Category Archives: Travel

Chinese New Year~Year of the Rat

Today in Jacksonville, Oregon we went to the Chinese New year parade. The entire town of Jacksonville is on the National Register of Historic Places, and it had a deep relationship with the Chinese in the 1800’s during it’s gold rush. It’s good to have a place like this so close to where you live.

It’s always been a special town to me, growing up and now. As kids we always had a “field trip” to it’s historic museum, sack lunch in the park etc. In 1972 the movie “The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid” was filmed here almost entirely.

These days they host the world famous Peter Brit Music Festival. Musicians consider it an honor to play here.

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Old Salem, North Carolina

We went to Greensboro, North Carolina to visit my wife’s folks for Christmas. It is about 30-45 minutes from Winston-Salem, NC and we went to Old Salem the day after Christmas to look around the old town that dates back to colonial times, the mid 1700’s, before we were even a country! It is similar to Colonial Williamsburg in that there are people in period dress working various shops. I’m born and raised in Oregon, so the oldest buildings around my area, Jacksonville, OR are from the mid to late 1800’s so this was a special treat for me.

When we arrived in town you could clearly see the R.J. Reynolds tobacco plants right next to the edge of downtown. Just a stones throw away is the old town.

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There is a parking area and a main entry area with lunch bar, gift shops and tickets. You go over a modern but old looking covered bridge into old town.

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Bridge into town………………. Gunsmith …………………..Public well

speaking of public well, we learned that Old Salem had one of the first public water complete with under ground plumbing, Water came to strategic spots around town like above, and to some kitchens!

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Horse drawn carriage ………. old watering trough …..”Single Brothers House”

The town was founded by people of the “Moravian” religion. Young boys lived at home and went to school, young girls were schooled at home. Older boys 14 yrs and up lived at the “Single Brothers House” and schooled and learned a trade there until old enough to marry. Older girls lived in the “Single Sisters House” until old enough to marry. The horse drawn carriage above is right in front of the Single Sisters House.

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neat old doorway …………….Old walls and walks ………bakers

The neat crooked old doorway goes into the young boys school. There are neat walls and walkways every where. We went into the old bakery and watched them make bread. The special of the day was the most incredible loaf of onion bread I’ve ever eaten, and only $4.50 for a 1 lb. loaf! After it cooled slightly, she slopped on some melted butter all over the loaf then bagged it up to sell. my reaction was OMG!!! when we tried a sample, and we bought a loaf for dinner.

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some old buildings…….. Notice there are cars? yes you can drive through town and there are people living in most of the homes along the streets.

All in all it was a pretty good day trip. I have never seen stuff that old (except for when I was stationed in Germany) and still standing and people living and working there. Nothing was “re-constructed” only, originals were remodeled.

Cranberry Harvest!

This last weekend we went to Bandon Oregon to see if we could catch some of the harvest. Two years ago we were there in the late summer and took a tour of a “Bog” and learned that they can be harvested different ways. One way is with a “scoop”, a device that runs along the vines and brushes the berries into the collecting end. Then there is the flooding method. This is the preferred method for many reasons, one of which is that only the “good” berries float, the bad ones sink and are not harvested. Harvest time is throughout October. Watching some videos of the local harvest was intriguing enough to make us want to go back in October sometime and watch. We were probably a week late as most of the bogs we saw were already harvested, so we didn’t get to see the actual harvest but did see a flooded bog and a fellow churning the vines with a machine that knocks the berries off of the vines and then they float.

Then the workers “round them up” and either use a conveyor belt or a vacuum type hose to load them into the trucks. We couldn’t stay long enough to see that part of the harvest but I was excited enough just to find a bog that was right next to the road and could reach down and grab the berries.

The berries are sorted and shipped to many places such as “Ocean Spray” for use in juice, canned berries, fresh berries etc. Reading up on cranberry facts you will find that they are one of the few truly native fruits of North America. Bandon has the perfect climate for them. Berries grown in the east coast and other places on the west coast are mostly white or pink in color, claiming about 80% of the juice we drink. The Bandon berries are prized for their rich red color. Yes those bright red berries you buy for Thanksgiving most likely came from Bandon!

 

Yreka Western Railroad

We recently took a day trip and rode on the Yreka Western Railroad steam excursion train that goes from Yreka, CA to Montague, CA and back. The YWRR is a short line working railroad as well as a tourist line. It serves (lately) only two mills, taking plywood veneer, wood chips and landscape bark to Montague for drop off and pick up by the Central Oregon and Pacific RR, CORP, located along the famous (former) Southern Pacific RR Siskiyou Line. It used to serve several mills along the line until recent mill closures reduced it’s revenue.

The railroad had recently fallen into financial problems, the steam engine needed repairs, the track needed repairs and to top it all off, the Main line served by CORP had been closed for almost 2 years due to a fire and collapse of Tunnel 13 on the Siskiyou Line. Only southbound loads were taken. But now things look good for the line, slowly gaining revenue and tourists, now that the #19 is back in working order

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We started our journey at the YWRR Depot / Yard here is the #19 waiting to pull forward and hook up to the excursion train.

You can wander around the yard and explore if you’re careful.

The #19 was the star in the movie “Emperor of the North (Pole)” staring Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, Keith Carradine and more about depression era bum’s hitching rides on a train that was guarded by an almost evil conductor (Ernest Borgnine) and was filmed in Cottage Grove OR

The trip is about 7 miles long but takes about an hour and a half because the train moves very slow due to poor track conditions. Be prepared to sit back, enjoy the scenery, watch wildlife and relax!

In Montague we had lunch at the “Dutchman” and it was wonderful. Clean decor, great food. We then walked up to the old Montague Depot, now a museum that houses almost exact replicas of how life was for the station master and his family, who lived upstairs. Afterward we walked down the street to a “tea room” and got drinks and cookies for the ride back. The people in this town sure depend on the tourists, and were almost devastated when the excursion train wasn’t operating.

If you’re ever in the area, be sure to stop in Yreka CA, explore the old historic mining district, eat at one of several great restaurants and ride the train!

“Rooster Crow”

We went to the annual “Rooster Crow” in Rogue River Or. today. Saw a good ol’ fashioned parade, ate hot dogs etc.

 

We saw a booth with a fellow selling yard statues and we bought a rooster statue that is about 1 foot high and only cost $10. He also had this cool lighthouse statue about 2 feet high that can turn into a yard fountain for $50.

We have been looking into adding a patio area to the backyard. We already have a nice yard swing, and one of those fire-pits. A fountain, planter boxes and we’re set. Anyway we had a good day