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Wagonteamster

12-14-16, Valley Falls, OR

After returning from Glacier Bay, AK, I had a fairly eventful late summer and fall.  First Jacquie and I loaded up our little Scamp camper and headed up to British Columbia for a week or two. Following that trip we went camping on the Oregon coast for a few days. Then, it was off to the Cooper Nuclear Plant in Nebraska for a two month job assignment.  In between trips I spent several days herding cattle in the mountains, and taking Bob and Doc out with the wagon on some short booze cruises or picnics to the base of the Abert Rim.

British Columbia

This was a nice trip.  First we took the ferry across to Vancouver Island for a few days, then leisurely motored across B.C. to Banff National park. Vancouver Island is very scenic and a great place to visit.  We had a limited time to see a lot, so we breezed through the crowds of Old-town Victoria and headed north up the island. After spending a night on the eastern shore, we traveled across the island the sunny and mild western coast. The following day, we caught the ferry to the western side of Vancouver City (on the mainland) and started our trek across the province. While a nice place to visit, I would have enjoyed Vancouver Island more if it had been a little more rustic.

The west coast of Vancouver Island is about as tropical as it gets in Canada.

The trip across British Columbia was great, as well as the National Parks, but we timed it wrong and happened to visits the Parks during the “Canada Day” weekend and they were quite crowded.

At a roadside camping spot along a mountain stream, Hershey looked back for a word of encouragement before jumping in the water.

Oregon Coast

Before heading off to work in Nebraska we once again loaded up the little Scamp travel trailer for three wonderful days on the coast, in Newport, OR. It was just after the Labor Day weekend so the crowds were gone.  This was a great trip. 

Early in the morning we took a short drive north of town, where we saw this magnificent site - an early morning marine layer combined with spend drift from the ocean rapidly climbing up the slopes leading away from a rocky beach.

Nebraska - Work

From the middle of September to the middle or November, I was toiling away the Cooper Nuclear plant in Southeast Nebraska.  I would like to write about the great time I had in all my free time, but when you work 12 hours a day, six days a week it doesn’t leave much time for entertainment.

I planned on making a couple of stops on my way home.  First, I need to pick up a pair of shoeing stocks for the mini-horses in Ohio Amish country, then I planned on visiting my daughter and new grandson outside of Washington, DC. - ah the best laid plans of mice and men.  On the northwest side of Indianapolis, I hit one of those big Indiana corn-fed deer with the truck.  After limping the truck with a leaky radiator another 100 miles I pulled into the farm of my good friends Marti and Dave to replace the radiator and a broken headlamp.  However, on my way to the part store to pick up parts, the hood flew up, smashing the windshield and mangling the hood. All together, the required repairs would now cost more than the truck was worth, so I left my truck in Indiana where Dave sold it for me and continued my journey to Washington DC by plane.

I had a great visit with my daughter Lisa and her son. This is 4 month old Sebastian, the latest addition to the Skelding clan.

Now back in Oregon, Jacquie and I are generally taking it easy and waiting for good weather to get out and have a good time. On the few days we try and get out and see a little of the countryside (mostly in the lower desert regions, as the roads and trails in the high country are now covered in deep snow).

Prior to heading out on my next job in Michigan, near the first of March, we plan on spending a week in Key West, Florida with my son and his family.

This is a picture of the large alkali lake (Abert Lake) that is located just a few miles Northeast of the house. The large rock formation that extends along the eastern shore is the Abert Rim, that also rears up in front of the house.

Merry Christmas to everyone and I hope that your holidays are filled with joy and good fortune.