Can-Am Rendezvous

We left Eugene and drove North on I-5. At Tigard, we veered left through Beaverton and hit Highway 26 which we followed to 101. Our final destination was Fort Stevens State Park where we would meet up with our friends from Canada, Jacquie and Grant. We planned this gathering while we were in Mexico together. Jacquie is still teaching and this would be the beginning of her spring break. They planned to do a tour of the Oregon coast and when we found out, we invited ourselves along.

Grant did most of the planning and we communicated back and forth. After many emails we gave the meeting and trip together the title, Can-Am Rendezvous.

As we got closer to Ft. Stevens, Linda and I started wondering how we would find Grant and Jacquie upon arrival at the park.  No specific rendezvous spot had been designated in planning; we had just said “Meet at Fort Stevens on March 12” and that was it.

We arrived at the fort at about 1:15 PM and parked at the ranger station to check the bulletin board to see if a note had been left.  I went to the bathroom and when I walked out, there was Linda talking to Grant and Jacquie. They had pulled into the ranger station about two minutes after we had arrived!

Let the Can-Am Rendezvous begin!

We found two campsites and since the sun was out, we sat in our chairs and discussed the Rendezvous’ future itinerary. We hiked to the beach and visited the wreck of the Peteiredalertook some photos and returned to camp. When the sun set we gathered for dinner with our Canadian friends and enjoyed the traditional Canadian feast of Smokies on a Bun. The excitement of the day made us very tired and we said our good nights, excited about the days to come.

Monday morning we all piled into Grant and Jacquie’s RV and Grant drove us to Astoria where we spent the morning in the Columbia River Maritime Museum. We really enjoyed everything the museum offered and we would highly recommend it as a “Must See”.

We finished our tour and walked around downtown where we found a place to eat called The Wet Dog Café. We all enjoyed our meals. Grant and I ordered Mako Shark Fish and Chips. Don’t let anyone tell you we don’t live on the edge at this rendezvous.

After our meal and a bit of drying out, we got back on the road and drove to Fort Stevens State Historical Site. We walked around the various Batterys and visited the small museum. Of course, it was raining the entire time, but we have adapted to that already. Once Grant pulled himself away from the museum volunteer, we went back to camp where Linda and I fixed dinner.

With our hunger suppressed, Grant and Jacquie taught us a very complex card game called Skip-Bo. Linda kicked our butts in two strategic battles and then we went to bed, exhausted.

Quick Stop In Eugene

Our visit to the Sollingers was short, but we crammed quite a bit into the stay.  The first night we ate a wonderful dinner prepared by Al Dee. The chef made the recipe his own by replacing the chicken bouillon with beef. The mistake was attributed to a missing label on the beef bouillon, but the meal turned out very good anyway.

After dinner we played Farkel and Chef Al Dee won in a hotly contested game.

The next morning Diane, who doesn’t read my blog, made an outstanding breakfast. We ate our fill and then gathered in the van and went out to fly Al Dee’s drone.  The rain was intermittent and we had to be flexible about the flight. It rained, so we went to a local airport and watched an old B-17 bomber land.

The bomber was on display in a viewing area. We got a few photos and gathered a couple of informational booklets and headed back into the van.

The rain continued so we drove to TJ Maxx and Cabela’s and shopped around. Diane bought some fudge which she used later in the evening as a blind taste competition. I won that contest naming five out of the six flavors.  Finally, in the late afternoon, we got a break and were able to fly the drone.  That was a blast.

Hitting the Road Again

Our sights were set and our plan was laid out. Eugene Oregon was our first destination and the purpose was two-fold. We needed to pick up Kobi and we wanted to see Linda's sister's family.

On Sunday I began the process of de-winterizing the truck and camper. This included taking the truck off the trickle charger and firing it up, uncovering the camper and stowing the cover, and then a complete de-winterization of the camper its self. I completed this after about two full days of work, so we started packing all the necessities back into our little home.

On Wednesday we had finished the packing of all our needed items; clothes, bathroom necessities, and electronic equipment. Our next phase included packing the food and freezer items. This went relatively easy, but as I type this I can assure you that we have a list of things that we forgot and we will be going to a store sometime in the near future.

We were on the road by 12 noon on Thursday and drove without any problems to a riverside camp spot called, Quesna County Park, located just west of Boardman on the Columbia River. To call it a park is giving it a bit more credit than it deserves. It has a boat launch and lots of gravel spots to stop for the night. Access to the river is good and the view was very nice.  I think this stop gets its park designation from the one pit toilet that it there. We didn't use the toilet so we can't report on it, but if it looks like the rest of the area...

On the road by 8:00 AM we drove straight through to Eugene stopping only for fuel. The day was beautiful clear skies and a temperature of about 62 degrees.

Driving right to the Sollinger's house we let ourselves in and found Kobi sitting wagging his tail. It was so good to see him. With hugs all around and a few ear licks, we got set up in the driveway and waited for the family to arrive home.

The rest of the day was spent catching up with the family and enjoying each others company. Kobi did great and it was like we had never left him. All is good in the Bennett family.