McMinnville, Oregon Old Stone Village RV Park 6/13 - 6/16 2019

From: casarollnotes.blogspot.com 

Tim and Linda Bunyan

We have come from a visit with our Mazatlan friends: Rod and Audrey in Albany, Oregon and now heading toward the city of McMinnville, Oregon.  We are staying in the Old Stone Village RV Park located within the walking path to the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum.  The Spruce Goose is here and the purpose of our visit here to McMinnville.  We also are able to meet up with Doug and Deb McPherson on their travel course to visit Doug's brother in their native home of Calgary, Canada.

RV Park, $45.00 per night with electric and water hookup with a dump station upon departure.  There are a pool and an obvious full-time gardener.  The walking path is nicely paved and a short walk to the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum.

Doug could be a Docent at the Aviation Museum......for the Spruce Goose.  He recited quite a bit even before our tour guide.   This is the magnificent building of the Aviation Museum! 

Deb and I were amazed at the wingspan!   From the cockpit, I tried to fit the 6 props in the camera lens.  Tim did a fine job of doing that sticking his head out of the side cockpit window.

The Centerpiece: The original Spruce Goose; built entirely of wood due to wartime restrictions on metals.

Control panels at the Cockpit.   10 difference stations of pilots checking.... everything.

Doug 'the docent' !

 

Special Tour: In the Cockpit !!!

"Jet Setter" on a Lear !!!!

Other planes outside on the grounds of the museum.

The walking path and grounds to the Museum.

The grounds were well kept with airplanes outside .......and even on top of the Aviation Museum roof!

We had Deb and Doug for a light supper of BLT the first night.  The second evening we had cocktails and Deb provided tasty snacks so no need for dinner.

 

Deb and Doug's 5th Wheel has a great floorplan and lots of storage.  Deb only packed absolutely necessary items.  Lots of room and nice and neat!

  Our final night we went downtown McMinnville to the RoofTop Mcminniman Restaurant.  Our friends Rod and Audrey recommended that we go to the Rooftop of the Mcminniman.  The restaurants are located all around Oregon.  

This one was special to us because we dined in the Cellar with two-piece music playing.  Then we went to the RoofTop as the sun was setting.  It was full of delighted people in a favorite place.

 

 We left the next morning.  The skies were blue and warm enough to use the pool and soak up some sun rays.  Deb had that planned and Doug is good at being in the shade, staying warm, and resting.  It was a great visit.  Doug has his jokes he is very good at telling and we love his stories that always have a great amount of humor.  He is sharp and Deb is capable of driving the truck and tow if the urge.  They have a fine floorplan with lots of room for them, comfy chairs next to the indoor fireplace, and the best 'rocker' camp chairs for outdoors!

Spruce Goose (in Blue) compared to Modern Aircraft size.

Albany/Corvalis, Oregon at Rod and Audrey's house 6/11 - 6/13 2019

From: casarollnotes.blogspot.com 

Tim and Linda Bunyan

We have come inland from our Oregon Coastal Trail to visit with our fine friends: Rod and Audrey.  We met them in Mazatlán as they purchased Jim and Linda Drinkard's condo in Quintas.  We've spent several years together for a few weeks in Mazatlán, so this 2019 Travel Tour gains some time at the home in Albany, Oregon.
Albany Railway celebrates the 150th anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869.  Note: A year after the driving of the ceremonial golden spike, at Promontory Summit, Utah Territory, the first train arrived in Albany: the Oregon and California Railroad.  With the arrival of the railroad, Albany grew and developed into the Hub of the Willamette Valley.

Audrey continues to work in Salem for the great State of Oregon.  She holds many distinctive years of training and working for the latest/greatest Director of Employment for Oregon.  She is counting the couple years till her Retirement so they can spend more Winter months in Mazatlán.

This alcove in their house is decorated with all collectibles from Mazatlan.  This is their Beach Homeplace.  There is a large canvas on the wall behind Rod and Audrey.  It is a photo blowup of Quintas ...and the beach! 

Their home is on a couple of acres in the pastoral area of Albany.  Mostly various lawn grasses are grown in these expansive fields.  There is a Heat Wave for these days during our visit.  (We are from Sacramento and very much used to 80-85 degrees).  We visit inside with the house air conditioning and catch up on their work, house chores, and Rod's Etsy business he does as a hobby.   

Tim likes Rod's wood laser machine and artwork.  There is also a shipping department all set up with packaging materials.  Here is Rod mailing one of his artwork pieces at his favorite quick stop post office.  Old Charlie, the whitish horse that pulled a streetcar for years was quite the town fixture.  Old Charlie was so dependable he pulled a mail truck from the depot to the post office.

They have a huge garage (I call it a Toy Box) that nicely fits their pontoon boat (they met us a couple of years ago in Sweethome) and took us for a boat ride on Frasier Lake.  It was so fun and warm enough to really appreciate the ride up the fork of the river and revel in the music on the boat.   Here it is in Albany ready to be launched this next week as June is the starting mark for Summer fun.  Rod and Audrey keep their boat at the marina for 3-4 months for ease of use for their entire family.

Talking Waters Gardens

Audry goes to work (early).  We did not hear her leave; well, she does have an electric car so perhaps that is the reason.  Rod and Tim and I got going touring around town before noon!  

We walked the Talking Water Gardens, a water cooling designed wildlife area for the city's water treatment plant.   We walked a couple of miles around the wetlands.

 
 The Water Treatment Plant filters the water to cool down the temperature before it returns to the Treatment Plant. 

   We then went to the Albany Regional Museum to find a speaker there explaining the active role of the Talking Water Gardens and the animal and flora life existing there.  The focus is to keep and grow native plants.  The ducks and birds find refuge there.  

The Lounge, for lunch.  The sign says: "Husband Day Care Center" !!!  Located at First & Washington Street

The bar has chandeliers I love!

We went to lunch at The Lounge. 

 A perfect bar and sandwich place that states it is a grown man's babysitter!!!  





After lunch, we went across the street to the well preserved and local citizen-financed Carousel.  

We visited the woodcarvers artists workshop.  

Carousel

With Audrey home after her work day, we prepared dinner for Rod and Audrey and ate in their house with the air conditioner which was very comfortable.  (The CA weather came with us...a hot spell of up to 90 degrees!  They had a cold drinks refrigerator in the garage with many fun selections.  I chose a cider and Tim had a cola.

Rod showed us around the area in this lush, pastoral land they call home.  Albany is where Rod relocated from San Jose to continue his job at the Hewlett Packard Company which is still employing Albany residents.  This is where the green grass grows and goes to market.  A very blessed place.

 

Rod demonstrated his woodworking shop attached to the house.  It is equipped with a laser machine which he commands from his computer.  He creates the design on the particular item the customer requests.  This is all done virtually.  Rod even has a shipping department area where he wraps each item and prepares for mailing.   We even went to his favorite post office so conveniently located.

This is an example of Rod's creative work.  He inscribed our names and wine design onto this leather wine bottle carrier.  He gifted it to us upon our departure!!

We said our goodbyes.  Audrey is still at work and we are departing before noon.  As we were leaving (parked in his front driveway) Rod gave us a gift he created.  It is an engraved leather wine bottle carrier.  He designed it and engraved it to give to us this morning.  We're all 'dressed up' now with our wine carrier here at The Hub of the Willamette Valley.

We are going to meet up with Doug and Deb McPherson in McMinnville, Oregon.  We are going together to the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum to view the Spruce Goose!