

Been here four days and haven't looked for a single geocache yet!! As a matter of fact we haven't found anything since the GeoWoodstock Event in late May.

No plans for the Fourth, Doug has to work so maybe we'll just have a little cookout here at the park and then take in the fireworks show in Vancouver. Weather is supposed to be cooled down so it should be a nice night for the fireworks display. Later. Wayne & Becky

Saturday..................

and I think we nearly got to triple digit temperatures today........at least it felt like it.

Spent most of yesterday close to the park and drove into Vancouver for dinner with Vancouver Clan. In preparation for a Democratic Victory in November..............we had "fried chicken" for dinner. Understand that chicken may become the new "National Bird" after elections over.

Today Becky and I took in the Farmer's Market in downtown Vancouver, shopped for a bit, bought some strawberries for Trace, a couple of corndogs for ourselves and left as the heat wave was wilting us. We did find a one-seater electric car that looked kinda neat. Went to Doug and Tami's and basked in air conditioning and then I went with Cassidy and Doug to Battleground to hunt up some new trucks for her new skateboard. Getting a new skateboard has been a slow process as her stingy dad only buys her one component at a time. Apparently she had some "Pro" skateboarder autograph her skateboard so now she doesn't want to use that board and needs another one. I told the shop owner I would buy the bearings and wheels if I received a Senior Citizen Discount...................it cost me $50.00!!! Won't open my mouth again.

Had dinner at the local dive where the gravy is still pretty good and portions are large. Then "B" and I headed for the park. Got the A/C going full blast so it's cooling down...........Becky will probably start whining about it being too cold...........tuff.

Here's a couple of pictures of today events. W&B

Thursday Afternoon.....................

and we made it to Washington early this afternoon. Left Corning yesterday, drove to Seven Feathers Casino, had dinner, helped my red brothers out some and drove on into Vancouver today. Right now we're set up at the Paradise Point State Park, south of Woodland. Cussed and swore at the internet dish but finally got Becky on line so she's happy and I got my MTV going.

Here's some pics we took in Corning, the smoke from the fires is pretty apparent until you get past Weed and then things clear up. "B" also took picture of the "tin cow" and "tin dragon" and me cussing the internet satellitte system. Took awhile but got it running.

Gonna just kick back tonight and then see Morris Clan in Vancouver tomorrow. Later. W&B