EXTENSIVE PHOTOS
MAIN NARRATIVE PAGE
MAY 28th TO JUNE 6TH, - 2011
SVA/MILO/LLU WESTERN ALUMNI REUNION
HOSTED BY LES & MAGGIE CHAFEN, CALISTOGA,CA
HOSTED BY DAVE & BECKY HEMP, 5/29-6/6, NORTHERN CA
(Doc Hemp Webmaster)
This is another of Doc Hemp's 300+ websites
As Joycee Says "WELCOME YA'LL!"
Thanks Liz Hoag for this one! PERFECT! (To see the steam, photos must be taken while the engine is
working up hill)
AFTER THIS NARRATIVE THERE ARE LINKS AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE TO ALL THESE PLACES
I AM DESCRIBING HERE
We even had folks from our grade schools in Crescent City, Richmond Jr. Academy in Virgina,
and Sligo School (grades 3-6) in Tackoma Park MD.!!!
There are many HUNDREDS of photos I sized and many I had to sharpen, lighten, etc in
Photoshop and of course I had to add all the Hemp and Hooker type warped humor you
have all gotten used to again ... Just like when we were in School I'm afraid!
Read all of this narrative first and then start visiting all the links from the bottom of
this page ... This is the culmination of 17 years of my doing my hobby websites
.. I learned the HTML before there was any automatic software and I still type
it all in, etc .. that is why I don't have to have fancy
templates to waste photo space on our computer screens!
Les & Maggie Chafen, Becky and myself would like to thank everyone & especially those that had to plan way
ahead and travel long distances to attend our function. A group of us also did the tour after. We weren't
able to attend the lunch down at Les & Maggie's Saturday as we were elbow deep getting ready for Sunday
... But I was able to make it down to their beautiful home and vinyard in St. Helena to stay Friday night
and for home made pizza.
Just click on the blue highlighted LINKS at the bottom of this page to go to
each of those individual sites with their corresponding photos. Please allow each page
to download first before you start viewing all the photos ... You will need DSL at the least as
these are big files ... Especially the great movies that Billy Boy Hooker took! On the movies just
start the download and go out and make yourself a Vegeburger (or a 1lb bacon bourbon cheeseburger if you
are like Bob Creager ;-)) .. And the pages will be as loaded as you are when you come back.
We used 3 of our 4 different locomotives to pull all our various passenger cars, flat cars & caboose around.
We have about 3/4 mile of track covering 3 different loops with 4 switches. Dave Moeller our neighbor
across the street has helped me do most of what we have built here as you can see by following all the
many links off our B.A.D. Great Northern Railroad pages. Thank you Dave for running our Electric
engine Davey Boy for us and also thanks Ray Bennett for helping with the steam engine. Also I
don't want to forget Melvin Harris without whose genius in building the boilers & running gear
none of this could have happened. Also much thanks to our daughter Kathy and Soninlaw Rob Delker
who always help us a ton on all our functions out here. Rob did all the 50's music for us, etc. and
also has a fantastic live band of his own. Also much thanks to all those linked below that took these great
photos!
Now back to our SVA/MILO/LLU Reunion Happenings
MAY 27th, FRIDAY
- Everything started with an impromptu dinner party at Les and Maggie's home
with 26 acres of vinyard in ST. Helena CA which I drove down for and stayed
the night, leaving very early for home the next morning.
MAY 28th, SATURDAY
- Lunch at Les & Maggie's DUTCH HENRY WINERY in Calistoga, CA. For Everyone
MAY 29th, SUNDAY - At 11:00 AM We started things off at our place, Steam, Electric & Diesel Engines -
SHENANDOAH WEST
Thanks so much you guys for taking the time to take your digital flash cards into Costco in
most cases and Dickey Boy who recorded in the RAW ... (not what you think) = very high
quality photos that I converted into JPEG ... and Yard Goat Billy Boy Hooker ... It took
a while Billy but it was worth it ... Bill has the latest Nikon 16.5 million megabytes (show off - grin) ...
great photos my friend ... All the photos really turned out very very well! I made their links
in the order I received their photos. Liz Hoag wins the prize for the best railroad photo of Big Bubba ..
She took it coming up Horse Shoe Grade under full steam and that only occurs on the up hills.
MAY 30th, MONDAY morning
- Becky and I hosted breakfast at our Riverview Country Club for our out of town guests.
It has the best view of the Sacramento river in the whole area. The photos are mixed in with all
our others in many pages but there are a few in the Breakfast link below too.
We then toured the Redding area stoping first at Shasta Dam ... the 2nd highest and biggest dam
in the world. The lake is 375 miles in circumfrence and has some of the best house boating in the
world when it is full.
Next we headed over to Whiskey Town Lake .. Was overcast so didn't show
the brilliant blue waters it is known for. Whiskey Town Lake always stays at the same depth ..
and is where they have many sail boat races from all over the western USA.
We then headed over to the now world famous Redding Sun Dial Bridge with it's unbelievable gardens &
Turtle Bay Museum, etc. Many birds, fish & animals in it's small zoo.
Monday evening we had some more of Peppy's great recipe Vegeburgers, etc. and
planned our strategy for the following week Pacific Northwest tour.
JUNE 1st, TUESDAY - 11 of us left early for Crater Lake in Oregon.
It was rainy and overcast. We didn't get to show everyone Castle Crags or Mt. Shasta along
the way. It was snowing as we drove up the mountain to Crater lake which still had over
600 inches of snow. It was breath taking and the clouds opened up & the sun came out for us to
view the lake and get great photos ..... After Crater Lake we headed back down to the
Edgewater Inn in Shady Cove Oregon ... on the way we stopped and showed everyone the Rogue River
Gorge - The headwaters of the Rogue River which we went down the next day out of Grants Pass.
JUNE 2nd, WEDNESDAY
- We left the Edgewater Inn after breakfast and spent the morning in
Ashland Oregon ... Ashland is the Shakespearian capital of the world and it is home to the
famous healing Lithia Waters and Lithia Gardens. From Ashland we then headed on over to Grants
Pass at 2pm to get ready for our 4pm departure on the HELLGATE JET BOAT DINNER CRUISE. It was
raining cat's and dogs but we wrapped up in our newly purchased plastic ponchos .. It rained
on the way down but not on the way back. We really had a great meal at the OK Corral a
rustic lodge with a humongus fireplace (we all crowded in to warm our butts)
JUNE 3rd, THURSDAY
- We we headed over to the Oregon coast to Bandon and south to Gold Beach where we
stayed the night ... Beautiful sunny weather (The Hookers and Baughers took the bad shortcut
I told them not to take with their big motorcoaches .... They made it in spite of being nearly
run off the road by logging trucks ... Listen to Davey Boy next time ;>)...
JUNE 4th, Friday
- We left Gold Beach to bright sunshine - The Oregon and CA coasts were breath taking ...
We got to see our first Redwoods near Crescent City CA ... on down to Trees of Mystery, Big Tree
State Park in Orick CA on the Prarie Creek Hwy - We saw an Elk herd at Prarie Creek too.
We stayed in the quaint town of Ferndale CA at the Ferndale Victorian Inn where Joycee
bolted out of the car to get some last minute shopping done! ... Had a most
wonderful dinner and breakfast there too. That afternoon we took the short drive over to
Loletta to the Loletta Cheese Factory ... Where Becky and I always buy their Curds .. But ..
we don't "weigh" afterwards - Hee Hee ...
JUNE 5th & 6th, SATURDAY & SUNDAY
- We left the Victorian Inn Saturday morning and headed down the coast thru the Avenue
of the Giants - Tons of Giant monstrous Redwoods ... The Drive Thru Tree, etc. on down
to Mendocino at Little River ... Where we stayed Saturday and Sunday nights at the
Little River Inn ... A most wonderful place with real fireplaces in the rooms
and one of the most wonderful views of the Pacific you will see anywhere.
Thanks Dickey Boy for treating us all to a great dinner!
They also have a trail that drops down into Van Dam State Park ..
That has a hiking trail thru Fern Canyon .. One of the most scenic on out trip. And that
my friends finished up "Davey Boys Great Adventure"
HERE BELOW ARE THE 13 LINKS TO ALL PAGES IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER
PLEASE ALLOW EACH PAGE TO LOAD COMPLETELY BEFORE YOU START SCROLLING DOWN
Well, As My Pal Bugs Bunny Would Say "THAT'S ALL FOLKS"
Below are other similar related links of ours & below that the Official Links that had
anything to do with our 12 day adventure! I am doing this so any of you that might
want to do this trip on your own someday can contact & set up all the hotels, restaurants,
etc from their offical sites.
