September 21 thru October 3, 2012 - Hawai - Well Myran wanted to do Oahu, Hawaii because Zayden (6 months) was still under two. So he asked around and Doug, Steve, Vellen, Sharon, Ilene, and I would do it with him. Oh yea, Trina and Kya too. I was giving it second thoughts because the weather was turning cold there. The flight over and back was interesting on the check in but went well. Take your patients when you do this and it will work out fine. Myran rented a mini Dodge van. Think about this. There were six adults (Doug and Steve went on a different flight) and two kids, their luggage, carry-on’s, and two car seats. When we got into the van the person directing traffic just stood there and watched and laughed as it all went in and Myran drove off. He said it drove funny. YOU THINK? Kya was a hoot at the airport and got a lot of looks. She is two and half and likes to say Hi and wave a lot. She had a little pack and was pulling a full size carry-on suit case. One hand would get tired so she used the other one until it got tired. Don’t try to help her or it was “Kya’s turn, I want to do it.” She is stubborn on things she wants to do and that was something she really liked to do. There was lots of time so back and forth we went. It was cute. The first morning we hiked up to Diamond Head. Our bodies were still on Pacific Time so we didn’t notice getting up that early to see the sun rise. Doug had to hurry back to the Condo to watch football.  The Beavers were playing for goodness sake! It was a cool hike because of the cold snap. We went swimming almost every day. Sometimes we would go snorkeling and see the fish that looked just like the ones at the aquarium. That was neat in itself. We went to the SeaLife Park and saw the 60 year old turtles and some year old ones. While standing there, someone remarked, “That’s REALLY old.” “Well,” I said, “I’m 70. Does that make me REALLY old too?” While at the aquarium, Kya was standing on the ledge of the dolphin tank getting her picture taken with the dolphin’s swimming behind her when she fell off and broke her arm. This made things different for her for the rest of the vacation. Myran would rap it in plastic and duct taped it really good. That is where Kya learned the name “duct tape.” They could then go on the surf boards and bounce and splash a lot. The water had not cooled off yet so swimming was good. If you go, you need to see the Macadamia nut farm. It is one of our favorites. They gave Kya a wreath with a flower on it and told her to say “Hi Everybody.” That is just what she did. “Hi Everybody.” There was a lady from Thailand and the Hawaiian tour leader was speaking to her in Thai. The best part was he knew Thai better then she did. You should learn your own language. She had not been there for many years. He talked to the Japanese in their language. He was good. Everyone was having a great time. All the ladies got a wreath. The bus didn’t have windows – it was a cool ride in the trees. The Dole Farm was good too and the Pineapple Express train ride gave you a lot of history of the farm. Kya, Ilene, and I had a good time. Then it was pineapple split time and $20.00 will get you a big one. There was one thing for sure – Kya got her share. It was training for using a spoon. Ice cream is good even when it is cool outside. Vellen, Sharon, Doug, and Steve tried their luck in the maze. It covered several acres. They were in there a really l o n g time. There was one thing that was not good. The place where we stayed was on the other side of the island and it seemed that every time we went some place, it was a long drive in a lot of traffic (but there was a heater in the car) and I was SO happy Myran was driving. The last time Myran and Trina were here, they found a certain beach, and we spent a lot of time looking for it. When we found it, it was worth it. We never did get up on the belly board but Vellen did and he is better than us I am thinking. Lots of sun to warm us up. Kya likes trains and call them all Thomas. So we had to try the Hawaiian Railway. There was a lot of history on the ride and Myran learned of some other gun emplacements. The next day we went looking for one. It was on Waste Management land and was owned by the City. The receptionist said that Bill sometimes gave tours. So Myran e-mailed him thinking it would go in the round file, but Bill called him like the moment after he sent it. He said he would do it for us. We were really happy to get to see it. Most people wouldn’t go out of their way to do something like that. It was a very interesting tour. There was another gun emplacement but it was on a military base. We thought you would probably have to be in the service to even get in to see it. Been there; done that. Ok, so the only things we have done so far are legal and Myran wanted to do Koko Head and it was legal too. It is a railroad track that goes up to an old gun emplacement. They pulled the car up by an electric wench and a big cable. On the second half there was a gas motor and another wench a hundred feet or so. The first part was half mile of up. You walked on the ties about three feet apart and up a foot or so depending on where you were. There was a trestle that you crossed and those ties were a foot apart. You could fall between them if you worked at it. Myran and I climbed it. The sweat was running off of us. We drank a Gator Aid like it was going of style. You can tell the people who live there. One girl was wearing sweat pants and a hooded sweat shirt with the hood up. I was getting dizzy from the heat and her and her kid barely had a sweat up. There was something wrong here. I guess I forgot there was a cold snap. When we got back home, it was in the 70’s and we were all wearing coats or long sleeve sweaters. I usually only have on a t-shirt when it is in the 60’s. It is going to take some time to get use to the weather again. That drop of 85 to 84 and 75 to74 at night really had me worried. I was thinking it would be coat time. I liked going there but I don’t think I would like to live there. There is no cooling off at night and we have four seasons here where the weather changes a lot. I think it is what you get use to. If I was there for a year, I might like it more. I can see how you could get use to it. One person had lived there for six years and never been to any of the places I mentioned. I use to be that way but started looking for things to do here and found a lot of them. There is more in your home town than you may think if it is any thing like Portland. Trivia: Where is the biggest park in the world and where is the smallest in the world? Stop and think and read more. For another hint: The biggest is Forest Park (Forest Park in Portland, Oregon is an inner city park that ranges over 5158.30 acres. It is AMAZING! http://www.portlandonline.com/parks/finder/index.cfm?PropertyID=127&action=ViewPark) and the smallest is Mill Ends Park (452 square inches). Now where are they? Stop and think. Yes, they are both in Portland Oregon USA. This is not a good island for biking. The paths are about two feet wide and very few of them. I think most people would rather go swimming. Now, that is really fun to do in the warm water and there are so many things to do in the water. You can go early morning or late at night. The water temperature doesn’t change. The last day we went at 7:30 a.m. before we left. One last Hurrah!

www.mrbontheside.blogspot.com

September 7 through 10, 2012 – MT HOOD HIKE My two daughters wanted to give me something for my 70th birthday that they thought I would really like. I had been giving them a lot of flack about walking around Mt. Hood so they said that would do it. Zida, Marci, and Robert (nephew) went with me. Zida is a fitness instructor – no prep work needed (40 lb pack). Marci, a housewife – lots of prep work needed and given (38 lb pack). Robert does Yoga and bikes – no problem (40 lb pack). Now me – foot weights and a lot of walking in the boots I was going to use helped a lot over last time, but ONE blister still happened (32 lb pack). The more money you have the less your pack weighs. If you want to see pictures of this hike, you will have to take them. For Seven Million I will show you mine. That is what they are worth to me. As we started, the last time I walked it came back to me. As Marci would say throughout the hike, “This is stupid;” but moved forward celebrating her dad turning 70. It did make me happy to see them on the hike. It has views a camera cannot capture. Zida and Robert would laugh at Marci and we would hike on because it was 10 miles to camp and 10 miles out and it was only a 41 mile hike. First Day: First 2 miles of Pacific Crest Trail and then turn left onto the Timberline Trail. When you’re walking around a mountain counterclockwise, you always turn left. First thing is down and across the White River, then up and across Mt. Hood Meadows with lots of huckleberries. We played leap frog with a 10 person group; their youngest member was 58. Finally the big climb of the day up to Lamberson Butte and Gnarl Ridge. You walked on the side of a washout. Your walking sticks worked great – grind, rattle, vibrate in the rocks, wind blowing dust in your face. Not much else to listen to when you are hot and panting like a dog. (Refer back to Marci’s comment.) Ha Ha from Zida and Robert. Zida’s water bottle jumped out of her pack. Her other 2 were empty. We kept going up. We finally got silty water from a melting snow field. Marci had the pump to filter it. There were about two miles of flat if you added it all together. It was fun to tell people it is all flat and they think you are telling the truth. I was thinking it was time to sell my swamp land in Nevada. Time to camp: A mostly flat spot 100 yards off the trail at about 7000 feet elevation, a creek with water another 100 yards down. I laid there with my head out of the tent to see the stars and this big red glow came up. I thought it was a fire. It was just the moon. There were very few trees where we were. Day Two: I need glasses to see small things so I gave Zida my Alarm Clock. Bad thing to do. It is small and goes off at 6:30 am. She can sleep through anything and that little alarm was no problem. Now Marci, “What is that noise?” Going to bed at 8 pm (dark) and getting up at 6:30 am is a lot of sleep. I must go see the Cloud Cap Inn some time. I never got close to it because we walked down the other side of Elliot Creek and looked across at it. Most of the time, when you talked to the other walkers, it was, “Are you going to go down the rope or going over the glacier?” There are three ways to go and they can be hazardous to your health. That might be why the trail was closed – YOU THINK? There are a lot of people who walk by the sign and do just fine. This is not a walk in the park and you can get hurt very easily if you are not on your game. We went over the glacier. It was easy until you went up the other side with rocks that were as large as or larger than three feet around and moved when you walked on them. Marci was not happy on that part, and Zida had a few things to say too. Her finger came out (Zida taught it to her sister). Marci definitely thought “This is stupid.” The two girls were not happy. Robert and I thought it was a walk in the park. Robert was standing on a rock as big as a dining room table rocking it back and forth. “Now this is fun.” Oh, it was not over. You walked down a ridge line that had a narrow path on top. It was a few football fields down and if you kicked a rock, it didn’t stop until it hit the bottom. The other side was not so steep. It was only that way for a mile or two. Marci walked up to the path and had to compose herself so she could go on…after all there were the big moving rocks if she went back. Zida and her family do things like this so it was no big deal for her. The hardest part was over and it would be easier from here. HE HE. We were tired from the glacier crossing and now walked through where the fire was last year. Miles and miles of burned trees. Soon we came to Coe Creek, the most difficult stream crossing. There were 4 small trees across the roaring water. Zida went to cross the logs and her feet stopped. She was frozen there until she could get her feet to move again, but they procrastinated a lot. If you slipped and fell in, it would not be good. We all made it across with Robert carrying Marci’s pack. We went on past Elk Cove and finally got to Cairn Basin. There was another stream crossing that Robert forgot about. You just had to step on the rocks for about 20 feet. Day Three: Zida and I took a wrong turn out of Cairn Basin. Fortunately we both took the same wrong turn. The sign was burned and laying on the ground. Robert came to the rescue with his map. It was kind of a warm up and to get water. It added an extra mile but we made it up by taking a cutoff later in the day. We walked down hill most of the day. It was cold and windy on the ridge. Crossing the Muddy Fork was easy this time. There was a place where mud slides washed out a portion of the trail and left a long, long, very, very steep slope. They had cut a trail about a foot wide. Zida was following Marci and she was really tired from pushing the envelope throughout the hike. As she came around the corner, Zida heard her give a great big sign and say, “I am so tired of being one step away from death.” So, half way up you duck under this rock and go the rest of the 30 feet. When she got to the wide trail again, we asked if she wanted to go back. (I now think it is time for Marci’s comment again.) “This is stupid. Why am I doing this? Oh yea, my 70 year old dad.” She was fun to hike with and Zida, Robert, and I liked giving her a hard time. Ramona Falls was beautiful and meant we had made our 10 miles for the day. We decided to keep going. The Sandy River had a real nice bridge crossing with a handrail. The hand rail, well kind of, was a quarter inch rope that sagged a lot. There was another bridge that was real nice. Most on the hike had three or more logs over rushing water and other ones where you could just step on the rocks out of the water. The last day Marci was spent and the rock thing was hard for her but she stuck with it and her famous words came out more and more as the days went on. This is how to make your fellow hikers mad: You are walking along and stop on a steep hill and take a picture of a grasshopper. Robert, the vegetarian, almost stepped on it. Or as you are walking and get to a flat spot, stop and leave your fellow hikers on the steep part to start out on a steep uphill. You will get a lot of flack and be put in the back of the line. We knew we had a long hill the last day and decided to get a head start on it. This day turned out to be about 13 miles. We finally found an almost flat place to camp. Robert put his tent right on the edge of the drop-off. You could hear the rocks rolling down the hill all night long. Camped next to the edge, it didn’t give you a nice warm fuzzy feeling. It was not as steep on our side. Day Four: It was raining in the morning and I dug out my great big $5 yellow plastic poncho. They were giving me a bad time and said I looked a lot like Big Bird. There was not as much to see on the last day as a small rain storm came in and all you could see were clouds. You got to see them move and come and go before your very eyes. I went for my camera and was too slow. The canyon I wanted to take a picture of was gone in the clouds. Now you know it was meant to be. When we got to Timberline, Zida and Robert saw Ilene (wife) drive into the parking lot from Milwaukie, OR. As the two slow walkers came, Tim (Marci’s husband from Redmond, OR.) came driving up. Were we good with the timing or what? As they say, “We go together or we stop together, but we are always together.” To sum it up: A real fun hike and a birthday present I will never forget. I hope if you have kids, they will do the same for you. If not, take a friend and do it, or as Warren Miller would say, “If you don’t do it this year, you'll just be one year older when you do.” I say you might be dead and not get to do it. The training is what makes you feel great and when you are all done, you can say, “I did Around Mt. Hood” and be talking about something on the trail that the person you are talking to has no idea what it was really like – But you will know. If, by some strange coincidence, you find someone who has done it, bar the door, Katy!

Byran moving a rock out of the trail just to make it easier for the next hikers and Marci showing Zida and me her middle finger manicure for the camera.. www.mrbontheside.blogspot.com

August 30, 2012 Motorized Bicycle trip to the Beach Bike to the Beach Lot in Ocean Park, WA from Milwaukie, OR I have done it two times, but not on a motorized bicycle. Well, let’s get this to the start. Vellen (son) and I go to the salvage yard every Wednesday to look at the crashed cars and/or bid on some of them. I wanted to go to the coast early and just hang out. Talking to Vellen in the car I said, “I think I will ride my motor bike to the beach lot.” I told Myran (son) about it that night. His look was, “Have you lost your mind?” He had good reason. Let’s talk about the bike a little. I bought it for $35 and the motor for $150. By the money I spent things are not looking too high tech. The high tech is there because this junk really works some of the time. Myran said it was 125 miles, but that was not right. It was 140.4 miles and the extra 15.4 miles was “I really hope it don’t quit on me.” That would be about an hour before dark and pedaling drops me down to about 6 to 8 miles an hour - With the motor it would be 24.7 miles an hour. That is where it likes to run. Under that I had better be helping it by pedaling, like on a hill. There is about 2,000 miles on the motor and it needs a new motor bad. My long planning over a trip kicked in. Did I say Wednesday? That is all of a half a day to tune the bike and pack. Wednesday night Myran and I went to get our hair cut at the Barber College ($5). Let me put it to you this way. You get what you pay for. I got a quick great hair cut and then there have been others, but it grows back just fine. Even the good ones grow to look scruffy. Yes, I gave my blog to them - 1,027 hits so far. Well, back to the trend of thought. REI is next to the barber college. A back packing stove was what I needed. They have a lot of them. For 5 ounces less I could spend $50 more. It didn’t happen. You do remember the bike, and CHEAP comes to mind. $79 for the stove and pot. PROLSD is the name of the stove == 110G/4oz $4.50 will boil 2-1/2 gallons of water, two cups at a time. The time to boil 2 cups is 2-1/2 minutes and you can tell when it is done because the side is black and then turns orange when it is hot/boiling. Back to CHEAP. Costco has 10 freeze dried Mountain House dinners for $42.99/box. They use 2 cups of boiling water and taste great. I keep wandering off on something other than the bike. I am 70 years old. The head on the bike motor was leaking, so I made a copper gasket for it and found some old plugs that have been around forever. If I turn the end down to .150 I can get the cap on. New plugs are $1.50. I know what you are thinking, “CHEAP.” I have three in the box of tools with me and every kind of wrench I think I will need. There is not very much to this motor so the wrenches are very few, like 5. I am going to the beach so Ilene cooked me coffee and clam chowder. I put saddle bags on the night before so food, water, and stove go in one side and sleeping bag in the other – tent and air mattress on top. The rest goes in the basket in front. Ilene said I should take 4 fresh peaches. I don’t have to tell you what happened to them bouncing in the basket. Peach juice comes to mind. Tools, rain gear, gallon gas can, jerky, candy bars, and three little bottles of booze. Not more than 2 miles from the house that plastic sack bounced out and one of the little bottles broke. Whine, cry, boohoo. That was the only thing that could break in the basket and it did. The rest stayed in that time. When I hit a sunken part of the road, things jumped around a lot and sometimes out. I would have to stop and pick them up. The motor made the bike shake a lot and after an hour your hands and butt tingled a lot and it would be time to stop and rest, and then off again. The trucks that went the other way would wave at you. Some would give you lots of room when they passed you and some would not and others would not because they didn’t have room to give. I rode way over from the white line. This was good because there was this motor home that had his tires on it. When the big trucks went by, hold on tight because you were going to get a big push over then a great pull up the road. There was always that 1% that scares the bejesus out of you. When you go this slow, you have a lot of time to look at a lot of things and see a lot that you never see in a car. With the motor doing the work, there is a lot more time to look. I walked two hills about 2 miles long or it seemed that far. I would start up the hill, bike in high gear, pedaling for all I’m worth. The odometer would go 24 – 23 – 22 – 18 – 16 – pull in the clutch and stop. It was pushing time. Push to a marker on the side of the road and rest. Push to a marker along side or the fence and rest. Push to a marker on the fence and rest. Are you getting all this? Starting up the hill I had overheated the motor so it was time for the wrenches when I got to the top. I had to tighten the head. You could tell when you were going to have to do this by the smell of smoke from the motor. Some hills were not so steep and you could have the motor help you over the top. I would still have to tighten the head if I stopped. A tank of gas was good for over 50 miles. I used less than 1-1/2 gallons for the 140.4 miles. There was road construction down to one lane. All of those cars and trucks passed me and when I got there, they were waiting for me. I passed them back by riding on the side of the road. I did get a little chuckle out of that. OK, I would have laughed out loud but there was no one to hear me. There was a strong head wind all the way except when I was pushing up the hills. Then it was just HOT. I stopped in the shade when there was some. Yes, a highlight to the trip – the Astoria Bridge. I put the last gas out of the can into the bike. I didn’t want to run out on the bridge. I started up the ramp and with my help made it all the way to the construction (painting). At the top the flag man waved me through. Yea, I didn’t have to stop. With a strong head wind on the bridge, the motor would barely push me along. I was thinking, “Don’t stop now, wait until the other side where there is room to pull off.” Painting on the other end and they waved me through too. Yea! Yea! I was doing good. Tunnel – so I stopped and let a car and trailer through, then I went for it. No problem. Very, very narrow in this tunnel. I made it through the town of Chinook and on the other side of the town where there was a wide fog lane, the motor just stopped. Only fifteen more miles to go. You remember what Myran said, don’t you? This is not a complex motor. There is a carburetor and it has gas, spark, and the spark plug is hanging from a wire that needs to go back in the threaded hole in the head. Yes, yes, I grabbed it with my fingers. It was not cold; it was not even close to warm. It was very HOT and I did not hold it very long. It pulled the little wrinkled things and I put in a new one that I could only get 2/3 of the way in. It was working and I didn’t have to pedal. Yea! I didn’t stop to look at the gas that would take more to get going and there was no place to get more on this road. When I got to camp, there was a little in the tank. My hands and butt needed this to end. My back didn’t do too well either. It was a great ride, but ONCE is all I ever want to do it. I arrived a day early at our family camp out at Ocean Park, WA. where we have two wooded lots for tent camping. I figured my total ride time was 7 hours 14 minutes or an average of 19.32 miles per hour. Seventeen people at the camp out this year – three people couldn’t make it. We have been camping on these two lots for 38 years. It used to be just my family, now it’s the kids and their families and friends too. I took the entire luggage off my bike and rode it to get gas and a bag of oysters, and put 3 dozen oysters in the basket. What is a guy to do when in Oysterville? Well, you eat oysters. You just find a way. I had to buy a lighter at the store to start the fire and cook the oysters. There were pliers to take the oysters off the fire and a screw driver to open them. Now is that not genius or what? Yes, it cost money for an oyster pick. Does CHEAP still come to mind? Soon the other families started to arrive for the three day weekend. The kids (ranging in age from 14, to 5 months) played in the sand, and the older ones also tried their luck skim boarding. It was just three unbelievable days on the beach - Very little wind, sun, and blue skies. The highlight of the camp out was Matt (son-in-law) playing his guitar in the evening. Everyone sings Bob the Builder, Slide Girl, Pub with No Beer, Rockin’ in a Wooden Boat, and a lot of really good beer drinking songs. But, no one drinks any beer, just hard stuff. On the drive home we had seafood pizza, beer, and fresh baked, hot macadamia nut cookie with ice cream. If you want to be Byranized on this ride, don’t call Byran. I really did enjoy doing this ride, but it was a lot harder to do than a person would think or dream. The bike ended up with 171.7 miles. You have to do tenths because you might be walking a lot of them. My next adventure will be a week later – Walk around Mt. Hood – 42 miles counter clockwise to unwind last year’s clockwise walk. Things will be different on this walk. There will be training and my pack will be 32 lbs. not 40 lbs like last year. www.mrbontheside.blogspot.com So I did manage to print this story on one piece of paper and a picture. Am I cheep or what?

July 29-31, 2012 - Jet Ski from Oregon City to the Tillamook Light House

So, it started out like this: “Let’s take the jet skis out.” Yes, that would be fun. I asked a few friends to test them with me but no interest there. I am thinking it might be my attitude. A little is fun but a lot is great. This friend of mine won a free fishing trip at Chinook Landing on the Columbia so I thought it would be good to go see him off and it gave me a place to go.

I filled the tank at $4.29/Gallon and I was good to go. Ilene (wife) dropped me in at the Milwaukie Launch and went back home (2 miles). There is no dock there and the skis like to suck up rocks. I zipped out the Willamette River and into the Columbia at about 50 Miles an hour and was soon at Rooster Rock. It is about 50 miles there - do the math on time. I called but no Dick. He was now at Chinook Landing 10 miles down river. The gas gage had been on half for a little while getting there but I didn’t care. Gas is over rated. I talked to him. Then I was on my way back. I cut it to 40 miles an hour so I would make it back and it worked. Yea.

The test was going well. I made Milwaukie and it was reading quarter tank so I thought “Oregon City” (10 miles). It would be good to go see the sad fishermen there. Yes, as soon as I got around the corner, there was this buzzer that went off. It was very loud. No big thing - you just push the button and it goes off and the gas gage flashes. I kept going. This was a test. Up and back (Oregon City back to Milwaukie). By now the gage was having a fit flashing fast with every nautical mile.

I had called Ilene in Oregon City and she was at the ramp. Total miles: 100 +/- (14 gallons and a 16 gallon tank.) I needed to know how far I could go on a tank. I was thinking Milwaukie to Astoria would work. Now I know if you don’t run full out, and don’t jump the waves from a ship, or take the short cut, you have the tide in your favor, and there is no wind, you have a good chance to make it. If all these things don’t come in to line, it is down the Columbia without a paddle. It’s kind of like pushing your car down the freeway.

Prep is all done. All the facts are in and we have done it before so everything is a go. Yea! Milwaukie Days is going on - ramp is closed to boats and Vellen needed to get his one jet ski on a single trailer. We are running out of time - traffic jam and everything to slow us down. Frustration is setting in but we are stubborn and keep pushing forward. Off to the Gladstone ramp to change the boats and trailers around. (490 lb and 110 hp 16 gallon tank) The river is up we think and the ramp looks good BUT, then Vellen backs off. People power their boats on and the rocks build up at the end of the ramp. Yes, he sucks up some rocks and there goes his $200 high performance impeller that he just put in and had only used once on a short ride. Back to the house and put in his stock one (time) and off to work he goes with only minutes to spare.

We got up at 6 am and did all the little things people do in the morning. It was then off to Myran’s to chow down. Vellen worked swing and was over there at 8 am, and we were off to Oregon City to put the jet skis in the river. We went down the Clackamas River a half mile and through the two construction zones on the Willamette River -27 miles, then into the Columbia River to the light house to rest. It was 80 miles to West Port where the ferry goes across the Columbia - Seven gallons of gas time. Passed up the short cut because it is shallow sometimes and there is a risk of sucking up the bottom. On to Matt’s (son-in-law) swing rope; we named it after him. It is something he spotted the last time he rode this route. He tried it a few times. It is about 100 feet tall with a rope. It has a cable between two rock out-croppings and the rope is tied in the middle with give. There us a lot of bounce so they say. From there it was over to Astoria for another 7 gallons. The next place we jetted off to was bottom fishing and some crabbing at the end of the Columbia River.

Myran did the crabbing. It was stressful for him. I told him to check the run off and see if they hit the bottom before you let them go. He did but then he took his eyes off them and under they went. He looked for them for 15 minutes and found one under the water, then came and got us to help him look for the rest, and found one more. There was one that doesn’t work very well but he found that one too. The buoys go down then come up. You found them about a foot under the water and you had to be within a few feet to see them. It is five miles across at this point. We took them to where the tide didn’t run so hard. (Cost $60.00 each) In this new spot we thought we would just go through the paces. He got one the first pull and the net was just full. Vellen and I were bottom fishing. No fish today, but Vellen helped pull nets and between Vellen and Myran it was 8 crabs - Just right for dinner. Back to Hammond and camp at Fort Stevens. Today it was 144 miles on the jet skis.

The camp was full but so quiet. It took a long time to cook the crab - 20 minutes at a rolling boil - little stove, big pot. The grand kid had fun in the sand in camp.

The next day was a slow start. Vellen and Sharon went home at about 10 am. They had to work. No camp reservations so we had to move to another spot. Everyone knows I don’t talk much (Ha), but I never met a stranger. I went up to the Registration Office and the lady said I would have to come back at noon to see if there were any openings. I was talking to her about my blog and she said, “Yea, I have a cancellation in M Circle.” We were in O Circle. It was good I gave her time to think about it. When I got back, we put Myran’s tent on the skis and took it down to the new site. That turned a few heads; it was a big tent.

Myran and I went out on the jet skis to do some fishing. Myran caught 5 bottom fish; I only got two. Then off to crab - 15 Dungeness. It was a 40 mile day.

The big blue thing was so calm and I always said I would like to see Tilly (Tillamook Light House). Well, it went like this. We got up late. Myran Trina and Zayden (4 mo.) went for a walk on the beach by the Peter Iredale. It is a good thing to keep the wife happy and spend time with her. Ilene and Kya (2.5 yrs), and I played on the beach. It was hot in the sand.

We filled the skis with gas - as full as we could get them, and off to the launch. Dry suit on, life jacket – all set. The water was in the low 50’s. Ilene backed the skis down and we were off to see Tilly. There is a lot of history here; it was very hard to build. Take a look at it http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=135

Out to buoy 10 and take a left by the South Jetty where there were about 100 to 101 seals and sea lions. Very loud and the smell was to die for. All kinds of birds and lots of them, but we were on a mission.

The land was warm and the sea was cold. Yes, the wind came up in the afternoon. It was a little choppy – so much so that you couldn’t go fast without cavatating air to the impeller and the motor revs very high - 20 to 25 miles an hour. We were going with the current. We couldn’t see Tilly. Where was she? Twenty miles of chop - I am shorter - blisters on my hands and it kind of felt like someone beating you on the butte with a soft board. Finally we saw Tilly. Yea! I looked at the gas gage. Don’t ever do that - Three quarters when I went around the South Jetty and 20 miles to go. The testing said we could do it, but the test didn’t have chop in it. In the back of my mind I knew we would make it, but the thought was always there. Myran said, “Do you want to turn back? It is still 5 miles.” I had the Bejesus beat out of me for an hour and I could see Tilly. No way was I turning around now. Going with the waves was bad and another five more miles he said he was a bad judge of distance. It was bigger than we thought. Every FEW MILES we stopped to rest from the pounding.

Another hour and we were there. It was worth all the beating and blisters from hanging on. It just loomed up there so high, and to think waves go over the top and pound it with lose rocks. The people that manned it must have been shaking in their shoes when a storm came. I’d seen pictures of it but being there was a big thrill for me. The pictures just don’t do it justice. To get the scope of it you just have to go see it.

We ate and drank a little and it was time to go back. Now the Pacific Ocean runs fast by Tilly and all the rest of the way back. We had to go fast to make time and it went like this: Pull the throttle down almost all the way and get up to 40 miles an hour for about 100 feet, then hit a wave and fly for 15 feet and hope the ski was still under you. We were not going straight on so it was at a slight angle; this made it jerk to the right. Oh no, I looked at the gas gage, aging just a little after we turned around and it read half. This is not bad, half a tank and the reserve. I looked back and Tilly was as big as ever and not going away. My hand with the blister didn’t stop hurting and I could not hold on with it on top as well as I would have liked. It did take my mind off my butte and back. Could this be a good thing? We stopped and drank Gatorade. The Coastguard chopper flew over use and circled us so we took of to show we were not in trouble. It was good they were looking after us. Finally, about two thirds the way back, it flattened out and it was a run to the South Jetty at 45. - Then the river and you would think flat/smooth. It never happened. It was worse than the big blue thing with the tide running out.

Let me sum this up very shortly. I did Terrible Tilly! Will NEVER DO IT AGAIN. It was worth all the pounding but once was just fine for me. It was a lot more than I expected to see.

We had struck camp so Myran drove us home. What a three days - 250 miles, on a jet ski - with the trucks we used over a 100 gallons of gas. I am 70 and act like I am 18. Is that stupid or what? Tell me how you would like to be Byranized. Think of something you would really like to do, then just go out and DO IT!

I will see you on the Providence Bridge Pedal. Ten different bridges this year.

www.mrbontheside.blogspot.com

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June 16, 2012 - BYRAN'S 70TH BIRTHDAY PARTY Arlee took me golfing for my birthday and sent me the address where to meet him. OK, so I am not very smart. I got the GPS out and typed in Oswego - no match. I went to “All cities” – couldn’t find Oswego any place. I thought the GPS was not working very well so I cried a lot and Ilene said she would help me. She typed in “Lake Oswego.” OH @%^@^& I am made to look really dumb by the other half. She said it was pay back time. I would be turning 70 in a few weeks so it was OK. Yes, Arlee trounced me playing golf and with the work out from walking and swinging at the ball, he felt sorry for me and bought me an Orange Nehi. I had been planning my birthday for six months. Ok, so that is all I did for the party. Ilene worked out the date of the 16 of June, 2012. My birthday was actually June 26th. It was fun trying to find a date that all of our kids had free. Myran and Trina thought that weekend wasn’t full enough. Since everyone would be there for the party, they decided to have Zayden’s (newest grandson - 2-1/2 mo.) baptism on the Sunday after. We ended up with 49 people, consisting of family, relatives I hadn’t seen in years, and friends. I was going to have it at my 1895 house that is mine free and clear. The one I live in is not. I don’t think it will ever be paid for but if it is, there will be another party big time. There is an acre of property with some big trees on it. One of the fir trees is 16 feet around. The trees are not small. There is a swing that has a board to sit on and is about 20 feet tall and situated between two large firs. It never stops swinging when there is a party. There a big porch on the front of the house with pillars but no rail. The back porch is the same but where the bathroom used to be is now a new laundry room. The kitchen is the same but some day will be new looking. The front room and the dining room have more paint on them - no telling how many coats are on the wood work. When I stripped the doors back to the old wood, there were a lot of layers. There was a sewing room that is now a bathroom for the master bedroom. The bathroom for the house has been redone. One of the tiles over the tub where the faucet and spout come out took me about five tries to make. It was so thin on the edge, the drill would heat it up and it would crack. The cutters for the tiles cost about $100.00 for that one but it is perfect now. The rest of the tiles cost about $75.00 including the sink that matches. Myran did the fitting and Robert (my nephew) and I did the grunt work. I have also had help from time to time from Vellen, Marci, and Zida, and of course, their spouses and the grandkids. All much appreciated. Going up the stairs to the bedrooms: It used to be wall paper and cloth shiplap and then the outside wall to the house. When it was cold or hot outside, it didn’t change much inside. Now there are new wires to replace the knob and tube and three little wires for TV and internet. There is a heater in every room, insulated, sheet rocked, and new windows. The doors have been stripped of paint and back to the old wood. The border is 10 inches and not a knot in the old boards. The small closets are finished too. One of the rooms is still in progress. The dormers have old things in them that are going to be sheet rocked in so the kids in the future will see things that were used before their time (sort of a time capsule). I just can’t bring myself to throw it away and this way it is not in someone’s way. There were five roofs on the house and it still leaked - 9,000 pounds came off. The house needs a paint job in a big way. If you can think of a house no one has worked on in 20 years or more, that is what I am doing. My dad just let it go because he thought it would be torn down and apartments put up. No one would give me much money for it, so I learned a lot about fixing it up from Myran and how to do it. It is a lot of fun to start out with something that looks like really bad and end up with something that looks really good. Now think about this - the door and jam look new but the walls are rust stained and have lots of dirt on them. I only work on one to three parts of the house at a time and the yard grows really good too. I leave most of that to Robert. He is my live-in gardener. Yes, there are other buildings that need loving care too and I will never live long enough to get it all done, I know this. Us retired people have lots of time. HA HA. Now back to the real reason of this blog - the Party. I know of people who never made 70 so it is time for me to brag. My advice to you is, “If there is something you want to do, don’t put it off. Do it NOW because you might not get to it later.” My good friend, Dave, didn’t make it another week. It was good to see him there. The party put a lot of pressure on Ilene but she was up to the task and did a great job getting all the food in order and other things. There were a few requirements that I wanted - Chocolate cake, kidneys, chicken feet, chicken gizzards, silk worms, hamburgers, brats, hot dogs, green tomatoes, chilly, hash, chips, beer, wine, home brew, and my favorite, pickled tongue. Vellen helped me get the really good stuff Ilene wouldn’t buy. Myran barbecued, and Marci, Zida, and Sharon organized the tables and kept Ilene quiet. There was a band and singing. Matt (son-in-law) brought five guitars and Cory (cousin) brought his drums. He had never set up on the grass before. They were just great and the sing along went great. Cory had never heard the songs before that we sang (Mostly Irish drinking songs). He had a problem with Bob the Builder (not). It was an overwhelming day for me - so many friends and relatives and not a lot of time to talk to all of them. I am sure I missed someone. It was such a great honor to have people take time out of there lives and come to my party especially since it was the first real warm and sunny day of the year. I just can’t put it into words how it made me feel. When I pass on, if no one comes to the funeral I will not care. I had my day with my friends and family. Remember, “Come and see me while l am healthy. I might even talk you into a bike ride.” I really love you guys!!!

September, 2011 - Fishing Trip

Well, how are the Oysters this week? I hope very good.

Went fishing with Dick. First day no fish and in the evening we would put a roof on his shed. The second day we got our limits. I had put some stuff on my hook to help catch the fish. The special sauce ate the spinner up so I need to get him another one. It is so much fun to fish with him. I sleep at his house at the beach. He drives the boat and I use his pole and tackle. $200.00 a day fish trip not counting lodging. I need to do something for him. This was funny. We took my pickup to dinner one night and Dick said I forgot to roll up the window. I said, "You might want to use the knob." One day the grandkids asked what that knob was for.

Drove home and had a golfing gig with Arlee. We got there ten minutes early (now you would call that very good planning) and did very well for not golfing in two years. The ball went straight but not very far. After, it was dinner and cards. It was just another full day.

Day to get ready for another fish trip.

The fishing was good but the catching was not. It was slow but might pick up after we get some rain. The depth finder battery went dead, the motor bangs a lot, hit a stump and shirred a pin. I put the motor in the boat and fixed it. I had to row, no water for the motor because the tide was going out. Other than that everything went well. I went to another spot and found myself on a bar. It was a 10 hour fish trip. The kids came down (Matt, Zida, Caleb, and Charis) and spent the night with me. We drank a cheap six pack of canned beer from Trader Joe's. It was fun. I was up fishing before they got up.

Myran, Trina, Kya, & Ilene showed up the second day. I let Myran drive the boat and he ran into the piling. He said, "What do I do?" I said, "You might want to back up to get off the piling,” so he did. It was a nice day, no wind and the sun was out. Struck camp and went to Cape Meares so the kids could play in the sand. Did they ever have fun in the sand and water. Then off to Netarts Bay for some crabbing and clamming. The wind came up so the waves were big. I went up the bay. I picked up grass on the prop which kept me from going very fast for a very long time. I had to put it in reverse to clear it. This would help a wave come over the back of the boat. I finally got up to the other end and put out the bell anchor. Yes, it did slow me down. They called me on the phone and I said I was bagging it because it was too dangerous to try to crab or clam (Did I read that right? Byran said it was too bad?"), and the tide was not very far out and it was getting late. Off to the Blue Heron and some clam chowder. They quit serving at four and it was 4:30 so off to Denny's for dinner. Ilene drove home. I don't know how she did but there was our house. We put some things away and off to bed.

Oh, and by the way, while I was doing all of this, I was putting a roof on my old house and finished it in a rain storm. You don't want to be on a roof in a rain storm. It is slick and hard to stay on - ropes help a lot. The roof is finished and just the porches to go; they are as big as the house. There were five roofs on the house. 9,000 pounds went to the dump. I made a trailer that dumps it in 30 seconds. Yea, it makes me so happy every time I use it.

Things have been slow for me.

July 15-17, 2011 - Cycle Oregon Weekend

Training for the ride is over rated. Gerri Sue and I rode up Rocky Butte Wednesday and the ride was Saturday. Yeah, that’s enough training for any ride, even a week ride. You don’t want to over train. We walked through the Grotto (tranquil gardens run by the Catholic Church), bought a coffee and back home - 28 miles in four hours. I will be just fine - only 75 mile days.

OK, so I am a not very good at cleaning my truck and I wanted it clean for the bike ride. It had been two years since I cleaned the inside – no, I don’t throw candy wrappers, receipts, etc. out the window. They go on the passenger’s side on the floor. When I take someone someplace, they move them over so they have someplace to put their feet. Well, it got so bad that when I took Ilene with me to the store, she stayed in the truck and cleaned up the paper while I was buying something. The next week she rode with me again and something was said about “I thought I cleaned this last week.” After washing the outside, shampooing the carpet, and Ilene wiping the dust out, I miss my old
truck .This one is way too clean for me. It just doesn’t have that “lived-in” feel or the smell from the recycling center. That was such a good smell!

It was Thursday and I was leaving Friday. My bike was not ready to go and I was not packed. I don’t do well if I am not under pressure. 24 hours until Gerri Sue and I would leave for the Cycle Oregon Weekend. Time for lunch and Perry Mason - plenty of time to change my tires, grease my chain and pack.

The camping was at the Willamette University campus and was across the street from the State capital building – about 100 yards from my tent. It was a nice day. Oregon’s capitol in Salem has a lot to look at. We looked at an old cast steel water fountain and some new things, the flags, and then we went inside and looked at the murals on the walls and the portraits of the different governors.

In the evening there were two live bands and Jonathan’s introduction to different groups that helped biking. They told us there was bad news and there was good news. The good news was there was only going to be a 30% chance of sun. Soon my sleeping bag was calling me, and off to a very interesting night – trains that blow their whistles and sounding like they were coming through the tent, young kids driving by yelling very, very loud, and last but not least a real good rain storm. The rain made the drain pipes on the buildings rattle very loud. I got a good night’s sleep. Things like that don’t bother me because it’s just like where I live.

The weather was so good at home when I left that I almost didn’t bring my rain gear. Saturday morning there was a mist type rain that only lasted until about 2 p.m. I don’t know whether I got wetter from the rain or sweating. I wasn’t cold but I had prune-like fingers and feet like most 69-year old people have. It was a great day for riding. The views from the pass (peak elevation 1, 782 feet) showed trees that looked like they were 10 feet across and through them you could see Christmas trees on as many as three ridges over. There were planted flowers, just acres and acres of them, miles of white daisies, orange, and purple flowers. One rider said that this one field of yellow flowers was grown just for the oil. There were lots of wheat and lawn grass, hops, blueberries, and other berries. It was the Willamette Valley but the pioneers called it “Eden’s Gate.” Oh yes, we can’t leave out the smells. You could smell the flowers, the green trees, and one diesel truck who stepped on it really hard to pass. There was one smell that smelled like clams at the ocean and there was a smell of manure being put on the field. You know the one I am talking about? MOO!

We went back to camp, had a nice hot shower, and listened to a band, meeting, and another band, drank a beer on the capitol’s grounds. It is the first time they let anyone sell beer on the grounds at the capitol and I just had to have one so I could say I did it.

The second night was dejavu (however that’s spelled) except for heavier rain. The good news for the next day was 60% chance of sunshine. I hoped they were right. WRONG! It rained on the way to breakfast and didn’t stop until I was home. We did the 40 miles, not the long one. It was a flat day, but I was just getting too damp (WET). It was a real good ride except for all the moisture.

One thing you have to remember: All the bad days make the good days seem that much better - Besides anyone can ride on a sunny day.


www.mrbontheside.blogspot.com