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| a row of Alpines |
This year we returned for the Rhody Days festivities with the Alpine group. It was a combined rally with the Northern California (NorCal) and Southern California (SoCal) Alpine groups.
Twenty one coaches gathered at the Jesse T. Jones Odd Fellows Park just south of the town of Florence. As always, we enjoyed a very active and social 5-day rally, socializing, eating too much, and touring the various attractions in the area.
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| sumptuous breakfasts and catered dinners thanks to our hosts, the Smiths and Archers |
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| dune buggy for 27 |
The Oregon dunes stretch for 40 miles south of Florence and can be as high as 500 feet. They are about 2 miles deep, making shore access by ATV or dune buggy a must.
This was a first for us to traverse through the heart of the dunes and to travel by dune buggy. I was glad our guide knew his way around because I would easily lose my way in the vast sandy expanse where everything looks the same in all directions. However, the dune formations never remain the same, shifting and changing shape and height continually with the wind, making it more challenging to recognize trail routes. I imagine that this is what it is like in the Sahara Desert, only it's much hotter. We were bundled up in the cool Oregon coast weather.
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| ready to go! |
Soon we were in the very heart of the dunes, skirting islands of grasses and juniper.
At one point our driver took us across a pond to the other side.
Eventually we dropped down on to the beach and drove along the shoreline for a short while until we climbed back up into the dunes.
Here is where our guide had a bit of fun with us and drove us down some steep cliffs. It felt like being on a roller coaster ride.
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| dune buggy tracks from our wild ride! |
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| down one side ... |
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| and up the other |
There was a vintage car show in town that most of us went to. There was a good showing of cars and trucks. The guys in particular enjoyed the display.
These were some of my favorites:
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| a true vintage with its signs of wear and tear |
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| Michael's grandmother drove the sedan version of this Morris Minor |
The main attraction was of course the display of the prize-winning rhododendron blooms. They were as magnificent as I recall from the previous year, and I wondered once again why our bushes never produced such bright and large blooms.
We all gathered to watch the parade through town.
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| Alpine friends waiting for the parade to begin |
The parade of floats did not disappoint and we all had a jolly time despite the cooler weather this year.
Scott, Florence's native son, took us on a personally guided group tour of his hometown with Marcia helping herd us through the streets. It's always a privilege and treat to have one of your own provide the personal touch to a rally and discover more than what the information brochures provide about a town's past. Scott certainly had an interesting youth and his father is somewhat remembered as an icon while running the tavern and then the movie theater where Scott spent many hours behind the projector. In many ways, it's his experience with the movie theater that eventually led to his career in the business.
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| Scott explaining the history behind some of the homes in Florence |
At the end of the five-day rally, we went our separate ways. Some returned home, others moved on to a different venue. The Johnsons and we stayed on for a couple more days after the rally and then continued on to Row River to join the Hicks and their friends over the Memorial Day long weekend.
But first, we will be making a stop at Superior Tire Service in Eugene. Alpine is going to get brand new "shoes," all 6 of them!