Bend Brewfest

Bend Brewfest!  The reason we are here!

We traveled from southern Arizona for this event and we were not disappointed!  It was an incredible day for all of us - even the non beer drinkers in the group.  It is a three day event and we went on the second day. 

There were four of us in our little group.  Lou was Kirby's best man at our wedding 17 years ago....they go way back.  So, we called a taxi so we wouldn't have to worry about finding our way there, parking or not having a designated driver to get back home.  It worked out so, so well and was only $15 each way with tip.

It was a bright and sunny day and not too crowded  -  that is because we were there shortly after the gates opened.  We purchased a plastic beer mug and some tokens.  Each 4 oz taste of brew was one token.  There were 170 different beer taps.  Yes, you read that correct - 170!  How to choose?  Well, we love IPA which is big and bold so that was all we tasted.

Here we are standing in front of what turned out to be our favorite brew.  10 Barrel Category 57 Double IPA.  It was the winner as far as Kirby and I were concerned!

There were 3 tents of brews and we made our rounds selecting an IPA here and an IPA there.  We were in heaven.  Kirby is having some knee problems going on and Lou found what appeared to be a good way to wheel him around but security came and took it away.

You can tell that we are having a good time in this picture.  It still wasn't crowded and we could just walk up and get another 4 oz drink whenever we wanted.  I will confess that we did throw some out.  Not all IPA is created equal.  (IPA stands for India Pale Ale)

All of the people serving the beer were volunteers.  I thought that this young lady was so cute with her garland of fresh hops on her head.  Everyone was so friendly and even those that were working were having fun!

And with all that beer, you must be wondering what kind of facilities they have.  Well, just check this out!  And this picture does not show all the toilets!

After a while we were ready to sit in the shade a bit so I went in search of four chairs and a table with people who would not mind sharing with us.  Did we ever hit the jackpot! We got Bob, Harold and Ben.  They were locals and full of good information on the area.  I think we partied with them for at least and hour and a half - maybe more.

Ben was off getting another brew and Vivian took the picture for me.

I am so glad that we made the plans to attend this brewfest!  It was an incredible experience and something that we don't usually do.  We pretty much like to stay away from crowds but this was certainly worth it.  Good friends, good brews and a wonderful husband.  What could be better??

Lander, WY and Don and Vicki

Many of our winter Yuma friends live in Wyoming so we made a stop in Lander so that we could visit with some of them.  Don and Vicki have room near there home for an RV so we stayed right there next to them.  We barely got there when they first fed us lunch and took us out to view Lander and some of the surrounding area.  We also enjoyed the company of Mary and Jerry and Robynn and Daryl.  Mary and Jerry hosted a great breakfast the next morning and then it was more touring around the area.  I am tired but it was such a great time seeing everyone!

After finding the town of Kirby it was really fun to find this creek named after Kirby's family!

These are our gracious hosts, Vicki and Don.  They have lived in Lander most of their adult lives and know the area like the back of their hands so we had great tour guides.

This is the Popo Agie River as it enters the mountain.  The water flows into a cave in the side of the mountain, wanders around inside the mountain and about two hours later it re-emerges down the hill a bit.

 Red Canyon Wildlife Management Area

 We drove through the old mining town of Atlantic City and saw the old gold mine as well.  There is a lot more out in those hills than one would think!

Kirby and Thermopolis, Wyoming

How many people get a town named after them?  And one that distills Bourbon at that?  We were visiting with friends Sharon and Jerry who live in Thermopolis, WY and they took us to Kirby.  Kirby really wanted to go to Kirby.

 Talk about a photo op!  We couldn't resist his one!

There is a famous bar/restaurant in Kirby as well as Wyoming Whiskey.  We had a great lunch at Butch's Place.  If you are ever near Kirby, you have to go to Butch's for a brew and a burger.  What a fun place.  Character, charm, good food and good service.  And now we have made some good memories there.

This is Sharon and Jerry along with Kirby.  Sharon and Kirby grew up together in Taft, CA a few years back and reconnected on Facebook.  (I love FB for just that type of thing!)  Since we were in their part of Wyoming, of of course we had to get together and share some good times.  They took us all around their charming community, the small town of Kirby, Wyoming Distillery and Hot Springs State Park.

Is this gorgeous or what?  And we wouldn't even have known about it if Sharon and Jerry hadn't taken us there.

And of course, following with tradition, we visited Wyoming Whiskey, had a great tour and did a bit of tasting.  It was so interesting to find a distillery in Kirby, Wyoming of all places.  The owners are actually cattle ranchers who had more property than they knew what to do with so decided to hire an experienced distiller from Kentucky and make their own whiskey.  Now they use the leftover mash (corn, barley and wheat) to feed their cattle.  Makes sense to me!

Final Days at Buck Hall

We just took our final bike ride on the Palmetto Trail in the Francis Marion National Forest.  The rains have gone and the forest actually seems to be drying up a bit.  We need more rain already.  But tomorrow it will no longer be our home.  It has been the most fantastic two weeks walking and biking the trail, walking along the Intracoastal Waterway and watching the spring migration of the boats that spent the winter in Florida and the Bahamas.  Jake, our yellow dog, has become quite proficient at chasing the squirrels up trees.  We have become good friends with our camp host, Pat Crawford. You can read his blog HERE.

I am trying to remember what all has kept us so busy.  I had a nice Sunday Brunch with my daughter, Christie.  We went to Mosaic, a small place in Mount Pleasant, and had great food.  I was able to have Shrimp and Grits – Yea!!  It was wonderful!

Linda and I ate lunch.

 I also had lunch with my old high school friend, Linda.  Linda and I re-found each other on Facebook about five or six years ago and have developed a wonderful friendship outside Facebook!  Would you believe that she moved to Mount Pleasant a few months after we left.  Timing is everything isn’t it?

Me on the left and Lucy on the right.

 We met friends Ray and Lucy at Smoky Oak Taproom in James Island and had lunch.  Now talk about food!  Oh, my but that food was incredible.  Kirby and I shared a platter of pulled pork and the best ribs I have ever had in my life!

That is the owner/founder on the right.

We managed to get to Coast Brewing in North Charleston.  They make such great brews and we have been fans for years.  It was fun to see how much they have grown.

We were so pleased to see so many people at Coast enjoying the awesome brews.  Kirby's favorite is Hopart and I like the stout.

Brendan, Carey, Christie, Michael and Kirby (leaning in to get in the picture per my instructions!)

We were invited to have dinner with the family at Brendan and Carey’s new apartment.  Wow, they sure didn’t build apartments like that when I was living in them!  Granite countertops, stainless appliances, trak lighting!  Small but incredibly beautiful.  We had our dinner in the common area, using the grill provided.  The weather was perfect for outdoor eating.

On Sunday we traveled back to the old neighborhood and visited with a few folks.  Arlene, who used to be our next door neighbor provided lots of yummy eats and some fruity sangria.  It was fun seeing everyone after a year on the road.

Ray, Lucy, Jack and Juanita managed to get spaces here at Buck Hall for one night so of course we had to have a small party and dinner together.  We sat in Jack and Juanita’s yard and they had an incredible view of the boats going by.

Yesterday my friend, Linda, came out for a walk in the woods and dinner.  It was so wonderful to get to spend more time together.  Hopefully we will meet up again at our Fifty Year HS Reunion in August!

Sunrise

As I write, Kirby is outside breaking camp.  It is sad.  Jake is probably going to go into a funk for a few days.  He really believes that we live here now.  I think this has been his favorite place too.  Next stop – Lake Hartwell State Park! 

Old Friends and New Friends

Wow, what big rain we just had!  There is standing water everywhere and the skies are still full and mean looking.  Some of the lightning-thunder strikes were less than a mile away and they startle me so that I always make noise with them and that scares poor Jake even more.  Actually he is pretty good with thunder.  Most dogs quake – he just gets a bit uncomfortable.

Before the rains came we got in our walk for the day and it felt so good.  Of course the mosquitoes are out in force and the sky was threatening but we didn’t have any problems – just fun.   Yesterday we did the trail on our bikes which was nice except that way Jake doesn’t get his exercise.

So anyway – we have had a couple of days of friends and fun.  On Monday evening we invited our camp host, Pat, to join us for cocktails and dinner.  Pat was the host here last year when we visited and I have followed his very entertaining blog ever since.  He doesn’t write when he is living his everyday life in Columbia, SC but when he travels in his sixteen foot Casita, he writes about his exciting adventures in his blog.  He somehow manages to make even mundane things like cleaning the public restrooms here at the campground interesting!  And we found out that we have more in common than just Buck Hall Recreation Area.  Our politics are similar, we all love to travel and he spent his life as a professional photographer.  You will enjoy his blog so check it out HERE.  Dinner lasted until we couldn’t handle the insects any longer so actually, given better conditions, we would have built a big fire and enjoyed some after dinner adult beverages.  Next time….we have another week here!

Yesterday we met up with longtime friends, Ray and Lucy.  You will remember them from our travels last summer in Idaho and Utah and then again when we met up in Bullhead City, AZ for a reunion.  Our friendship always just picks up where it left off and there are always many big laughs and lots of hugs.

They brought with them some new friends for us – Jack and Juanita who are from Nebraska but, like us and Ray and Lucy, they are full-timers in their RV.  (It really is hard these days when someone asks us where we are from.  Is it South Carolina where we lived for 5 years, California where we were born and spent the majority of our lives, or is it Arizona where we spent this past winter?  I don’t know!!)

So the six of us met at Red’s Ice House on Shem Creek in Mount Pleasant.  Red’s is an all-time favorite for Kirby and I and we have enjoyed many hours there in the past.  We didn’t bring Jake this time but we usually do as they are so dog friendly on the patio.  It was too hot and humid to leave him in the car while we ran some errands.  We enjoyed a good lunch and then they came back out to Buck Hall with us to check it out.  Hopefully before we leave here next week they will be able to spend some time here.

And for now, the rain is still around and I am still hearing some thunder so I guess we are in for more of this big storm.  Already everything is a brighter green.

Charleston Visit

We haven't stopped since we got here!  We continue to stay in the parking lot and that is working out really well.  The weekend was awesome as it was so quiet.  But of course it rained all weekend.  But now the sun is out and we are enjoying some absolutely perfect Charleston spring weather.

We have filled our time with family and friends.  And running a few errands in familiar territory.  We had pre, pre Easter with the family and then we had pre-Easter and then finally Easter.  Lots and lots of family time and it has been fantastic!

We now have some young women in the family.  Carey, me, Hannah and Christie.

Grandson Brendan and his sweetie, Carey.

Grandson Casey and his sweetie, Hannah.

We had a blast dying Easter Eggs.

Living in the back parking lot of the company I used to work for has it's benefits too.  We have had a nice steady stream of visits from old friends.  Some of these folks I haven't seen in over a year so we have had fun catching up on each other's lives.