A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day....08-23-06....Lin & Dave's Excellent Adventure ~ Part Two

Billie; Diver Dave | August 23, 2006 | Diver Dave

[Billie]

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day

Free Republic made its debut in September, 1996, and the forum was added in early 1997.   Over 100,000 people have registered for posting privileges on Free Republic, and the forum is read daily by tens of thousands of concerned citizens and patriots from all around the country and the world.

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day was introduced on June 24, 2002. It's only a small room in JimRob's house where we can get to know one another a little better; salute and support our military and our leaders; pray for those in need; and congratulate those deserving. We strive to keep our threads entertaining, fun, and pleasing to look at, and often have guest writers contribute an essay, or a profile of another FReeper.

On Mondays please visit us to see photos of A FEW OF FR'S VETERANS AND ACTIVE MILITARY

If you have a suggestion, or an idea, or if there's a FReeper you would like to see featured, please drop one of us a note in FR mail.

We're having fun and hope you are!
~ Billie, Dutchess, DollyCali, GodBlessUSA, JustAmy ~

Spokane, Washington....Hub of the Inland Empire, located in Eastern Washington, twenty + miles from the Idaho state line about 100 miles south of the Canadian border. Many positive things can be said of Spokane, but for Mrs D and me, it’s our hometown. Both of us have family still living there (Mrs D’s Dad and Sis and my Mom and brother). Won’t be dwelling on much family stuff, but maybe a picture or two which made our visit memorable.

A large picnic in the park was held which gave us a chance to visit with friends and relatives on Sunday afternoon. Lotsa food and great fellowship.

One of the things Mrs D planned was to have pictures taken at Sears with her Dad and siblings. That event filled up our Monday morning. After the pictures were taken, we had some time to kill before viewing the results, so we headed over to nearby Franklin Park. Parking near the playground equipment, it provide a perfect background for some photos of all the "kids."

In front we have a WWII US Navy Submariner Veteran
A Navy Wife – Vietnam Era
A Navy Veteran – Vietnam Era
An Air Force Veteran

It looked like so much fun, Mrs D and I raced down the circle slide…

For us, no trip to Spokane is complete without a trip to Riverfront Park in downtown Spokane along the banks of the Spokane River, a tributary to the Columbia River. Built on the site of the World’s Fair in 1974, it is a favorite gathering place for young and old alike. This clock-tower is from the old Great Northern Railroad Station and was left intact for the fair. The clock-tower actually stands plumb, but your photographer messed up. The structure on the left is from the US Pavilion from the World’s Fair and the supporting tower, by design, does not stand plumb. Originally, the steel cables which you see, supported a heavy vinyl tent. Winds and winter snows damaged the tent, and the City Fathers had all the vinyl removed. An ice-skating rink was later added to the floor area of the US Pavilion.

Riverfront Park – Spokane, WA.... "What shall we do next?" Was the question of the moment. "Let’s go horseback riding!" It took a while, but I was finally able to control my steed…

This carousel originally was housed at Natatorium Park, an amusement park in Spokane until the park closed in the sixties. The carousel was removed, piece by piece and placed in storage. After the World’s Fair, it was re-assembled in the carousel building on the fair site.

Spokane is also the host of Bloomsday. Bloomsday is an annual race held in May. It attracts runners worldwide and hosts upwards of 50,000 participants annually. A local artist placed these iron sculptures along the SW corner of Riverfront Park, which also serves as the finish line for the race. Mrs. D and sis decide to take another lap and score another finish – sorry, no t-shirt this time. Come back for next year’s race to get the t-shirt.

A couple more sites around town and we’ll be moving on. Found this monument on the grounds of the Spokane Arena…

And a few blocks to the northwest, the Spokane County Court House building…(pictured is the courthouse tower, aka "The Castle")

We decide our departure date will be in the afternoon on Wednesday after good-byes all around. Gotta get home to bail the dogs out of the kennel. We follow the same route until we get back to to Biggs Junction, OR. We continue westward to Portland, then south to the state highway to the Oregon Coast. We arrive in Newport at 0dark thirty. Not much to see of the Pacific Ocean at that hour, but the wind and sound of the surf tell us we’ve reached the ocean. We take a break at one of the many state parks along US 101 for a few hours awaiting sunrise and our journey continues south for a rendezvous with 68-69TonkinGulfYatchClub in Bandon, OR. We stop at a few beaches along the way to take in the fresh sea air and a little beach-combing. The wind blows pretty strong all along the Oregon Coast and cold wind is not our favorite climate.

Several sites along the way prompt stops for pictures of panoramic views, lighthouses and The Dunes. At one spot near Florence, OR, I pull over to get a picture of a distant lighthouse. On the cliff’s edge, I look down and see about 50 sea lions sprawled about on the rocks below. A little further south we come upon the Sea Lion Caves, a famous tourist attraction. We’ve done the tour in years past, interesting, but the aroma is overpowering in the cave. We continue our journey since the facility has not opened yet for the day –too early.

I give Tonk a call once we arrive in Florence and we make arrangements where, when and how to meet once we arrive in Bandon. A lot of road construction all along 101 slows our progress along with a few more beach stops. Finally, about 10 minutes north of Bandon, I give Tonk another ring and we’re all set to meet at the Station Restaurant for lunch. Some pics of that meeting were posted previously, but I’ll post ‘em again here because it was definitely one of the highlights of our vacation trip. Tonk shared with us tons of information regarding his service with the Coast Guard Auxiliary. Quite a fantastic story he has to tell which goes right along with the fact that he’s a pretty fantastic guy. He and I, along with JimRob proudly served in the US Navy during the Vietnam era at roughly the same time. We may have unknowingly crossed paths at that time – who knows?

After lunch, Tonk leads us down to the jetty for a photo op. We part company with hugs and a feeling of gratitude having finally met after all these years being FR FRiends. I would encourage anyone traveling US 101 through Oregon to contact Tonk via FR mail to arrange a meeting with a great individual.

We continue south and eventually cross the Oregon/California border in the late afternoon. We stop at a couple more beaches once we hit California, and remarkably, there is very little wind blowing. This affords us the opportunity to spend a bit more time on the beach gathering small pieces of driftwood and a few intact seashells. We stop for some gourmet dining at McDonald’s and a fuel stop in Eureka, CA. For the frugal-minded traveler, a word of advice… buy your fuel in Oregon. Once we crossed into California, the price JUMPED 32 cents per gallon all along the 101 corridor. Ouch!

Decision time. Do we continue along the California Coast or head inland to I-5? It will soon be dark and we won’t be able to see and enjoy the coast route so we pull out the map and find a cross-over highway to I-5. We select highway 36. It’s a 139 mile trek over the mountains, through beautiful redwood forest, little or no towns in-between and tight curves and switchbacks the entire length. We’ve never traveled this highway before, and probably never will again, but it was an interesting ride. Little to no traffic whatsoever. Night was falling, and with that, the deer were coming out to feed. We must have seen at least 30 deer along the way – 3 bucks, 5 fawns and the rest does. With no traffic to contend with or worry about, we stopped at several deer sightings to snap a few pictures. Poor lighting conditions meant low quality pictures, but here’s a before and after shot after running the picture through and enhancement program on the ‘puter. You all have, I’m sure, heard the phrase "deer in the headlights? " Well here’s a couple sets of eyes on the original pic followed by the enhanced version. Kinda Cool.

We left Bambi and Bambette behind as well as Rocky Raccoon as we made our connection to I-5 in Red Bluff and the final few hours of travel south to home and a good night’s sleep.

Hope y’all enjoyed the trip. You may now unfasten your seatbelts, return the seatback to the full upright position. We’ll rendezvous again next year – same drivers and maybe some route changes. It’s a great country to see up close, especially if you stop along the way to visit friends, take in the scenery and just have fun. Thanks for coming along with us.

07-01-06 ~ Hall of Fame #16

THIS WEEK'S THREADS 08-21-06 Military Monday 08-22-06 Lin & Dave's Excellent Adventure ~ Part One

Opinions by our own 'King of Ping' Every Thursday at the Finest The guy's good, folks!

[Billie]

[Billie]

[STARWISE]

Beautiful trip report, pics and graphics. Thanks so much.
I've never been to the Oregon coast .. would have loved to, I know it's gorgeous.

[M Kehoe]

Good evening...or morning. What are you doing up so late?

I know, I should be in bed now too.

5.56mm

[Billie]

Hi, Starwise - hope you checked Part One - there are some beautiful photos in that one, too. The link is in the little tables at the bottom of the main opening post. :)

[Billie]

What are you doing up so late?

LOL Gosh, I don't know, but I'm gone now! 'nite!

[STARWISE]

I sure did. Excellent work, Billie. Your presentations are awesome!

[.30Carbine]

What a wonderful way to be greeted this morning! Thank you!

[stopem]

Thnaks again for sharing the awesome pictures and account of your trip so creatively. God Bless America!

[The Mayor]

August 23, 2006

God Fights Against Us

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READ: Joel 2:12-17

Who knows if He will turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind Him? —Joel 2:14 In Joel’s book of prophecy, God  declared: “I am in the midst of Israel . . . . My people shall never be put to shame” (2:27). But earlier in the chapter God promised to fight against His people. A plague of locusts would descend like a ravenous army on the nation (vv.2-11).

It’s hard to fathom that the Lord would fight against His chosen people. But Israel had given their affections to other gods.

In fact, God had fought against them before. “Wherever they went out, the hand of the Lord was against them for calamity” (Judges 2:15).

I have learned that if my own heart wanders away from God, I can count on Him to fight to bring me back. If I become proud and self-assured, if reading God’s Word and spending time in prayer seem like a waste of time, God will step in and deal with me.

God will fight against us for our good. He permits us to experience defeat so that we will listen to Him when He says, “Rend your heart, and not your garments; return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness” (Joel 2:13).

Don’t wait for God to fight against you before you seek His face. Return to Him today. —Albert Lee

Because our Father’s heart is grieved
Each time we go astray,
He lifts His chastening hand in love
To help us find His way.  —D. De Haan

God’s hand of discipline is a hand of love.

Bible in One Year: Bible in One Year:   Psalms 113-115; 1 Corinthians 6

[ConorMacNessa]

Good morning, Billie - I'm back at the salt mines. :)

[DollyCali]

OUTSTANDING JOB Billie & Dave. What a trip!

What a fun time & great pix/thread to remember all.. nice you met Tonk..Getting together with FReepers is the BEST!

Pinging Gretchen & Bev to thread on trip to Oregon/Washington

[Mrs.Nooseman]

Good morning to you two.

Great second installment of your trip.

I really enjoyed my travel with you and Mrs.D.

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

Off to Port Orford this AM for a commercial fishing vessel examination.

BUT I wanted to repost this.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1676983/posts?page=50#50

[MEG33]

Just beautiful, billie.. This has been fun.. I have never visited Washington or Oregon so this has been a treat..Loved the family pictures..and fun at the park!

[Diver Dave]

Late morning greetings to the Finest. Little hands have been browsing Disney.com all morning and now it's my turn at the keyboard.

Thanks again Billie for putting this all together.

Mentioned above was The Dunes. Miles and miles of sand dunes along the Central Oregon coast.

[Diver Dave]

The wind was pretty brisk that day. It took a few shots to get the timing right to catch this wave crashing over the rocks in southern Oregon...

[MEG33]

Great shot, Dave!

[Diver Dave]

Having spent a lot of time on, in and under the Pacific, I have a real passion for visits to the beaches.

A northern Oregon beach...

and another pic of the lighthouse at Umpqua River

[Mrs.Nooseman]

Great pictures.:)