Pic-of-the-Week for July 17, 2016 – Mountains!

Our trip north continued.  Apparently northern California and Oregon had some late season snow in the mountains.  One reason why we travel Highway 395 is because of the scenery of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.  The highway is very close to the east side of the mountains.  Don’t ask me the names of the California Mountain Peaks because I do not know.

We made a bit of a rushed trip this year so we would spend less time in motels with Zoey who had an undependable bladder.  (She is MUCH better now!)

We arrived at my brother’s house near Bend, Oregon and to the view of mountains that I grew up with as a young lad.

Broken Top on the left, and The Three Sisters on the right.

Mount Washington.  Okay, I will spare you any more mountain photos.  It is enough to say the Oregon has many, and they are all beautiful.

The next day we drove to Tygh Valley, where we keep our trailer during the time we are in Mexico.  It is at the home of a good friend where we always see deer.  They make beds around our trailer.

On our way back to Bend with the trailer we stopped to take photos of wild flowers.  There were lots of these flowers growing in the grass and sage land south of Maupin, Oregon.  If anyone knows what they are called, let me know.  My best guess is some type of Desert Buckwheat.  There were pink, yellow and white flowers all mixed together in the same area.

After a few days at my brother’s house it was on to Malpass Farms north of Coburg, Oregon.  They offer a wonderful place to park our trailer.

They grow field corn for cow feed, and sweet corn for human consumption.  They also grow a number of types of grasses for the seed, and wheat which sells all over the world.  Their farm equipment is HUGE.  This is probably one of their older tractors.

They also raise some cattle for their own use.  I think they are trying a new breed crossed with Panda Bears.  What do you think?

The next Pic-of-the-Week I think I will let Harriet tell you about grand kids.  I know she has LOTS of pictures!

From Harriet:  Grand kids?  I'll tell you now!  Yes, we have 3 of the cutest, smartest grandkids!  Can't deny it!  They do keep their Mom busy feeding them and trying to keep them clean!  Since there is a really neat sand pile here in the yard, and sprinklers running, and a fountain with a pool, (and a Mom that buys them water guns!!!) it is a challenge.   Here's a happy Grandpa enjoying his granddaughter (whose dirty face is typical after playing in the sand pile!)

Woohoo!  Eleanor likes birthday cake!  Her Mommy made this raspberry crepe confection for Grandpa Ben's birthday.

The boys got to feed the cows some corn husks, and the Purkey clan got together to visit with Rebecca and Tim and family while they are here.

We'll be leaving the Eugene area on Monday, heading east across the mountains.  We have both come down with nasty colds and coughs, and are hoping to shake this crud soon!  Ugh.  Not fun when we have grand kids to hug, and limited time to do it.  We missed a get-together with friends in Salem since we were sick, so promised we'd come back later this summer to spend time here again.  

Until the next time...
Your recovering friends in Oregon,
Ben & Harriet, Sam & Zoey

PS.  Zoey continues to improve.  She knows to walk carefully across pavement and gravel, and still scoots on the softer grass (although she can walk on that, too).  Still pretty wobbly, but better very day!  

Pic-of-the-Week for July 7, 2016

Hello Friends,

The last Pic-of-the-Week we left off on our trip north at Santa Rosalia, an old copper mining town started in 1884 and operated until 1954 by the French.  One of the interesting things about the town is that most of the old building are constructed of wood instead of stone.  This is because they would ship the ore to the state of Washington, USA, for further refining, and then return with lumber for construction.  It is said that there are hundreds of miles of tunnels to retrieve the ore which was hauled out by trains.   Below is one of the steam engines used to haul the ore out of the ground.  I can’t imagine how dirty the air was in those tunnels with steam engines running in the tunnels.

Further north there are 3 non-active volcanoes known as the Tres Virgenes, or the three virgins.  This is the largest of the three, and the closest to the highway.  This volcano, the furthest one south, has the official name of La Virgen.  There is not a lot of vegetation in this immediate area.

 

 

Further North from Tres Virgenes is the Catavina area.  I think this is a beautiful area.  The flora is quite varied with many kinds of cacti, 2 different types of elephant trees, and the Cirio trees.  Also ROCKS!  Rocks, and more rocks.  All sizes of rocks!  This is a typical scene from that area.  Lots of cactus and Cirio trees.  The Cirio trees are hard to see, and they are mostly in the background, but they are the real slender ones in the photo.

 

 

Here is a photo of Cirios in the foreground and agave cactus in bloom.

 

 

The last place on the Ben travel log in Baja California is “Hotel Jardines Baja” near San Quintin.  It is not just a hotel, but also a wonderful restaurant and the grounds are like a beautiful park.  It is now one of our “must stay” places when we travel north, or south.

 

 

 

 

 

I hope you have enjoyed photos from our 2^nd half of our trip through Baja.  We think that these are some of the highlights of the trip.  Until next time (whenever that might be!)

More from Harriet:  We are currently at the Malpass Farm (Harriet's relatives) near Harrisburg, Oregon.  Also here is our daughter Rebecca with her husband Tim and their children David, Aaron and Eleanor.  We are having a good time getting re-acquainted with the kids and getting our share of Grandma and Grandpa time.  

 Aaron and David posing in front of a BIG fire engine that was in the Harrisburg July 4th parade.

Eleanor enjoying the abundant candy handed out by parade participants.  Wow!  We gathered a large bag full of the stuff! I am sporting the head piece that Eleanor didn't like.

I was also able to spend some time with my brother and sister, Rich and Sharon (sister Shelley is in Montana).  It was real nice to see them.

This Saturday is the Purkey get-together while Rebecca's family is here so she can catch up with all her aunts and uncles in one place!  That should be fun, too!

 We hope to see many of our Oregon friends while we are here.  Send us an e-mail or call us at 541-854-5303 if you want to get together.  We'll be in the Eugene area until July 18th when we will travel to Bend for a while.  

Oh....Zoey continues to improve.  She can stand, and walk a few steps at a time.  If she wants to get somewhere in a hurry, she will scoot.  I still use the sling most of the time for her "walks".  She looks rather like a drunken sailor when she walks...those feet just don't want to cooperate!  But like grandson David says when she takes a few steps, "the message squeezed through to her feet that time!"  (He's learning about nerve damage!)  

Hasta la proxima vez,

Your friends enjoying an Oregon summer (although it is raining right now!)

Ben, Harriet, Sam & Zoey