The Road to Oregon

My Dad was invited to a 50th wedding anniversary party honoring one of his navy buddies and wife, longtime family friends, the Millers. I invited myself along, because that's the kind of thing I do. I wanted to visit the Millers and since my Dad was going to make the trip from Texas, via California, I thought he'd appreciate some company on the drive up. According to Mapquest, its approximately a 7 hour drive from the Bay Area to just over the Oregon border.

It took us 12-1/2 hours, and not because my Dad drives 60 miles an hour, but because we had to stop every half hour so I could stretch out my back and take constitutionals. All that stopping allowed us to enjoy beautiful and interesting scenery...

This is my dad standing in the Chandelier Tree, which has a hole cut in it so you can drive thru. Apparently, drive-thru trees are very popular in the California Redwoods. This particular tree was 315 ft. tall, 21 ft. in diameter and 2400 years old. Now, I always thought that you had to cut down a tree and read its rings to know how old its is, but maybe that's a Redwood Forest myth, like Bigfoot. (More on that later...) Note the Steven Speilberg touch pinging off the windows of the cars in the background. I was rather proud of catching that little extra : .)

Closer to Oregon, we lucked out and saw two of these guys...

Imagine this monster elk in your front yard! I think she/he was showing his (her?) best side, hee!!! (Actually, if you know me at all, you know I took this shot on purpose, elk butt...uh huh huh.)


We finally arrived at the Holiday Motel. I couldn't decide if the place was quaint, complete with 1960's decor and musty smell from that earlier age, or a new setting for the next Psycho movie...You decide. Really now, you have to be suspicious of lodging that has no web page. Obviously, this place was not visited by the Travelocity Gnome. Unfortunately for me, the manager over-booked and gave someone else "our" room with two beds, so I got to sleep on a roll-out cot. For 4 nights. I missed my tempurpedic greatly.

Back to the Millers. We've been friends for as long as I can remember.

This is my cousin Beth, me, Nancy and Darrell, Nancy's bro, I'm guessing sometime in 1966 - 1967 .


My family would take the long drive from So. Cal. to visit their family in Oregon. I have some of the best memories of swimming in the local river, eating sandwiches from their deli, exploring the Oregon Caves. (That's me, probably the last time I wore a bikini, my mom, Nancy, Bertha, my itty-bitty (at the time) sistor Mika, and Darrell hangin' at the Illinois River.)

I was so excited to be reunited with Nancy. She is still as gorgeous, sweet and amazing as I remember with a great husband and two very wonderful sons. I hope we make the effort to keep in touch! I also had the opportunity to meet the Miller's extended family. A truly gracious and fun loving group of individuals.

The Millers and their family sure know how to party. Because of their generosity and kindness, living in town and owning local businesses (pizza parlors and breweries), active in the community and their church, they know practically everyone in town. There were close to 200 people at their house to help them celebrate! The band played, people ate, people danced, it was a wonderful time. (These are the relative ladies rockin' out!!!)

Here's a shot of the happy couple, serious wedded bliss!!!

I think the most fun I had however, was hanging with the Good Ole Girls from Texas (Bertha, her sister Lor, cousin Patty, and Sis-in-Laws Cally and Jo) on Memorial Day, the day after the party. They taught me how to play canasta, we drank beer and ate leftover cake, all before lunch of Wild River Pizza and more beer. Lor got us all together, lined up the husband/father gang of military veterans and we waved flags and sang God Bless America in their honor. It was so cool! I had such a sense of family and really enjoyed being included with the girls.


Of course, the fun eventually had to end, and Dad and I were off early the next morning to trek back to Cali. We detoured through the Avenue of the Giants and stopped at the Legend of Bigfoot. He does exist...LOOK!!!

A shot of me and the hunk! Me laugh, me cry, me fall in love with Bigfoot (as quoted by the MadMonk after I gave her this... ME WRITE BOOK, It Bigfoot Memoir) I think he has a wife tho' Patty. Yeah, please DON'T tell her where I live!!!

It was a long and painful trip home, but all worth it, the time traveling with my Dad, celebrating the Millers, meeting their family, eating tons of pizza and drinking lots of beer. I'm happy for all the great memories!!! (I have so many more fun photos, but I spared you all the zzzzzzzzs!)