We Wish All of You A Very MERRY CHRISTMAS

DANG NEAR HOME, DEMING, N.M.

So, here we are in Deming, New Mexico, two days drive from San Diego. I'm not sure how long it will take to drive those two days because we tend to spend a lot of time exploring and visiting friends. This years trek is coming to a close, but we are already looking forward to our desert trip to Salton Sea and who knows where in early January through most of February. Hope you are all doing well, and look forward to our next hook-up. Love you all and God Bless....

Good Omen, American Flag at end of the Rainbow

Couldn't help but feeling all cheered up when I went out the door in the morning, here was this beautiful sight. A gorgeous rainbow, and at the end was the American Flag. After all the crap we are going through domestically and abroad, due in large part to our apathy toward American dignity, this Made my day.

Garden spot of Colorado, "Plaza District"

Check out the condition of this sign! It was a harbinger of things to come. The campground we made reservations at, was a ragged old truck machine shop, construction company equipment yard, and behind all the maze and clutter of old truck parts, and excavation equipment, was a weed and gopher hole adorned field with utility pedestals peeking out of the tumble weeds. We could not distinguish the approach to the campsite without walking it first. As it turned out, it was okay, and better than fighting the weather and wind on the highway.

JUST SOUTH OF CHEYENNE

Colorado went by in a whizz. After such a long period in small towns and uncomplicated traffic situations, things changed when we hit Colorado. In one day, driving a 40 foot motor home, towing a Grand Cherokee Jeep, we went through Fort Collins, Denver, Colorado Springs, and Pueblo. I slept well that night.

HEADED WEST AND SOUTH

The roads in the high plains states, Montana, Wyoming, and South Dakota are absolutely the best for their condition and structure. You can see the highways forever. They are lightly traveled, four lanes and straight as an arrow.

Land of the Stone Faced Dead Presidents

The weather in Rapid City was not too bad. But bad enough to keep us from doing much sight-seeing. We did manage to make it to Cabella's, a place we always love to tour through.
As cold as it was there, especially at night, there was some guy living in a small 2 person tent, pitched on a field behind a nearby truck stop. We just don't know how good we have it some times.

SNOWY CHRISTMAS TREE REHERSAL

These are some beautiful pines alongside I-90 in Wyoming, South of Gillette. They were dusted with snow, and along with deciduous trees along the rivers and creek beds showing the fall colors of golds, reds, yellows and oranges made for a great view.

OCTOBER SNOW IN WYOMING

After getting our licenses renewed, we left Rapid City, SD, headed west to Wyoming. From Gillette, WY, we headed south to Wheatland, spent two nights, then on through Cheyenne to Colorado. Drove through Fort Collins, Denver, Colorado Springs, Pueblo, to Walsenburg, all in one day. We stopped in Walsenburg for two days due to Thunder Storms and high winds. And yes, there was snow in the mountains all the way.

RANCH HOUSE IN SHERIDAN, WY.

Greetings to all you family and friend followers. We are both well and happy. No mechanical problems. Everything is great.
As you will see in the following pics, we have been doing more driving than usual. The short explanation for this excursion from normalsy is, we had to renew our South Dakota drivers licenses, and wanted to get it done and over before the onset of winter in the high plains. After getting our new floor, we drove from Oregon to Idaho, through Wyoming, and on to South Dakota.

GETTIN DOWN with the BREHMS, 15 Oct, 2012

                                          Sunset in the RV park, Eden (Twin Falls) Idaho

SHOSHONE FALLS, TWIN FALLS IDAHO

STRUCTURAL ENGINEER INSPECTS DAM

The Shoshone Falls are visible behind Diane. She did a cursory inspection of the railing, so we went on our way.

MINI FALLS NEXT TO SHOSHONE FALLS

As you drive down the bluffs to Shoshone Fall, there are these little mini-falls springing out of the cliffs in many places.
Well guess I'll go out and fold up my fresh water hoses etc. before the freeze sets in. Hope you are all doing great, and had a wonderful summer. Look forward to seeing you soon, in warmer weather. Adios for now, and God Bless...

SNAKE RIVER AT TWIN FALLS, ID.

While we were camped at Twin Falls, ID. we took a day trip to the Shoshone Falls, and the bridge where they do the bungee jumping. About 5 miles upriver, is the place where Evil Knievel attempted to jump the canyon in his jet bike. They built a shopping mall there now, and the jump site is behind the Verizon Store.

OUR NEW MONACO FLOOR

Ta Da! the new floor. It's an Italian marble style floor called "Romano 994". We love it. So easy to keep clean, and makes the coach look so much bigger on the inside. I guess we will pass on going into Sheridan today due to the weather. Too bad because it is such a neat cowboy town. Home of King Ropes, and all sort of tack shops. Everything is geared to the cattle and cowboy industry.

GUTTED FLOOR

What a mess! But they did all the destruction in one day, and 2 1/2 days to do all the upgrade work.
Our trip has been fantastic so far. We spent 9 weeks in Oregon. After the new floor was installed, we left Junction City on 9/28, and drove to Burns, OR. Next day, we drove to Twin Falls, Idaho, and stayed there 2 nights, then up through the West side of Yellowstone, to Bozeman, MT. for 1 night, and on to Sheridan, WY, where we are now. We will leave in the morning for Rapid City, SD. Hopefully, we will depart there on 10/10, headed South and West.

CABECTOMY

Greetings to all who visit our site. We are presently sitting in a campground in Sheridan, WY. the wind is blowing at 35mph and snowing. Crazy, we arrived yesterday in shorts and sandals in 80 degree temps.
This is a picture of John Slaughter, great grandson of "Texas John Slaughter" who established the legendary Slaughter Ranch just below Douglas, AZ. John is striping out all the upholstery and wiring that might interfere with the installation of the new floor.

DOWN WITH THE BREHMS, 3 OCTOBER, 2012

SUNRISE THROUGH THE WILDFIRE SMOKE, JUNCTION CITY, OR.

DOWN WITH THE BREHMS, 13 SEPTEMBER, 12

Bon jour from Pacific City. Hope all is well with all of you. Things are well with us. I passed a couple of kidney stones earlier in the week, which slowed down my hiking, but back to normal now. We will be here for another week, then down to Neskowin for a few days, and over to Junction City for our new floor covering.

BLACKBERRIES GROWING IN OUR CAMPSITE

We have such a great campsite here, an ocean view, if we stretch. We are surrounded on three sides by blackberry bushes, and as you can see, are in various stages of ripeness, so we have a fresh batch every day.

THREE CAPES, NETARTS, OR.

After 3 days of dreary fog, clouds, wind and rain, the sun came out in all it's glory. We got in the Jeep and took off North on the coastal road west of 101. The views were spectacular, and small fishing villages abundant. We did some beach walking, and sampled the local, caught 10 minutes ago, sea food, oysters, clams, and local beer.

OCEANSIDE,OR. THE HANGING VILLAGE

This is the beach hugging village of Oceanside. Built around a small bay, and populated by the kind of people who must have their tax rates increased. Damn those rich folks!!

HAYSTACK ROCK, CAPE KIWANDA

One of the biggest features of Pacific City is Haystack Rock. Note the little tea pot handle on the right side. One of the most remarkable things about the Oregon Coast, is the size and number of rock protrusions beyond the surf.

MINI MUSHROOM growing out of MOSSY LOG

The weather has remained friendly, so yesterday we took a drive to the South end of Tillamook, and hiked back into see Munson Falls. Talk about a thick forest, I was expecting Jurassic Park to open up before us. Besides the huge trees, there is lots of moss, ferns, exotic jungle flowers, and seeping streams everywhere.

HANSEL UND GRETEL LOST IN THE FOREST

Almost to Munson Falls. As you can see in the background, huge trees have fallen in the area, and the trail has been closed to most people, but I gave us permission to go on a little bit further.

MUNSON FALLS, NEAR TILAMOOK

Here it is, the big attraction. Probably a lot heavier in the Spring, but enjoyable in the middle of September as well.

TRAIL TREKKER

The trail in and out was pretty easy, even for old folks in their 70's. We are hoping for continued good weather, all the way back to South Dakota, and the happy trails to San Diego in November or December.

DIRTY ROTTEN SNAKE IN THE GRASS

Life is just full of surprises, like almost stepping on a huge venomous snake. Luckily, this guy was neither huge nor venomous, but he surprised me just the same. Until next time, take care, have fun and laugh. God Bless....

DOWN WITH THE BREHMS, 1 SEPTEMBER,012

Still here in Oregon. I think we are starting to grow webs on our hands and feet, and moss on our Northside. It's acually been beautiful all the time we've been here. 50's-60's at night and 70's-80's during the day. We have traveled North from Florence to Neskowin, and from Neskowin to Pacific City since our last update. Machinery is all behaving and we have both been healthy.

FEELIN CRABBY? Try these fresh DUNGENESS

The sea food is fresh and abundant here. These are Dungeness crabs fresh from the Pacific. We also got fresh clams and oysters to fix at the campsite. We have met a lot of nice folks along the road, had a few happy hours, and seen lots of wonderful sites.

FLORENCE EATERY

While we were camped in Florence, we ate at this "Hot Rod" Grill. Pretty neat! The roof is loaded with 50's Fords and Chevys. Inside they have old rods converted into dining tables. Shortly after we ate there, they closed the place down. I think it may be because Diane tried to car-jack the old ford we were setting in. See next photo.

A REAL BREAKTHROUGH IN AUTO TECHNOLOGY

This is a 1949 Ford. I know, because it is like my first car, only mine was red. Brings back fun memories.

OREGON SEA NYMPH

This picture was taken somewhere between Depoe Bay and Lincoln City. It's so nice to be able to stop and walk the beach, and enjoy the smells and sounds of the coast.

OUR CAMP AT NESKOWIN

Neskowin is a small village between Lincoln City and Pacific City. Population probably 200-300, but they do have a nice golf coarse, a good RV resort, and a fancy hotel. Deer could be seen in the morning and evening, and there is a local black bear population.

MMMMMMYUM, FRESH CAUGHT CLAMS

As I mentioned earlier, fresh seafood is abundant here. These are a bunch of fresh razor clams being steamed at the coach. Every single one of them opened when steamed. Which means they were all fresh, alive, and gooood!

OUR CAMP AT PACIFIC CITY

This is our camp as of the writing. We like it. It is long enough for us, fairly level, has sewer hookup, good electricity, and satellite access through the trees is good, plus we are just above the beach.

OREGON COAST HIKING PATH

One of my favorite things is the hiking paths here. They are plentiful and offer beautiful vistas. We will be here until 9/20, when we head South back to Florence for a couple of days, then on to Junction City to have new floor covering installed. Then on to Rapid City SD, for a few days, then start the trek Southwest. Hope you all had a wonderful summer, and look forward to our next meeting. God Bless.....

DOWN with THE BREHMS, AUG. 14, 12 EDITION

We are still here on the Oregon Coast, enjoying the beach life and cool temps.

This is the local casino/hotel, which is very nice for such a small town. Besides contributing to the local economy here, we also enjoyed a nice car show here.

A DAY IN NEWPORT WITH FRIENDS

Besides hooking up with good friends Gene and Darlene McDonough in Florence, we also met up with Johnny and Georgia Johnson from Ozark, AR. From left to right they are Gene, Darlene, Diane, Johnny and Georgia. Had a good lunch and a good visit.

CAMP SOUTH JETTY-FLORENCE, OR.

Here we are at the Thousand Trails Preserve at South Jetty, Florence, Oregon. Very dense forest right on the sand dunes off the ocean. Weather has been very nice to cool in the evening. A fire is always in order after 4:00 pm, even sweats and jackets sometimes.

KARA

This our first time traveling without Ross, so we never pass up a chance to pet other folks dogs. This one is an 11 year old corgi with a summer hair cut, she and her sister, Sadie, a big loving rottweiler belong to some folks we met at camp. They had to make a trip to Portland, so asked if we would walk the "girls" while they were gone. Of course, we jumped at the chance.

SADIE

And Sadie, as gentle and loving as can be.

KOOL ON THE BEACH

We keep hearing complaints from friends about the unbearable hot weather. Thought you might find this interesting. At 8:43 on August 14, 2012, the outside temperature is 53 F.

BEAUTIFUL MODEL "A" RESTORATION

As I mentioned earlier, we attended a car show at the local casino. This is a true to original 1930 model A Ford.

STUDEBAKER AVANTI

Our good friend Bob Tomal has one of these rare cars. It is a Studebaker Avanti. Maybe Studebaker's entry for the muscle cars of the time. This one is showroom fresh, and wanted to share it with Bob.

VIPER POWERED CORD

Now here's a strange bird. This old Cord is faithfully restored to original condition, but is propelled by a V10 Dodge Viper engine.

A PAIR OF CLASSY CHASSIS

We will stay here in Florence for a few more days, then up the coast to Neskowin, and Pacific City. In September we have an appointment for a new floor in the coach in Junction City so we'll come back south for that, then on to Rapid City, SD to renew our driver's licenses. Hope you are all having a nice summer. We look forward to seeing you again soon. God Bless, and vote in November...please.

DOWN with the BREHMS as of 29 JULY, 2012

Aloha from Florence Oregon. Hope you are all doing superb. Things are good with us. We arrived here last Tuesday from Junction City, after getting an estimate for new flooring in the coach. Weather has been about 40 degrees cooler than it was inland. This pic is of the South Jetty of the Siuslaw river at the Pacific.

SAND DUNES AT WINCHESTER BAY, OR.

Sand dunes right off the Pacific are enormous here. These are at Winchester Bay. We met up with good friends Gene and Darlene here and took a nice drive South to see a car show that didn't show< so we made the most of it and did some exploring. Had a great time.