Pic-of-the-Week for August 30, 2014

When a person is retired they just get so busy that they don’t have time to get everything done, which is why I haven’t written any Pic-of-the-Weeks for quite some time!  (“Too Busy!”  That is my story, and I am sticking with it!)

On August 8^th and 9^th we took the Model A to the Bend Flashback Cruz.  My brother, Kenneth, encouraged me to do that as they have all kinds of vehicles at that show.  The weather cooperated and we had a good time.  It is held in Drake Park which is a very beautiful park in down town Bend right next to the Deschutes River.  The organizers were anticipating a smaller turnout this year but they were shocked when about 500 cars entered, about 100 more than they had planned.

My car won a “Sponsor’s Ribbon and Trophy”.  Those trophies are awarded by each sponsor to a car that they like.   

After the car show there was a parade of cars through the down town streets of Bend.  The parade was fun and I picked up my niece and her son who were watching the parade, and later we picked up our nephew.

Finally, we were able to put the Model A away and go camping.  Camping is what we always look forward to each summer.  Our first destination was Hart Mountain where there is the Hart Mountain Antelope Refuge and our favorite hot springs.  We were joined by our friends Sandy and Debi.  It was their first time ever being there.  The weather was cool which was great for using the hot springs, but not so good for antelope viewing.  We probably only saw about 50 antelope which is ½ as many as usual.

This is a picture of the Warner Valley from Hart Mountain.  Sandy and Debi in the foreground looking at the “lakes”.  We have never seen it so dry there.  

After Hart Mountain we, along with Sandy and Debi, traveled on to the Steens Mountains.  This was another place that our friends had never been to, but had heard much about the area.  Again the weather was cool and the skies were hazy from forest fires many miles away, but we still had a good time.

Lots of birds this year ……..

Then Sandy and Debi returned to Eugene, and we continued on to the town of Sumpter.  Sumpter is located in an old gold mining area.  The Powder River basin had been dredged many years ago and there is still some gold mining continuing in the area.  When we heard the train go by near our camp grounds, we decided to take the train ride the next day.  It is a short ride, but still fun.  I got to ride in the steam engine on our return trip which brought back many memories of when my father worked for the railroad and would take us kids on short rides around the round house on steam engines.

 

Then we traveled to Joseph, and Wallowa Lake, and ………….. but that is another story.

Harriet has posted a bunch of pictures in our August 2014 Picasa album; sorry it is so huge.  We should have done 2 albums for August this year!  Too many cool things to see! 

Your friends enjoying the Pacific Northwest!
Ben, Harriet, Sam & Zoey

PS.  We are now in the Eugene area, where we'll be until September 11 enjoying the company of our daughter's family, then we go to the Pendleton Roundup.  Let 'er buck!!