April 19th – May 24th, 2018

After our stay at Wild Billy Lake, we pulled off the road to take care of some mid-year business and spent time at “home(s)”. First, we pulled Lucky into Bandon for a stay at Mike and Ann’s place with a killer view of the ocean, a private shower and laundry (always a treat!). We were in Bandon a week, just enough time make keep our doctor and dentist appointments and finish up some other business so we could fit in some fishin’ and friends!

JP got to spend time in familiar territory with his fishing pals. It only took one day on the Coquille River and one day on the Umpqua to fill their freezers with the all the crab bait (shad) they’ll likely need this season. JP ventured out on a halibut trip, but no halibut on the boat. No complaints though – they caught ling cod and black bass and were happy fisher guys.

JP and I got together with some of our Bandon friends for lunches and dinners out. I think we gain about 10 pounds whenever we come back to town.  Getting together with friends is a high calorie endeavor, but always fun! I was glad I got to see a few girlfriends when we were in town and I know we will be back for a longer stay starting in late summer so I can track down the gals that got away.

We headed to our other “home” in Lebanon for the next week. We left Lucky behind and stayed at Gwen’s. Turned out to be a good timing since she broke her thumb and needed surgery. We were happy that we picked just the right time to be staying with her. We had more annual doctor appointments scheduled that week and were glad to get those out of the way. JP stayed and helped out with some chores at Gwen’s house while she was recovering from her thumb surgery. I spent the last few days in Sweet Home cozied up at Jean’s for a little catch up time before we headed back to Bandon to get Lucky ready for our next Oregon stop.

Sunday May 6, 2018
JP was on the water early again today. Today was our last day here so everyone is getting their last shot on the water. The fish were running hot and cold but there is always the chance that the next cast will be THE one. 

There’s a fly fisher here that has some crazy cool drones. They are the real deal! He flies then over the lake and they’re amazing to watch.

Everybody fished from the shore or their pontoon or the row boats.  We couldn’t have asked for better weather. A success in every way! 

It was just by chance that we ended up being invited along on this annual trip. The gang here: Gene and Judy, Beth and Craig and grandson Cole, Lynn, Gary, Jack Jr, and Jack (the fella JP met at 7 Feathers) were all awesome. We’ve been invited back next year and may have a side trip on the books with Gene and Judy this summer. Yep – looks like we may be hangin’ in Oregon this summer with Lucky – cuz well – there’s the fishing!

Saturday May 5th, 2018
Jerry had a good morning while I slept in and finished my book. We took a row boat out after lunch and though this is a “catch and release” lake, I’ve made it a “bite and release” lake. I can get their attention and have a good hit but have trouble keeping them on. I’m glad JP is just working on teaching me the mechanics of catching for now (he’s casting for me) because fly fishing is no where near the same as bait fishing.

The day was gorgeous and JP caught some good size trout.

At one point we were the only ones on the lake, a bald eagle was making loops overhead, the pelicans were huddled against the far shore . . . all this with the background music of fellow fly fisher Gene, playing the mandolin at the the waters edge. How could there be a more a perfect day?

Friday May 4th, 2018
JP was up way early to hit the water. He was pretty excited! He has been so looking forward to this trip! The trout are BIG here and the lake and horizons are beautiful!
I was all dressed up and ready to row when  JP’s boat seat broke (from excessive rowing I’m sure) so we took one of the row boats out in the afternoon.

I’m not a fly-fisher but JP hooked me up and we got to catch a couple big ones. 

The pelicans were out in a group today. They’re amazing to watch. Big bright white, beautiful birds with wings tipped in black and bright orange bills. They glide over the water and huddle in a group on the far shore.

By the end of the day JP had fixed his pontoon and tied more of the preferred flies and was ready for another early morning on the Lake.

Thursday May 3rd, 2018
We’ve had some Siri problems again. This time she has confused North and South (she seriously can’t be trusted). Luckily JP had a map to the private property that holds Wild Billy Lake. The road was a little rough and narrow with limbs to avoid so we took it slow and easy.
This trip came about because when we were at the Seven Feathers RV Park last year our neighbor saw the pontoons in the truck and he and JP got to talking. It turned out they both knew a fly fisherman from Lebanon named Gene Stutzman and the invite was on.

What a place! This is a private 200 acre lake so our party of new friends are the only occupants at the camp and cabins. I’ve met some really nice people. It’s super  casual and everyone just does their own thing and at days end, if you are so inclined – there is the campfire for all.My new neighbor Judy let me tag along on one of her hikes. She shared her binoculars and we spotted antelope, a bald eagle with a young one in nest, wild horses, and deer. A great first day! 

Wednesday, May 2nd
We left Bandon mid- morning and headed southwest towards Sprague River Oregon. We parked at Collier State Park for a pre- destination one night stay. It was mostly empty so we had our pick of sites. It’s a lovely park, right along the Williamson River. This is all new territory for me but JP is familiar since he used to work in this neck of the woods back in the day. Lovely weather, lovely park – I’m sure we’ll be back.

Thursday April 19th

Today was a full day on the road from Corning CA to Bandon. It was smooth sailing and nice weather for the drive to the coast. We had a moment of excitement when the guy towing a pull trailer in front of us had a blow out but other than that, a good trip.

Our friends in Bandon offered up their lovely place for us to stay while they are away. So we pulled Lucky into their driveway and made ourselves at home. The view from our front door is amazing! 

I’m anxious to have the repairs done on the wind damaged truck door and restock and rearrange for the fishing season, so I can  spend some quality time with my girlfriends! We have some catchin’ up to do! So Ill be back on the blog at the end of our stay. We head out on Monday the 30th bright and early!

Wednesday April 18th, 2018
This morning we headed north toward our next destination in Corning Calif. We have friends, Toni Marie and Scott in Manteca, so we gave it a shot and got lucky! We haven’t seen them in about 3 years so we had a chance to see their beautiful new home and visit over a tasty Mexican lunch, definitely a bonus! It would have been nice to have a bit longer but we needed to reach our next stop at the Travelers RV at  Rolling Casino in Corning by dark o’clock. The RV Park there is really nice. I’m glad we had a reservation – it was full! We settled in and spent an hour or so at the casino. No great wins but I did find some fun new machines. It was early to bed though, tomorrow we will have a full day on the road.

Big League Dreams Park

Tuesday April 17th 2018
It’s a travel day today. We headed from Barstow, Californa to Merced, California.
We stayed just outside of town at the Elks RV Park. We had just enough time before dark for a quick Costco dinner and fuel stop. We will be back on the road in the morning.

Monday April 16th,2018
We took our time checking out – it was nice having some extra space
to relax in. After a quick breakfast we were back on the road. The day started out great but when we were within 30 miles of the Barstow California KOA Resort where we were booked for the night – a huge – I mean huge, windstorm / desert sandstorm hit. At about 3:00 we pulled into the first  rest stop we came to so we could wait it out. No fun, no hook ups, hot, but wind would damage any windows we might open. Forecast – high winds, gusts to 50 mph. Until 3:00 AM!  So. . . we hung out in Lucky for a couple of hours and around 5:00 made the scary trip to Barstow. At one point JP had to pull over and check something on the trailer. At the exact moment he opened the truck door, a powerful gust snatched the door and flung it open the WRONG way. The door will close, but the spring is shot and opening it is damaging the paint of the front quarter. Yeah, and then there is the awful sound of metal grinding on metal. 

So in our spare time we’ll be figuring out the logistics of the having the insurance appraiser look it over and the actual work getting done in-between  travel dates. JP wasn’t injured but he was mad as hell. Not every  day on the road is gonna be a good one. We hunkered down at the KOA and tried to sleep through the roar of the wind storm and the rocking trailer. Tomorrow is another day! Net stop Merced Ca.