Our Two Day Journey to Central Point, Oregon

We left Mt. Rainer, WA on July 14 heading to a four bedroom Air BNB we rented for a family reunion Saturday, July 16 to Wednesday 20 in Central Point outside of Medford, Oregon. Our journey south took us by the exit to Mt. St. Helens on Interstate 5. As we pasted the offramp I couldn't help but remember that fateful day in May 18, 1980 and wonder if Mt. Rainer will ever erupt in my lifetime.

To avoid the traffic in Portland, OR we opted to exit in Longview, WA and cross the Columbia River continuing the journey on Highway 30, then over Cornelius Pass towards our Harvest Host - Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum in McMinnville, OR.

Its exhibits include the Hughes H-4 Hercules (Spruce Goose) and more than fifty military and civilian aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles (drones), and spacecraft. The museum complex includes four main buildings: the original aviation exhibit hall, a large screen (7 stories wide, 6 stories high) digital theater, a second exhibit hall focused on space technology, and a water park. I was a member of the Evergreen Museum Association some years ago and knew the facility had a large parking lot and plenty of room for our overnight stay.

On July 15 we departed McMinnville, OR to head south to Myrtle Creek, OR about 175 mile away. We stopped at the Millsite RV Park for the night. $30 per day plus one time $5 booking fee with full hook ups (excellent at the price, especially compared to other parks in Oregon). The following morning we drove the two hours south to the AirBNB. Backing in the fifth wheel was a challenge, but Karen was on the walkie-talkie had me covered, guiding me into the driveway so we could still have plenty of parking for the other vehicles.

Families started arriving in the afternoon and we were all around or in the pool enjoying the warm weather and cold drinks before dinner. We're all missing not having Erik, Tori, Emery, Mattis and Arley with us. Love and miss you, will FaceTime you all later.