Fish, Trains, and Museums

Finally after being shutout in July,the fishing turned better in August.I caught these 2 beauties on the Columbia river. A 20lb Salmon and a 10lb Steel head. After buying an out of state fishing licence that cost $100, and catching nothing in July,Jeni was heckling me like a"Phillies baseball fan!"but Thanks to my fishing buddy Greg,with his knowledge of the Columbia the pressure is off.I have filled the freezer for the winter! All that's left is cleaning them.I enlisted the help of my better half for this job...SHE WAS ESTA TIC!

Before we left Deschutes,we had one last dinner with our good friends Stan,Diane,and their lovely daughter Jenny.And of course little Mikey.Stan is one proud Grandpa.Jeni and I will really miss them all.

This is a picture of Jenny's home in Washington. We spent many afternoons here this summer enjoying their hospitality.It is a beautiful place,Jeni and I just love it here.

Meet Pedro! He was a lost dog at the park that nobody claimed. The Rangers asked us if we could keep an eye on him til the owner comes.....Humm where have we heard this before.Back some 30 something years ago,my brother and his wife stopped in for the holidays from Portland.They had found this dog wandering the streets so they flew it down with them and asked us to keep it for us til they flew back home unaware to us that the dog had a one way ticket! Long story short,we had taffy for 17 years.....I still owe you one Gary and Martha! Needless to say,Pedro made himself at home....Until we found out Pedro wasn't housebroke.....OUT!
Needless to say,Pedro wore out his welcome.I am happy to report that Pedro did find a home.

One of the things Jeni and I wanted to do was visit the "Living history Museum" in the Dalles before we left. We saw some of the local Raptors,a Great horned owl,

And a Red tailed Hawk.

Jeni really liked this display of this little river boat that used to ply the Columbia back in the 1800"s

We also rode the Hood River Train to Parkdale one afternoon.

Jeni loved it!

A beautiful view of Mt. Hood and a plush setting on board.

Of course I had to give the engineer instructions on how to handle this "baby",I quickly exited the train after it was apparent the engineer was not going to take my advise!

Jeni really enjoyed herself.We have to do this again.

Well our time here at Deschutes is over and we embark on a new adventure at Collier Memorial state park down by Klamath Falls. We have really enjoyed this place and consider this place as our favorite camp hosting job so far . We will be back in the near future.A special thanks to Rangers Jim,Tom,Bruce,Connie,and David for their guidance,and friendship. You are the best!




Its on to Collier and our next assignment as Service Hosts for the month of September. New adventures await us,and maybe even a trip to Crater Lake(weather permitting). So we go from fish,trains,and museums to Ponderosa pines, saw mills,and national parks. The fun never ends for P&J in Oregon!

In our own backyard

Where the heck is jeni? Is she in some ancient ruins, or is this some construction project gone bad? No,she is in Washington's version of "Stonehenge"!

These Structures were built to honor the brave men and women from the state of Washington who fought and died for their country in WWI.It was named "Stonehenge". Have you ever heard the phrase "Where the Sam Hill are we",well Sam Hill was the creator of "Stonehenge" and became famous as a Washington resident. I took this picture standing at "Stonehenge"looking west. A beautiful view of the bridge at Biggs and the mighty Columbia river.Biggs is a small community east of the park about 4 miles.

The Internet here at Deschutes has been very slow and unreliable so we have not been able to put as many pics as we like to on the blog. Hopefully when we get to Collier the service will be better. Many people we meet ask us about what we do and why the heck we do it! Camp hosting.Basically it is volunteering our time in the state and federal parks in exchange for a place to park our home with utilities usually included. One of the great things about this concept is the many backyards we have.Think about it,you live in one place and you might have a nice view from your porch. But over time you notice that view less and less as it becomes common place. We have had views of beautiful snow capped mountains, the ocean with crashing waves thundering down just yards from where we sit.We have had coffee on our porch in the desert watching a blazing brilliant orange sunset. Cactus wrens perched on a saguaro cactus just a few feet from us.National parks, State parks, County parks, Recreation areas, Corp of engineer parks, we have been in all of them. There is always a nice view just waiting for us at our next job. Sitting at home, on our porch, at our next assignment,In our own back yard!

At Deschutes State Park

Our host site here at Deschutes, is the best site we have ever had.No other host site compares to this one. Manicured lawn,long paved driveway and pad,storage shed,first class utilities,I could go on and on but you get the idea. that is why we returned again this year for 2 more months.


We are very secluded up here.We have a little patio we set out on looking down on the campers and the river.We are shaded by a little grove of "Honey mesquite trees"as the gentle breezes keep us cool. Our little slice of heaven.
The weather has been below normal for July. Usually they are in the 90's

but this year mostly 70's and 80's.we got no rain last summer but already have had 2 or 3 days of rain in July. Last week,I went on the raft trip with Tom Peterson the Ranger here at Deschutes.If you remember last year,I went and had a great day fishing.I caught 2 nice "Steelhead" both natives so they had to go back in the river(catch and release). but what a fight they put up.I learned a great lesson from the ranger,"you can't Horse these fish in,you have to finesse them and let them run".I would of used that valuable piece of advise this year but....I didn;t catch a thing.Not even a nibble.The fishing has been poor at best this year because of all the rain and the below normal temps. But because of the poor conditions,the raft trip was very different this year. Nobody was on the river so we saw more wildlife,deer,big horn sheep,river otters,raccoons, and yes even a rattlesnake! While stopped for the night the ranger and I got in a little fishing. The grass is a lot higher because of the rain and tromping through it to get to our favorite fishing hole, we came across a "surly" 6 footer that didn't like us walking in his territory. As the ranger's foot came down right next to"Ole Surly",he let out a nasty rattle with his tail to let us know that he was ready to strike.We made a hasty detour and decided we would go to our 2nd favorite fishing hole! Because of the high water in the Deschutes,the rapids are a little more aggressive this year. On a scale of 1 to 6,there are four number 3's and one number 4,and a bunch of number2"s,but the high and swift water has made them a little more aggressive.A two might be a three or a four might become a five,well you get the idea,anyway,as we are rolling toward our first number three rapid, Ranger Tom informs me he had one of his passengers pitched out of the raft last week!!!, first one for him!! He calmly says "this is where I lost him...Hang on".Well I stayed in the raft but got drenched...over and over again with each rapid. After the last rapid I told him "just throw me a bar of soap"! It was a great trip and a lot more "white water" than "ole Philly cares for",but I thank Tom for another great rafting adventure on the Deschutes. Jeni and I have been real busy here as the campground has been full almost every night since we arrived. This park is very popular and everybody wants to camp here.We have met a lot of people here and a lot of the campers climb the stairs up to our site and sit and visit with us.It is our best "gig" yet and we love it here.yesterday I went out fishing on the Columbia river with one of the Rangers husbands Greg.He took me out last year and with the

same results...nothing!We were fishing for Salmon this time.But fear not,I still have another month top catch the elusive "Steelhead and Salmon"! Ya no, Even the most Idyllic lifestyle can hit a rut.Case in point,Beautiful scenery,great people,fantastic weather and not work but Volunteering.I use that word to make a point,Volunteering means donating your time.No set work schedule,no 8 hr work day,no boss, just camaraderie and Fun.(another key word to make my point) Anyway, Sometimes Jeni and I forget those key words. We get a little paranoid(ok,me more than Jeni). We think we are not doing a good enough job in one area of our duties or another.We try to do too much or we get down on ourselves.Then pretty soon we are working too hard and(like a regular job!) feeling stressed and depressed.........Then we look at each other and say....SNAP OUT OF IT WE ARE ONLY VOLUNTEERS FOR GODS SAKE! We then resume our fantastic life style and have fun doing what we love.After all like my Father used to tell me "you only go around once in life,you better enjoy it". As Jeni and I sit here in paradise on our little porch.The gentle breezes keeping us cool on a warm day.Watching the campers enjoying themselves on the emerald green lawns by the river,we raise our drinks and toast our surroundings and how lucky we are to be able to live this charmed lifestyle. Overworked,depressed, at Deschutes.....I don't think so!

Grandaughter visit and on to Deschutes

Our granddaughter Alyx came to visit us at Viento last week.She flew in to Portland and we picked her up.We visited the waterfalls in the area
back toward the park.She has become quite the young lady. They grow up so fast. Jeni usually books her flight on Southwest airlines but because money has been a little tight lately she found "Cheapo Air!"It is an online service that guarantees the lowest fares,well Alyx wasn't impressed. She flew one of those little commuter planes that holds only a handful of people. She was not impressed! And Grandma Jeni heard about it!

Waterfalls was the order of the day and we hit all the ones on hwy #35. Grandma and Alyx especially enjoyed Horsetail Falls as we spent the most time at. We got back to Viento and settled in for the night. Of course we had to play 31, Alyx's favorite game. Saturday we went in to Cascade locks for Pioneer Days. A festival depicting life in Oregon back in the late 1800's.there were settler's camps,Indian camps,military camps,and plenty of food and music. There is an island where all the festivities took place.On the right of the island is the Columbia. On the left is a channel where ships used to pass through the locks to get around some "nasty"rapids that used to exist on the Columbia.

They had authentic Indian teepee's and demonstrations of indian life back then. Life was probably a lot better for our native people before Government intervention took this way of life from them. Many historical accounts by settlers and immigrants to Oregon told of their friendly and helpful nature. And how did we respond, by putting them on Reservations! Great move!! Our Benevolent government.

The Trapper and Fur trader was a vital and necessary cog in the development of the area as he kept Dudes in hats and well to do ladies in furs.

At the military encampment,this guy had all the Vietnam vets diving for cover. He fired off that cannon 2 or 3 times an hour.It was load! I even jumped when that thing went off. It was a nice day and a great way to learn of Oregon's river gorge history. Unlike the "Gold rush"in California in the mid 1800's, the people coming in to Oregon were farmers and merchants. I think that's why Oregonians are a more laid back rural lot than the high strung high powered Californians.



Alyx had done a project in school about Oregon's friendliest Indian Sacajawea. The Indian princess who helped Lewis and Clark as they blazed a trail into the Gorge in Oregon. Of course Alyx had to pose with a bronze statue of her. Boy! those Indians were tall back then!! We had a great day at Cascade Locks. We went to Hood River for dinner and to do a Little shopping in the downtown area. Alyx just got her drivers licence so we let her drive to get the feel for Oregon drivers. She is a very good driver and handles our car very well. I felt sorry for her as she had two "backseat drivers" in the car.She handled the "Ole"
Susuki like a pro. Jeni and I were trying to keep her busy going here and there but her last 2 days here all she wanted to do was hang out with her Grandparents at home,so that is what we did. It touched us that she still likes to hang with us even though shes 16. Well all too soon we put her back on the plane(puddle jumper) back to Sacramento.We were sad to see her go and that night Jeni and I said how quiet the Motor home was.No sounds of silly laughter,no "buffing Grandpa's head",no sounds of Alyx and Grandma playfully wrestling.Just the memories of the years of Alyx visiting us on our full time travels,Tearfully that this might have been the last one as she nears adulthood.We love you Boo.
Tomorrow we leave Viento and drive over to Deschutes for our July-August volunteer job.
We have enjoyed this area and loved being so close to Hood River. A quaint little city with great food and entertainment.We will go from 70 degree weather to 90 degree weather.I am looking forward to shorts instead of levi's and to packing away my coat. Next blog post from Sunny Deschutes.On the road again for P&J adventures.

Oregon days and a boat trip

No,this isn't a "Contra Rebel" armed to the teeth for Guerrilla warfare in Guatemala. No, It's me blowing the leaves off the bike trail at the park! Oregon State parks wants to keep their volunteers safe. Lets see...I have a hard hat on which restricts my vision, ear muffs so I can't hear a bike coming at me at 25MPH,and a dust mask that makes me breath harder and hyperventilate! Hey, safety first! Now you know I'm just kidding,right?Actually, the park takes very good care of us.

Jeni and I share all the duties they give us. I drive the riding mower because it is a highly technical piece of equipment.It gets real tiring driving this rig for 2 long,long hours I know,I know, Jeni is a lucky lady having a guy like me giving her the easy job. But, It's who I am. A nice guy,Right Jen?

"Whada ya mean your not running this mower on the hills,it's easy"."Don't make me get off this riding mower"."where are you gonna put that push mower"?!..Ok,I'll trade with you . Hey,I know when to bow to the Queen! We do share the duties and that is what keeps both of us young at heart.

An added bonus for Jeni and I up here on the Columbia Gorge, our good friends Stan and Diane are parked at their daughter Jenny's house just across the river in Trout Lake,Wash. We have been visiting back and forth this spring,going to dinner ,playing cards,and enjoying their lil grandson Mikey.What a great little guy he is. Jeni would be over there every day playing with him if they would let her.We were invited to his first birthday party and what a great time that little guy had.Diane's daughter Jenny is a great Mother.That little guy is always happy and energetic.We all went to dinner in Hood River the other night,and Mikey was the best lil guy.He's a keeper!

Jeni and I had booked a cruise on the "Columbia Sternwheeler"awhile back but they canceled us out because of the weather.We were getting ready to book again when the Park Ranger here,Andrew came by to tell us we could go for free on Thursday as it was volunteer day. Cool! The "Sternwheeler" is a riverboat that plys the Columbia River. Jeni took a picture of me and the other host at our park,Bob prior to boarding.



I goofed up while posting so you get two pictures of me and Bob! What a deal.

And off we go headed east up river. The "Sternwheeler" is ported in Cascade locks which is about 15 miles west of the park.There is a cafe there were Jeni and I go for lunch and sit by the river.(see earlier blog)






As we are heading east, we look back at the "Bridge of the Gods"in Cascade Locks.It takes you over to Stevenson Washington.The main river is to the right out of the picture,what your seeing is the actual Locks that got boats and barges around some very nasty rapids before they built Bonneville Dam. The locks are no longer used as Bonneville has locks and with the dam built,it raised the water level and the rapids flooded.

This is Capt. Tom. he is the skipper and he loves his work. He told me that there is a deep channel in the river that they follow as it winds from side to side.They have to navigate this deep channel(some120ft. deep) because there are Doug fir trees growing in the shallower portions of the river.You don't want to hit one of those babies! Well, the conversation came to an abrupt end and I was escorted out after I tried to give Capt Tom some pointers on driving this baby! Hey, I drove a houseboat one time! OK,OK i;m leaving! "So I'm a control Freak"! so Jeni says.


These are Indians pulling in their nets full of Salmon,Sturgeon,and Steelhead on the river.If I tried fishing this way,They would arrest me and fine me,but, the Indian Nations on the Columbia,and other rivers in Oregon have "Grandfathered Rights" to fish with nets.And that is OK by me They were here first!








Jen and I are enjoying our cruise.We would like to thank Oregon State Parks for setting this up for us Volunteers.
















There were a lot of Volunteers on board but there was plenty of room to roam and Jeni saw every inch of the boat.

As I have said in earlier blogs, Sailing, Wind and Kite surfing are popular on the Columbia.

Its been a great day riding the river. We really enjoyed it. We love Oregon.Its worth the trip to come check it out if you ever get a chance. Our Granddaughter Alyx is flying in to Portland Thursday to spend a week with us.(who says 16 year old's don't want to spend time with their Grandparents!) We can't wait to spoil her.
If I don't get another post out in June, we will be moving over to our next job at Deschutes rec. St. Park for July and August.Yes,we were there last year and really loved it so were going back again.
Today was the best weather day we have had here as it was 80 degrees and light breezes,no wind. If this weather continues we may never leave.Such are the Oregon days on the Columbia

Fun along the Columbia River Gorge

On our days off,we try to see the area around where we are hosting.If we want to see,say Crater Lake National Park,we find a host job nearby.That is just what we did for September.We will be hosting at Collier Memorial State Park just 30 miles from Crater Lake."Its good to be King!"
Last Wednesday we visited Vista House State Park.It is about 30 miles west of us.



It was built in 1918 as a rest stop for weary travelers,and as a tribute to the Columbia highway #30 just completed in 1916.
It is an assume display of craftsmanship and exquisite materials. It looks like a small mansion instead of a highway rest stop.It houses a visitor center,a museum,a gift shop,a small snack bar and of course...Restrooms.


Of course,they aren't your average run of the mill restrooms,no they are done in Italian Marble.Jeni and I felt like Royalty using them.
The Columbia highway #30 is not the main hwy through the gorge any more,Hwy. #84 is now.But,historic Hwy. ##30 as its called today still has a lot of charm. As you head east from the Vista House,you wind through dense forest dotted along the way with fantastic waterfalls,breath taking overlooks with fabulous views of the mighty Columbia river,and small towns farms and orchards.Words don't describe the beauty of this drive.In my opinion,it is right up there with the "Nachez Trace parkway"drive from Natchez to Nashville,and alligator alley in Florida.


This is the view of the Columbia from the Vista House.Even with the low clouds,the view is superb!
If you ever get up this way,you have to take this drive.The waterfalls alone are worth it.
After a day of sightseeing,on our way home we couldn't resist stopping by the "Locks Cafe". This is where the Stern wheeler boat is docked.We love to lunch here or just pop in for coffee and a view!



As we sat outside enjoying our Java,we noticed all these sailboats racing around.We asked the waitress and she said it was the west regional collegiate sailing finals.I thing they are comprised of 2 men teams.Anyway, it kept us entertained.Ah,Sailboats,ospreys flying over head, fish jumping, and gentle breezes....I think I'll take a nap! OUCH!....Jeni just gave me one to the ribs!..."OK,"I'm awake.




When we left we decided to cross the bridge in Cascade Locks over to Washington and take Hwy.14 east along the Columbia for a perspective from the other side of the river.As we approached the Hood River Bridge(which takes us back over to the Oregon side of the river) we spotted a waterfall behind the "Old Columbia River Hotel. If we had not drove along the river on the Washington side,we wouldn't have ever noticed the waterfall.

Thursday morning we headed out again,this time to check out a nice hiking trail in the town of Mosier which is about 13 miles east of the park right off the #84. As with many of the trails here in Oregon, it has a Waterfall! Not as impressive as some, it was still ausume.

The trail started uphill so Jeni had to get her energy up to tackle it. We noticed that on the trail we would be passing a pioneer cemetery,so off we went.

The trail was lined with colorful wild flowers and amber meadows.









We made our way through the cemetery dotted with a few headstones and the trail started uphill again

Jeni loved the wild flowers and the ponderosa pines that were present here and there.It was only a mile round trip,but it was well worth it.

After the hike, we went in to Hood River for groceries and a bite of dinner before we headed to the park.

We love sightseeing,you always find somthing different to admire and gaze at.That's why we chose this lifestyle, it gives you the freedom to roam the country in search of beauty!

Tomarrow will find us back to volunteering again.Look what we have to put up with! Don't I look Stressed! I could hang out at my work all day,No Problem.








Yea, its a tough job but somebody has to do it. I'll just have to deal with it.Yea......All I need now is a "Cold One!"

See ya later on the Columbia river Gorge having fun.

Hosting and Sightseeing in Oregon

This is our site at Viento State Park.....next to the shop! Not Jeni's dream site but at least we don't deal with the campers in the evening.I tried a new thing this year,being maintenance and repair hosts instead of camp hosts,I mow,weed whack, and run the blower for the trails and day use areas. The only thing,there's not much for Jeni. Oh,she goes out with me in the morning to work but she misses inter acting with the campers giving info and just visiting with them. The only good thing is we have access to the laundry room in the shop so Jeni can do laundry any time,and its free!

There is a little 12 site campground just outside the shop yard.It has a little creek that runs through it. Jeni and I like to picnic by the creek on our lunch hour.Its peaceful and beautiful,except for the traffic! Oh yea I forgot to mention our site is 1oo yards from hwy #84......yea,we hear traffic 24 hours a day! Another drawback, on the other side of #84 is the main campground and day use area and also the main east west route of........the trains......one an hour.......blowing their train whistles as they go by the park. Strike 3!

There are a lot of negatives but there are a lot of positives too. Just the shear beauty of the Columbia Gorge offsets most of the negatives.One of the neat things Jeni and I do each morning is take our "Gator" and drive one mile on the hike/bike trail to another little State Park "Starvation Creek." to check the restrooms,take some readings for various plant facilities,and make sure the area is clean.The little park has a spectacular waterfall some 150 feet tall and spills in to this raging little creek that flows right into the Columbia river.

It reminds me of a rest stop,it has trails besides the paved trail we take over to it,and the parking lot is always half full with hikers.The other half of the parking lot is used by people pulling off Hwy#84 to use the facilities and view the waterfall.

Here is a picture of the waterfall,the pic doesn't do it justice though. There are 2 picnic tables next to the creek and with a nice view of the waterfall. A very nice place to lunch and,no noise from Hwy#84! We love it.

Here is a picture of "Starvation Creek".The waterfall falls into the creek some 40ft. up the mountain where the creek winds down the rest of the way obscured until it emerges at the base of the mountain and rushes right by you as you are lunching at the picnic table.Another plus for the park!....life is good! All in All, we can handle 2 months here.We have been playing tourist on our days off.

Our first excursion was "Cascade Locks"which is about 20 miles west of the park on the #84.Bonneville Dam is there with the locks that raise or lower the ships and barges through the dam.Also they have a nice cafe and gift shop where they sell cruises on the"Sternwheeler"a 18th century riverboat.We booked one for Jeni's birthday.A nice sunset cruise that will actually travel through the locks down stream.The cruise lasts 4 hours.Jeni and I enjoyed sipping coffee,setting along the river and just enjoying the area.There is also a nice park and little RV park next to the cafe.


We are 6 miles from the town of Hood River so we always head in for shopping and dining.Hood River has some great eatery's.When we just want coffee we stop at this little coffee house that is decorated with tons of salt and pepper shakers.Jeni is showing off a lil bear salt shaker while enjoying her coffee. Humm...she hasn't touched her chocolate scone yet.





Not me,that "sucker" is half gone!

Another place we visited was the majestic Mount Hood. At over 11000ft elevation,it dwarfs the surrounding area. At the top is the historic Timberline lodge.On the drive up we passed some of the most spectacular scenery we have ever seen.The route, Hwy#30, travels past small farm communities and wineries,and national forest as we ascended the mountain.

We made it to the top and arrived at Timberline lodge.We enjoyed lunch and then checked out the lodge.The big draw is Skiing and there was still plenty of snow here for the avid skier.The lodge also has a nice Ski museum,and the lodge is reminiscent of a German lodge in the Alps,old world style. Notice the snow line on the lodge! That's how much snow is still up here.And cold! Holy Mackerel!











And Jeni being Jeni, she had to assault me with a lethal snowball! If it wasn,t so cold I would of retaliated. On our way back,we stopped in Hood River to check out the "Hood River" railroad.It runs trips along the Hood River.We booked a 4 hour trip in June.Pictures to follow the boat trip and train trip.Back to the pros's and con's of the park,do you know what Viento means in Spanish?.....wind. and yes it is very windy almost every day especially along the Columbia.But at our site next to the shop,we a shielded from the wind.Another plus,I guess. Well, adding up the pro's and con's of our situation, we are glad we took this stint.Hey its only 2 months! Last Wednesday our friends Stan and Diane stopped over and we went to Hood River for lunch.They are staying at their daughters place in Trout Lake Washington which is only about 30 minutes from our place.We will be seeing them again soon.I feel a game of hand and foot is in the cards! It has been rainy and cool for the most part here but the Rangers say the weather will warm up soon.Well,despite the rainy weather,the wind,the traffic,the trains,our site location,and duties we shall trudge on hosting and sightseeing in Oregon.