From the Traveling Harrington’s.
Please email Olivia@bobheck.com or fredharrington@yahoo.com with comments.
Tuesday, June 3 we moved into Valley of the Rogue state park off I-5 near Grants Pass. This is a very nice park with full hookups
and perfect Christmas trees. This time we were lulled to sleep by the big trucks on the interstate. After unhooking we rushed into Grants Pass and signed up for a jet boat ride to Hellgate on the Rouge River.
We were told we would get wet so we dressed accordingly and took off down river. The driver was good to point out huge estates on the river and the wild life.
We saw Osprey and their nests.
An Eagle perched on a dead tree.
And the eagle nest hidden in some cottonwood trees. It was as big as a VW.
Hellgate is a canyon without rapids and we floated through and back up the river.
Our guide pointed to a boulder sticking up and told us this was where Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid jumped saying “If the river doesn’t kill you the fall will!” We all said it didn’t look that far up, but we were looking up and not down. Our guide said the stunt guys were only paid $15,000 and they had to repeat it many times.
Rooster Cogburn and Meryl Strepe’s movie were filmed in Hellgate also.
On the trip back to the dock we were moving faster and a duck raced us. We were told this duck could fly 55 miles and hour. Later we saw it sitting on a log. It posed, but Olivia wasn't fast enought with the camera. Then it turned its back to us and pooped! Then it dropped into the water. Look close because his red head is camoflaged with the log. The name of the duck escapes us but it started with an M.
Wednesday, June 4 we packed up and headed to Canyonville to visit with Betty and Nelson Brinkerhoff, Olivia’s cousin on the Burton side. First we visited the stores in Grant’s Pass and checked on our Sprint service. Arriving in Canyonville after lunch we called Betty and they met us down the hill from their house. Their driveway proved too much for our rig, so we parked at their church below their house. After parking we went to their house for a nice visit and learning about each other’s lives. We met the Brinkerhoff’s at a family reunion years ago and Betty and Olivia have kept in touch ever since. We learned they had built 3 houses in Canyonville, lived in each a few years before selling and building the next. Nelson had a career as a cabinet maker and then a home builder. Their cabinets were made from Madrone wood from trees on their hill. They let the wood age for 2 years and the house is 3 years old and they still find worms working their way out of the wood. It is a dark pretty wood. We compared families and likes for food. Then they served a delicious meal of salmon, potatoes au gratin, tossed salad, Swiss chard, and cheese bread. Then the piece de la resistance was ice cream with wild blackberries. They also like to grow and pick fruits and vegetables. All were out of season, so we didn’t get to pick with them. During the afternoon, Blaire and Teenya called to say that Blaire could come up and travel with us June 22-July 2. So we spent some time on the internet arranging for her flight. We had asked both Rachel and Blaire to come together, but Rachel was not able to come, at least this year.
Thursday, June 5, Betty and Nelson picked us up for a tour of the area, the lumber mills, and the you- pick gardens. Unfortunately the cherries are about 2 weeks off. Maybe we will catch them in the Hood River valley. The B’s were scheduled to work at their temple in Medford so we went to the Laundromat. Later Olivia went to the Beauty Shop for a hair cut. Afterward, we ventured off to taste at 3 wineries. We decided we much preferred Oregon wines to California and we ordered some and joined a club. Angie, stay out of the wine. It will be delivered to your house. We will share when we get home. {Insert from Angie: Angie will stay out, but will Bobby?} (Answer: It is a sweeter wine than Bobby likes)
In our touring as we drove by the Umpgua River, all of a sudden an eagle flew right in front of us.
Olivia became very excited and getting her camera out while Fred turned around. By the time we arrived back at that spot he was high in the sky.
Friday, June 6 we really found out what a neat family we have in Oregon. After we visited their dentist for a cleaning and adjustment, the Brinkerhoff’s picked us up to tour Roseburg truss plant. The plant was shut down and we had a very quiet tour given by a very knowledgeable young man. He showed us the whole plant and how they put together very strong laminated headers, plywood and I-beams. 
Since Nelson and Fred had both been in construction it was very interesting how much better these laminated pieces are and so much stronger than lumber. Our tour guide was very helpful and told us more than we wanted to know. We were on the tour for 2 hours.
After this tour they took us to their daughter’s home. She and her husband manufacture cultured stone and have contracts with Disney and several Las Vegas casinos. Their home is on a hill top and has views of 4 valleys. It is a huge palatial estate with cultured stone exterior. The windows don’t need drapes because no one can see in and they can see out.
The pictures are of
The entry 
Jennifer’s room
Jennifer’s fish
Tom’s hobby room
Bonnie's office
Looking out to front portico
The back yard
The game room. They have Texas Holdem’ tournaments, but did not have one scheduled for tonight. 
This is a sample of their work, the entry to Canyonville park.
After a long afternoon of tours we were taken back to Betty and Nelson’s for a great Mexican food dinner. Chilies Relenos, home made tamales and all the trimmings. Angie, Teenya and family you have a great family of cousins on Cecil’s side in Oregon. By the way they have a son and family in Princeton, TX. It will be great to have a reunion with them when they come to Texas and we are there to greet them.
Saturday, June 7, we traveled the short distance to Reedsport OR and Umpgua Lighthouse State Park. This is a small older park near the coast on Lake Marie. Soon after arriving we found there was free camping for this night and free fishing at the nearby sister state park. Fred was all ears and soon struck out to try his hand. No luck this time, so we went into Winchester Bay to prowl around. We drove to the Dunes Recreation area and watched ATV’s playing. These dunes are very high and it looks like fun to drive around on them. We menu shopped the restaurants and Fred decided on one and it was delicious. Fred had a seafood platter and Olivia had crab meat.
Sunday, June 8 we went to church at the Covenant UMC in Reedsport. This is a very small church with an average attendance of 25. They all made us feel very welcome.
Safeway was our next stop and it reminded us of the Safeway’s in Waxahachie and Duncanville. The manager was very friendly, just like Bob Cummings. When we arrived back at the campground, Fred took off for free freshwater trout fishing, this time in our campground.
Monday, June 9 was really a day of rest. We didn’t see the sun. The temperature was about 50 all day long. We cooked soup and put two packages in the freezer. Olivia fixed two sweatshirts with gems and worked on adding pictures to this blog. The camp hostess showed Olivia a new way to knit so she has another project. This was a good day to stay inside. It rained or misted nearly all day. We could hear fog horns in the distance. We did go into Winchester Bay and ate Fish & Chips.
Tuesday, June 10, we moved a whopping 25 miles! Jesse Honeyman State Park is our new home. The campground is pretty with lots of rhododendron bushes all around the park. Too bad they have peaked. One whole hillside was solid with the bushes. It must have been gorgeous 2 weeks ago. We drove into the town of Florence and scouted it out, visiting a RV repair place and making an appointment for Friday. The old town drew us next and we walked around visiting the stores along Bay Street and making a dinner reservation for tomorrow night at Waterfront Depot restaurant. We also reserved a ride on a bus size dune buggy for the next morning.
In our touring we found ourselves next to the costal dunes of Oregon. They are 50 miles long and this is near the north end. They are situated adjacent to the beach and inland for about one mile. Sand at these dunes is very fine and over the years it has been carried by the wind first to the north, then to the south, then back to the north over and over again. They are ever changing. At times from the valleys to the peaks there can be a difference of more than 60 feet. In the late 1800s they covered about 32,000 acres. In the past fifty years invasive non-native grasses and shrubs were introduced and have thrived. They now covered about 60% of the native dunes. Only about 14,000 acres are still bare. Each year these plants reduce the bare sand even further. Once they are established they prevent the dunes from moving, then after a few years the trees begin to grow, further reducing the movement of sand. One good outcome (for some people) of this growth is the increased habitat has allowed bear to thrive in the area. These plants have grown so well they form a barrier to foot traffic. It is impossible to walk in the covered areas. Only small winding animal trails open the dense growth to any movement. We were told an effort has started to reclaim the dunes by eradicating the plants.
The National Forrest Service controls most the dunes. It was of interest that off highway vehicles (OHV) are allowed in the dunes. They pay a user fee and are allowed reasonable access.
Through the years the NFS has not liked OHV because of the erosion started by their tracks. However, since the sands are ever-changing, this seems to be an ideal place for OHV activities. It’s good there is a recreational use of the dunes. This use also retards the spread of the undesirable plants and produces revenue for the NFS. It’s a “win/win” situation.
Wednesday we rode the dunes and went to the Waterfront Depot for crab encrusted halibut and Caesar salad. Delicious at only $10 each!
The dune ride was well worth the time.
We were on the beach for two miles and the rest of the time
We saw others riding individual buggies.
up and down the dunes. We had a slow “safe” ride.
One stop was above our campground, we are in the trees on the other side of the lake. Kids were sand boarding on the slope.
other rides were available in smaller, faster buggies. For us, we made the best choice. On our ride we could hear the guide.
Thursday we moved less than a mile to the other side of the campground, then we cleaned house. A full time couple Renee and Jack came over for a visit and wine. The sun came out and the temperature soared to near sixty. Okay Texans, maybe it didn’t soar … maybe it crept into the low sixties. Exciting day!
Friday the 13th, we drove to the Sea Lion Caves and entered the elevator down to the water level to view about a dozen seals on the rocks. They were very quiet. Top side we looked down at about 200 on the rocks and beach. The males were making a lot of noise. If you haven’t seen a lot of seals, this trip is worth while.
We stopped at Dalingtonia Cal nature stop and saw the carnivorous plants. There are blooms above the arched top and leave below which lure insects to climb up the leaf into the top. It is porous and as the insects crawl in they can’t find their way out and eventually fall down the neck of the plant and are absorbed as food.
A repair man came to fix the holding tank leak for the lavatory and the pop off valve (or water pump) for the hot water heater. It was nice to have this service for only $7.50 service charge.
In our trip planning, we did most (not all) things right – we packed layer type clothing, both winter and summer wear, etc. We anticipated most of the situations we have encountered and prepared for them. Two things we did surprised us. Before leaving Waxahachie, we bought several toboggans ($1.50 each @ Wal-Mart) and packed different sized plastic buckets. Both have been very handy. Many times the biting wind has made us thankful we had the toboggans, they sure keep our ears warm – perhaps you already know that from our pictures! At times we wish for ski masks to keep our noses warm too. The buckets have been used over and over for many different things. We collected beach rocks on them, bucket washed parts of the trailer, used the five gallon bucket for storing various cleaning supplies, a one gallon bucket for toting laundry supplies, etc. Both the buckets and the toboggans have been very handy!
Love to all,
Fred & Olivia
