January 29 We survived the road to Loreto

It was so great this morning as we only had one major turn to make to get to Loreto...at least to get onto the road to it.

The route we drove was a beautiful one along the coast line dotted with small beach front camps and villages. Awesome sights of crystal clear water and very rustic RV accommodations. We had been told that our destination was a special one and well worth the drive (127 miles today but we only average 40 mph on Mexican "highways"). However we were warned that getting into the RV park was going to be the highlight of our adventures for today.

First the appointed turn off the highway had been changed (common in Mexico)...we were told to make a Mexican left (that's when you first go right then come around and make a left across traffic : - ) ) Well the right was there but not the left as a median was in the way. The monument that we had been told to look for went wizzing by and off we went. Luckily the leader/wagonmaster was within sight and so we (and 5 other coaches traveling with us) sped up, listened to his wife on the radio and watched to see where he went.

As we wound our way through the streets of this small town...the people came out to greet us...not often when you see rigs this big on a narrow residential street (i.e. dirt path).

All of our group split off into different lost groups and it was quite entertaining. One gal stopped to ask for directions and made the mistake of giving some kids candy, soon they crowded around the coach asking for more and water to drink, etc. She said once they started climbing onto the roof of the coach she had to draw the line and tell them NO.

Anyway, the directions to the RV park was only part of the adventure...the real part is that the park is nice, well located but far too small for 22 rigs of our size. As per instructions, we waited along a back road, unhooked our tow cars, and they called for the coaches one by one to come in. Our wagon master had it carefully diagrammed out how to get us all in. Back up further...park closer...suck it up...keep your slide outs in cause there is just not enough room. Whew now all are in...wait we have room left over...anyone want to more...all laughter rose up because there is no room for anyone to move anyway.

We soon walked back to where we had left our cars along the side road and drove them on into the open spot we were lucky to have available.

This is actually quite fun being so close together. Tonight, I can hear one group chatting off on one side, another out in the middle playing banjo and singing, another still comparing notes on the maps and wrong turns they made today. We already had our 4PM social and now they are getting into it in earnest.

Most nights they build a campfire for anyone interested...everything on this trip is optional...except for having fun that is mandatory for everyone ! and we are really meeting that requirement.

Once we were parked today, Gary and I took our car and drove around town looking for the possibility of a pizza place...why he has a urge for pizza in Mexico I will never know. We found a couple places with pizza signs but they were all closed...as in out of business...should tell us something about the Mexican taste for pizza...or lack thereof. Finally went to a grocery and found one kind of refrigerator Mexican style pizza that he seemed to enjoy while I ate my salad.

They congratulated us tonight as it only took 1.5 hours to get us parked in here and the last group they brought in took 3 hours...perhaps they are just getting better and more creative at how they fit us in...but we will take the credit for now.

The nice thing is after working so hard at getting in here...we get to stay 4 nights...that is part of the "Baja Slow N Easy"...love it. There is sandy beach with a concrete boardwalk and a small harbor to check out. As well as lots of local colorful things and history to explore.

More in a day or so...you see this place is so nice that we even have FREE wifi here...can't get it in the coach but I am in their lounge/laundry and it works great so you may see posts for a few days here.

Take care everyone.

Linda & Gary
still south of the border and then some

January 28 (I think) SATURDAY

We are here in a small town I think is called Santa Rosalia. Will be here two nights. It is the nicest RV park we have had in Mexico. Actually have power, water and sewer. Of course the Mexican water is not drinkable for us sensitive ¨Gringos¨ so we have bottled water to drink but run their water faucet water thru a filter, add a bit of clorox for good measure and then use it for shower, dish washing, etc.

We had a real treat yesterday upon arrival when a young man came around offering to wash the car and motor home...$5 for the car and $20 for the motor home and we really got our money worth. The young man is grandson to the man who owns the RV park. English for his name is George and he is a senior in high school. He is saving up money to go to medical school and become a plastic surgeon. Smart kid...he has a brother who is already a lawyer. When Gary was ready to pay him...he would not take the money but wanted Gary to pay his grandfather...obviously he is the kid´s banker and makes sure the money gets into his college savings account. The Mexicans really know how to work and are very happy and gracious people. We have been walking the main street of this little town this AM and greeting the people with Buenas Dias or Ola (spelling probably wrong)...even have Gary saying a few Spanish greetings. Big smiles and lots of pictures to take.

Stopped in a famous church here...built by the same man who did the Eifel tower in Paris...anyway the church is a working church...well used. Stepped inside to find a group of school kids gathered around a teacher practicing songs...doing very well...probably preparing for services tomorrow. I could have sat there all day...loved it. Several men were outside meticulously sweeping the sidewalk and street out front...they are very proud of their town and take care of it.

We stopped in to a cafe to check cause I saw a pizza sign and Gary was interested. It is only 11 AM and they do not serve pizza till 1pm...so we will go back. Gary used their bathroom as they are few and far apart around here...we had coffee and they would not let us pay...said when we come back for pizza we can pay then. Smart people !

Stopped and held the hand of a half blind lady sitting along the street. She let me take her picture but when I tried to show it to her (in the camera viewer), she pointed to her eyes and said she could not see...reminded me of a special old man I met in a care center in Vietnam.

We are resting well, Gary slept 12 hours last night and even then I had to urge him out of bed. Our drive yesterday while it was only 127 miles was VERY stressful. Very steep, very curvy mountainous roads with semi trucks traveling the opposite direction and other vehicles passing you also. There were some areas when the semis were so close to you width wise, you just have to stop and let them inch their way past. Some coaches had literally 2 to 3 inch clearance...one lost a mirror the previous day. There is no way to pull off the side or onto a shoulder as there is none...it just drops right off and would roll the coach if you got off the side...pretty scary but the other coaches call out on the CB to tell you when the semis are coming and we all work together on it.

What an adventure...we are truely enjoying every minute. More reports to come...Gary has wandered on down the street in search of a good vantage point to sit and watch the locals. They are pretty considerate when they see him on his crutches...his legs lately do not allow him to go more than the length of the coach without the crutches to rely on.

Take care...we will report more later. The weather is mid 70s during the day and drops into 40s at night.

Hugs,
Linda

January25 - Still enjoying Bahai de Los Angeles

I had hoped to download some pictures to this site today and I have them saved on my "flash drive" but the connection here is a "soft satellite" which they tell me means sometimes it hits the signal and sometimes I does not. As remote as we are I guess I should be glad to be able to send words and also view internet.

We made our visit to the turtle research center and enjoyed viewing the various varieties of turtles they have being raised there. They then release them with GPS navigational satellite signal equipment on them and track their migration. They had one in particular that was later captured in China. Another in Japan and some just disappear in mid pacific when they are caught by fishermen...unintentionally.

Yesterday morning I went out on a 12' wooden power boat with three others of our group on an early morning sight seeing trip. They launched the boat at 6Am in the dark and off we set...to beat the winds but yet go on what they called an "eco-tour". Saw lots of birds, a few whales, seals floating on the water in groups (fins out resting), and lots more birds. The pelicans here are awesome...yes, I have pictures and had planned to post but you will have to wait. The birds that we saw and no one would believe us...thought it was a joke but they are called "Blue Footed Boobies"...yes, the feet are a bright blue and quite a sight to see....however they were so far away on the rocky ledges that I do not even have pictures to do it justice. Anyway, I had a great time. Gary stayed behind...said he did not want to go unless he could go diving...it's a guy thing!

Others went out on similar boats both yesterday and today to go fishing. We cruised by and sat beside them and watched as they hauled in one fish after another. Many too small to keep but enough keepers that we are having a "potluck" fish fry tonight. Yum, I love fish. Hate to clean or cook them but like to catch them and eat them.

The weather has been mild...gets down to 45 or so at night and probably about 80 for a short time during day before the wind really starts blowing and it cools down fast. I went to our 4pm social yesterday with a stocking cap on and everyone was envious...no one else packed for colder weather...I had it in the motorhome from using at home.

Tomorrow we move again to a town called Guerreo Negro and cross a border inspection into their southern "state". We are told to expect to have food items taken away from us...eating up all fresh fruit or vegetables...sometimes they take those...other times they have asked for chocolate and money. We have to remember we are in another country and a third world one at that. Glad to be in a group when it comes to this type of thing. Water here is not drinkable. Using it in tanks for shower, wash dishes, etc. but buying bottled water to drink. We just do not know how lucky we are in USA.

Take care everyone, I will continue to check in.

Mi Yama is Linda

January 23 - Mexican Internet Cafe

Here I sit in a very remote little town with very limited resources for themselves or their visitors. It has only been just recently that they paved the road leading out to this beautiful town on the Sea of Cortez, that and the Pemex diesel station we found yesterday are important parts to getting the tourists to come visit.

Also important is what I am using right now...internet cafe. There are about 10 computers along the wall, well equipped and hooked up to a printer. Cost for my time on their computer is a bargain of 15 pesos or$1.50 US for up to 30 minutes and 25 pesos or 2.50 US for an hour. Quite a bargain and working quite well. Thank heavens for the standard format of windows, word, google, etc. as it is all in Spanish but I am doing fine negotiating my way. I brought over my blog posts for 21st and 22nd on a "flash drive" (thank you Cindy & Mike, I am definitely using this Christmas present) and then opened and cut and pasted into blog. Not being much of a geek myself, I was half afraid that when I opened my English word documents on this Spanish speaking machine they would poof convert to Spanish...thank heaven they did not or your would all need a Spanish-English dictionary to read them.

We were exhausted last night, Gary went to bed at 7PM and I did at 8PM...we slept like babies till 8AM this morning. Cute to hear that all the other couples were equally exhausted but now well rested. We visited the turtle research center earlier and enjoyed hearing about their studies of turtle migration...they have raised them there in tanks...tagged them with GPS and tracked them all the way to China. Quite interesting.

Tonight we have a social at 4PM, dinner 5:30 then probably another early to bed. Tomorrow 6Am, I will be on the dock out front with about 11 others to take a boat trip out around the peninsula we are on...seeing the sights, turtles, whales, dolphin and the likes. Gary is not interested unless he can go diving...the wind has been blowing like a hurricane and I did not encourage him to seek out a diving trip here rather wait until we are someplace more protected. It has been quite awhile since either of us has been diving so I did not feel like an open ocean intro was the way to "work back into it".

Hope all is well at home. Send e-mail as I should be able to access it pretty well. We are here for another three days before we move on.

Nuff for now.
Hasta manana
Linda

January 22 - Not too many places to get lost on the way to Bahia de Los Angeles

The adventure today was not in the directions and turns we were required to make in our trip of 232 miles. That was the simple part.

The adventure was the road itself: two very narrow lanes, mostly paved but with a steep drop off at the fog line. Not any room at all for error or for the wind gust that catches you (moving at about 55 mph) as a fifth wheel rig (not from our group) passes you going about 70 mph. Then when that wind gust drives you outside the fog line, your wheel drops off the pavement and your wife nearly has a “coronary” while you struggle to pull the rig back up onto the pavement. I was really glad it was Gary driving as I don’t think I could have muscled it back up onto the pavement without overreacting. If I had been driving we would probably be picking gravel out of our teeth by now.

Most of the trip we traveled through mountain passes on windy roads with me calling out when I knew a sizeable rig was coming opposite us so Gary could prepare to share the road but yet stay on the pavement. Yes, it was a true adventure.

Our adventure today was not without a great deal of fascinating beauty as we traveled through several areas of literal forests of cactus. There are 800 varieties of cactus in Baja and today we saw a good sampling of that. The most unusual was the Cirio cactus also called Boojum Trees that look like carrots - slim, tall, hairy appearance. These are unique to the Baja Peninsula and the state of Sonora in particular.

As we finally approached Bahia de Los Angeles we were overcome with the blue color of the Sea of Cortez, Gulf of California. It was awesome from a distance and in contrast to the mountainous terrain. Our RV park is right on the beach along the Sea of Cortez. This is luxury RV accommodations: we have septic hookups, water faucets (but no water comes out of them) and electric (10 amp) between 7AM and 11 PM when they run their generator. We were pleasantly surprised to find a newly opened diesel/gas station in this town as we had been told there would not be one for 350 miles. We are having a good time but definitely looking forward to spending three nights here in one spot (that’s why they call this the Baja Slow N Easy tour).

Tomorrow we are going to a turtle research center and marine life museum. Should be fun.

January 21 - NOW we know why they call the group "Adventure Caravans"

CAUTION – READ AT YOUR OWN RISK: The following dialogue may have a tendency to either induce motion sickness (if you are so inclined) or put you to sleep. Feel free to fast forward if necessary. For others…come along on our first day of the big adventure.

We had spent yesterday with last minute RV accessory shopping, orientation meetings, dinner and socials…getting to know the people we would be traveling with. They also lined out our procedure for this morning (our first morning) departure from the San Diego KOA.

Our lead motor home would move into the beginning of the line at 7 AM and we were to all form up behind him in anticipation of a 7:30 departure. We set our alarm early so we would be up and ready but have since found out that an alarm is not necessary when you have “Thumper” in the group. Thumper is the nickname for the man who drives the “tail gunner” (last) rig in the caravan. The nickname he earned because of his morning ritual of walking around in the wee hours of the morning (about 6 AM this morning) with a golf club “thumping” all the tires on your motor home to make sure no one has a flat tire. If so they would like to discover it BEFORE you get out in the middle of traffic. This noise as he checks your tires is much more effective than any alarm clock ever thought of being.

When the lead motor home started his motor to move over into line it was akin to a Chinese fire drill as we all revved up and began moving to jockey for a place in line. This was complicated by the myriad of roads throughout the park and also the fact that most of us had vehicles to be hooked up behind our motor home and our rigs were too long to be able to do it until we got into the middle of the park roads…thereby blocking access to others trying to get into line as well…you kind of get the picture. Miraculously we were all in line and ready by the appointed 7:30 departure time.

Initially this looked easy and simple…just keep the motor home in front of you in view and follow them down the freeway. We also had written directions that explained to us each intersection, turn or lane change to be made. We zipped on down the 11 miles to the border and drove right on through. A piece of cake…right ? wrong !

So far we were just “caravanning”…next comes the “ADVENTURE caravanning”. It seems that once you cross the border into Mexico, anything can and will happen. Today the new thing since the last group had come this direction was a change of roads, lanes and also, oh yes…the signage.

Well we think Gary and I set a new record as we were less than 1 mile south of the border…heck, probably more like a half mile…and we got lost. We made a wrong turn when the signs did not match our instructions…Gary saw a “bus” up ahead, thought it was a motor home and followed it the wrong way. Only problem was we had about five other motor homes that were following us and so we were lost together. First we ended up half pulled into the parking lot at a hospital looking for a way to get turned around. A young man who works at the hospital and spoke very little English was generous enough to hop into our motor home and help us negotiate the streets to get headed the right direction. He hopped back out along the freeway with $3 US in his hand and a big smile on his face. He was proud to have helped us and did not mind walking back to his work place.

Well, great but no sooner did we get moving again but we took yet another wrong turn. This time Gary just decided we needed to get off the road and check in on the radio. With three coaches following us this time, I spotted a very large Costco parking lot and we all circled our “wagons” inside there to scratch our heads together. (The joke later was that we purposely stopped off for a few last minute shopping.)

The others were out of radio range so we were on our own. Finally I looked up and could see the highway sign for where we needed to go but not how to get there. One other fearless driver volunteered to “lead” us out. As we followed him we realized quickly that a concrete median prevented us from making the left turn we needed to and we were forced to make a middle of the road U-turn with motor homes and cars in tow. What a relief it was when we rounded that turn and got onto the correct road. We soon passed the “tail gunner” rig waiting along the roadside to make sure we survived and fell back into the “caravan” again after our little sight seeing venture.

As we drove south toward Ensenada we saw large bull rings and lots of new construction along the coast line. It is obvious that lots of Americans purchase condos and residences in the area as many had American sounding names and motifs that the average Mexican could not afford.

We also passed the Fox studio movie set and specifically the set for the movie Titanic. The scenery changed so fast from poverty to pockets of fame and fortune that it was a kind of sensory overload.

Most of the road in this area is toll road but we were glad to pay the price (760 pesos = $7.50 every 10 miles or so) as they were very nice roads to travel on…which we appreciated more and more as we later traveled on their regular “highways”. We learned several things in our adventure today:

**It is not important to be at the head of the caravan when you leave in the morning…things change as the day rolls on and your position changes anyway.
**Don’t assume the motor home ahead of you knows where they are going…even if they do have an “Adventure Caravans” sticker on their backside.
**Stay on the road and do not try to do a courtesy pull off the side of the road to let other vehicles pass you. Most times there is a substantial drop off at the edge of the road and things will fly out of your upper cabinets when you hit a bump that hard.
**After hitting bumps during your adventure, open you upper cabinets carefully or the special coffee mug you purchased in Washington DC might crash onto the counter below and break into a thousand pieces.
**If you pull off the road, you cannot always negotiate the steep grade or slant of the approach to get back on the road…hence you visit with non-English speaking old lady who gives you a toothless grin and encourages you to go around many dusty dirt blocks finding a good road to pull back onto the highway.
**When you get lost, it is not a good idea to just guess and make a turn off the main road onto a small side street or you will end up on steep, narrow residential roads with locals just shaking their heads at your plight.
**If you sit at dinner with the “Wagon Master” and his wife, it is not a good time to confess to how soon and how many times you got lost that day or you may end up wearing a silly two brimmed hat that says “I’m Their Leader, Which Way Did They Go” (yes, Gary got his picture taken wearing it).

All in all Day One was truly an adventure with much more to come !

Happy Birthday and big hugs to daughter Cindy

33 years ago I gave birth to my favorite daughter, Cindy. That is a joke of ours (Cindy and mine)...she is an only child so "favorite daughter" is not really applicable but has been a term I have used often.

I am so thankful for the wonderful young lady that Cindy has become. She is loving, caring, generous and my best friend. We enjoy each others company and the many conversations we have about life, love, money and the mysteries of the universe (i.e. why did the man cross the road?).

While Cindy has indeed inherited some of my soft heart, organizational traits and talent for details and numbers, she has built upon that and gone beyond into a healthy lifestyle for herself and her family that I was never able to attain. I am so very proud of her accomplishments and the effort that she puts into them.

Sweet Cindy, take time to stop and smell the roses along the way. Love, Laugh, Live and Enjoy. Hugs to you on this your special day and many more to come.

From your proud friend and mother...

My privilege to be able to be involved in this worthwhile project

I am so proud today to be able to share with you one of the stories on the research Cindy and I have been doing online to help locate families of veterans so the dog tags recovered in Vietnam by TOP can be returned to them. Most of the stories are very heartwarming but confidential until such time as the family gives permission for them to be shared. As the following story has been published in a The Rocky Mount Telegram newspaper in North Carolina...I can now share it with you.

Veterans group returns dog tags to widow

By John Ramsey, Rocky Mount Telegram
Wednesday, January 18, 2006

Before Jimmie Batchelor died in December 2002, the Vietnam veteran often told his wife, Wanda, he lamented losing his dog tags in combat.

Three years after Jimmie's death, Wanda Batchelor opened a surprising letter mailed to her in November.

Jimmie Batchelor's dog tags were in the United States, recovered by the nonprofit group Tours of Peace Vietnam Veterans, stated the letter, which also asked Wanda's permission to return the tags.

"I had to read it twice to make sure of what I read," said Batchelor, who lives in Nashville. "It was amazing. He wanted these dog tags back, and here I was getting them."

Near the end of November, Batchelor held in her palm a battered silver tag, still stained with specks of red dirt from a Vietnam battlefield, that summarized her husband's military life in five brief lines: his name, military ID number, B positive blood type, Social Security number and Methodist religion.

"The fact that they found them in the field after all these years, that's pretty amazing," said Batchelor, who married Jimmie before he joined the Army and was deployed to Vietnam in 1968. "It helped me to get his because it was so important to Jimmie."

TOP Vietnam Veterans, founded by a Marines Vietnam veteran in 1998, tries to provide veterans and their family members with opportunities for healing. In addition to finding and returning lost items, mostly dog tags, the organization offers trips to Vietnam to see the former military sites and the rest of the country.

"We just felt like it was something that somebody had to do," said organization President Jess DeVaney, who added that they had found more than 1,100 dog tags. "It's a great thing we can do, and it's another way we can help families heal from their losses."

Batchelor said she plans to have the dog tag framed with Jimmie's other memorabilia, which includes two Purple Hearts. She said she was grateful to TOP Vietnam Veterans because she often felt her husband, who suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and died from exposure to Agent Orange, was neglected.

"That kind of hurt Jimmie's feelings," she said. "People just don't understand."

Jimmie, like many other Vietnam veterans, rarely spoke of his time in combat, Batchelor said. But when he mentioned Vietnam, he would usually add something about his dog tags.
"He mentioned them several times, that he wanted his dog tags and that he was sorry he lost them," Batchelor said, unsure of how Jimmie would react to knowing the tags were home. "He would just probably say, 'They're mine and they're back where they belong.'"

I thank God every day that life can have such meaning for me at this point in time...

Jan 15 San Diego KOA

Today was time for our move on down to the very nice KOA where we will meet up with the other motor homes for our trip south.

It was an interesting morning as we were not aware that they were starting a marathon run going right down the roadway along side our state park campground. When we approached the exit gate, we could see a band set up and playing music right in the middle of the intersection that we needed to exit through...Oops...the park ranger said he was not sure the police manning the intersection would even let us leave prior to the 2 pm end of the marathon. I was driving the car separate from Gary in the motorcoach so I drove on up to the intersection and luckily convinced the policeman that we needed to get through.

Once we were past that hurdle, it was pretty interesting as we had planned to just go down the road to a large parking lot and hook the car to motorhome for the 40 mile drive to San Diego. Well that was the road that was blocked. Could not discuss the situation as he had not planned communication between vehicles. I was in the lead and just pulled onto the freeway and headed south. We had discussed how we did not want to drive this separate as it would be really confusing negotiating the freeways without one of us reading maps. Well, my maps were in the motorhome and I had to "wing it" from memory. I guess there was a reason I had studied them so closely last night.

We made it and actually it worked well. We had difficulty finding the entrance to the KOA and I was able to just leave Gary parked on a side road while I drove the tracker and figured out where we needed to go.

It is so nice to finally have good internet connection again. Even had some pending dogtag business waiting for me when I signed on so I was glad to be able to do it.

This is the nicest KOA we have ever been to and actually the nicest of all parks we have been in. It is well paved but yet well landscaped. All pretty flat and level with good hookups. The coaches are close together but it does not feel that way with the beautiful trees interspersed.

Hope all is well..a little sprinkle as we drove south this am but other than that it is breezy and about 50 to 65 degrees. I am starting to understand why some people go south for the winter...still miss my beach house too.

Take care.
Linda

January 14 2005 A "Big Storm" in California

I think this entire trip will be a matter of perspectives. The past three days the San Diego weather forecasters have been telling of a pending “big” storm that was due to arrive today. They even predicted its arrival down to the exact hour. So here we are and yes, it is raining and yes, the wind is blowing but by Oregon coast standards this would just be another normal day…not one deserving of dire news broadcasts. Everyone has been carrying umbrellas all morning and I just spotted a large dog in a doggie raincoat. Haven’t they heard of “running between the drops” like we Oregonians are used to doing? In Oregon you would not try to use an umbrella…unless you were a wuss or maybe someone from California! Like I said a matter of perspective and I know this is just the beginning.

We are having a quiet few days still here at the South Carlsbad State Park. This morning the surfers were out en masse enjoying the wave surge from the “big storm”. They were having fun and we enjoyed watching them. My favorite critter of the morning remains the pelicans. Previously I have only seen them sitting or standing but not flying. Here they fly round and round the beach area in flocks and skim across the water in search of a quick snack. Seems they enjoy “dive bombing” the surfers who just ignore them.

My favorite critter yesterday was the small chipmunk who was trying to drag off a full, sealed bag of chips that one camper had left out at their campsite. This little guy had high hopes of getting that big bag hid away before the campers could return. Some campers just have to learn the hard way not to leave things out.

Jan 13, 2005 South Carlsbad State Park

We have been doing a very slow and easy migration south through California. Kept it at 200 to 250 miles a day and spent our sleeping hours in the parking lots of casinos and truck stops. Last night we were living it up in a Camping World parking lot. The price sure is right.

Finally we are south of the craziness of Los Angeles and ready to kick back for a few days. Obtained a disabled California State Park pass for Gary and we can stay at their sites for half price. For the next three nights we are perched atop a bluff, overlooking a popular surfing beach at South Carlsbad State Park. Beautiful sunset and it is so nice to finally feel sunshine and warmer air.

Sunday our big move will be to the San Diego KOA where we will spend 5 nights and join up with other "caravaneers" for our trip south into Mexico. Currently I am in a Starbucks using their "Hot Spot" for internet. Next to me is a table of mexican young men speaking spanish...boy am I a long time removed from my high school Spanish. Our communication on our trip south should be interesting...but I guess that is why we are traveling with a group.

Hope all is well with everyone else...take care and know the rains up north will stop "eventually".

Mi yama es Linda
Hasta la juego

Happy Birthday Daddy !

Monday would have been my father's 88th birthday. In celebration of his life I would like to share with you an article which was published May 1993 in the Portland Oregonian newspaper:

Henning Helstrom, considered by some to be the father of modern-day angling in Oregon, died Thursday of causes related to age. He was 75.

Helstrom was the owner of the old Foster Sporting Goods, believed to be the first and largest self-service hunting and fishing equipment store in the world. He began it as the Foster Cycle Co. in 1945, selling war surplus, bicycles and motorcycles.

He also began publishing "Henning's Fishing Guide" in 1958, ultimately covering Oregon, Washington, California and British Columbia with seven state and regional booklets.

The guides continue to be published and updated by Flying Pencil Publications of Portland. They are complete and current guides to angling areas throughout the Northwest and in Helstrom's time were the result of personal visits to each place he wrote about.

As late as 1992, Helstrom had sold his publishing business, but nevertheless produced a guide to boat ramps of Washington, after having visited each of them and taking photos.

Helstrom was considered an innovator in marketing, beginning the concept of self-service shopping for fishing tackle in small pans and baskets, sponsoring the Northwest's first fishing derbies, stocking fish ponds at public expositions and printing the fishing guides.

Several local sporting goods dealers, including Larry Schoenborn of Larry's Sports Centers, and many local angling guides began their careers at Foster Sporting Goods.

So next time you wonder where I developed my spirit of adventure, you will know it was "inherited" from my father. That and his love of people were the most valuable inheritances a daughter could have ever received from her father.

Thank you daddy, I know you will enjoy your birthday with the angels and all those wonderful gospel singers.

I can almost see daddy shaking his head in amazement as we head off tomorrow on yet another adventure...stay tuned for "Baja Slow and Easy" with Adventure Caravans !

A Compliment and A Reminder

Today I received a very nice compliment from a member of our Thursday group. She has seen me many times at our group meetings but until today had not put me together with an image she remembers from meeting me about 3 years ago (about the time of picture on the left) when Gary and I were working with them on Whale Watch duty. When she finally realized I was "Gary Stocker's wife" she had met before she was shocked at the change. She also commented on how she remembered how much trouble I had walking as the "old me".

It was a nice compliment but it reminded me of how much better off and thankful I am to now be a smaller person and the importance of maintaining my accomplishment and my new healthier status.

I have let myself slowly slip about 15 pounds and that is not good. I need to get "the holidays" off my waist and get back to working on loosing a few more pounds. I am within 40 pounds of my goal to be "half the woman I was" and would like to eventually arrive there.

So I guess that will be my new New Years Resolution...not just more weight loss but to take better care of myself and maintain my health. I guess that means I should start getting to bed earlier at night too. Oh well...nite, nite

Linda

Reach Out As You Greet The New Year

As we enter a new year I cannot help but think of and worry about a man I have never met. Although I have only seen him from a distance, I feel very deeply for him. You see there is a cemetery we drive by on our way to Salem.

Right after Thanksgiving we drove by and I spotted this elderly man by a newly dug grave covered with a mound of fresh flowers. His car was parked nearby but he sat beside the grave in a fold up aluminum lawn chair.

I am sure the grave was that of his long time spouse...and it struck me that his whole life was probably right there. How sad...they probably had spent every hour together for years and now that she is gone he has no where to go...no one to be with.

We drove by again when we went to Vancouver on the morning of Christmas Eve. I was not surprised to see him there in the rain standing by the grave, rocking from one foot to the other as though he was carrying on a difficult conversation with his dear departed one.

Reach out to those around you and appreciate them while you have them...also think about those widowed neighbors and any way that you can make their days a bit brighter. Some day we will all be there and needing that same hug or a smile or a friend. Give till it hurts...but it won't hurt...it will feel good !

Happy new year to all...and thanks for listening.

Linda