Monthly Archives: August 2017

Timberline Lodge — Mt. Hood, OR; July 28, 2017

By July 28 Bill & Colleen (nee Dolce Vita) had also arrived (in their new Allegro diesel pusher) at the home of Liz Kinney.  Mike and Roberta took us all to see Timberline Lodge on the south side of Mount Hood. Constructed from 1936 to 1938 by the Works Progress Administration, it was built and furnished by local artisans during the Great Depression. Embracing and celebrating the regional themes: wildlife, Native American, and pioneer, the lodge’s original structure, architectural details, and decorations are stunning.

During the Second World War, Timberline Lodge closed as the nation faced difficult times. Quickly bouncing back at the end of the war, Timberline Lodge featured the nation’s second aerial passenger tram, the Skiway Aerial Tram. Due to financial complications and disrepair, Timberline Lodge closed for a few months in 1955. Passionate that the lodge deserved one last chance, Richard L. Kohnstamm convinced the US Forest Service to reopen the facility. Despite being an unlikely candidate, with no background in the hospitality industry, Kohnstamm became the new operator for the lodge and ski area on May, 1955, just in time to take advantage of the growing popularity of skiing.

The National Historic Landmark sits at an elevation of 5,960 feet on Mt. Hood, which has an elevation of 11,245 feet.  The Lodge is within the Mount Hood National Forest and is accessible through the Mount Hood Scenic Byway. Publicly owned and privately operated, Timberline Lodge is a popular tourist attraction that draws two million visitors annually. It is notable in film for serving as the exterior of the Overlook Hotel in The Shining.  It has the longest skiing season in the U.S., and is open for skiers and snowboarders every month of the year.

From the Lodge we took a ski lift up to a point where we could watch skiers and snowboarders arriving at the end of the snow field.  A second lift continued up the mountain and provided their access to the field.

Columbia River Gorge — July 24, 2017

As I mentioned in our previous post, after we left the Cruisers’ Rendezvous, we took our RV to Hood River, where we parked in the driveway of Liz Kinney, a relatively new friend of ours and a long-time friend of Roberta & Michael Hilbruner, who also parked beside us.  

Atmospheric pressure differentials east and west of the Cascades create a wind tunnel effect in the deep cut of the gorge, generating 35 mph winds that make Hood River and other locations in the Gorge popular windsurfing and kitesurfing locations.

On July 24 Mike and Roberta took us on an extended road trip down along the Columbia River to show us some of the more easily-accessible waterfalls, a mere smattering of the over 90 on the Oregon side of the Gorge alone.  The gorge holds federally protected status as a National Scenic Area.  Its nearness to populations and its spectacular scenery make it a popular recreational destination.

Our trip down the Gorge terminated at Crown Point.  Looking eastward from the Point we could see a prominent ridge.  Roberta and Mike were celebrating their wedding anniversary while we were there, and they told us the story of how Mike had cajoled a very reluctant Roberta into crawling out onto the ridge, where he then surprised her by proposing marriage.  She was so nervous that she got the giggles, but when she finally composed herself she assured him that “of course” she would marry him.

Walk in the Woods — Near Mr. Hood; July 26, 2017

After we left the Cruisers’ Rendezvous, we took our RV to Hood River, where we parked in the driveway of Liz Kinney, a relatively new friend of ours and a long-time friend of Roberta & Michael Hilbruner, who also parked beside us.  Their goal, to show us some of the features of the area in which they had spent many years.  This post and more to come will cover some of our activities.

On July 26, Roberta & Michael took us up toward Mt. Hood to show us one of their favorite easy hikes along a river.  It was a beautiful day, and a beautiful hike.

At the Valley Bronze Foundry — Joseph, OR; July 17, 2017

As I mentioned in our last post, some of us visited the Valley Bronze Foundry during the Cruiser Rendezvous.  We were treated to an interesting tour that featured a description of the process of making a Bronze figure.  I found the complicated process fascinating, and decided to attempt to describe it here.  (All omission and errors will be mine.)

A rough outline of the steps is something like the following, keyed to the photos.

A. The object to be rendered in bronze is encased in a plaster-like material in order to form a “negative” cast of the object.  The object itself would have been  provided by the artist, not the foundry.  The object is removed from the cast, and the cast is put back together.

B.  The hollow cast is filled with molten wax which then hardens to form a “positive” image of the original figure.

C.  The cast is removed, and the wax figure is “touched up”, removing seam lines and imperfections.

D.  Additional wax columns are attached to the figure, as well as is a base.  (The space occupied by the columns will become passages for moving molten bronze in and air and wax out of the figure.)

E.  The resulting figure is repeatedly alternately dipped into a special liquid and a special powder.  The result is a cast that can withstand the heat of molten bronze.

F.  The cast-encased assemblage is placing in an oven in order to evacuate all of the wax.

G.  The now-hollow cast is placed “upside down” on a frame with the base up in order to receive  the bronze.  (Not pictured.)

H.  Bronze ingots are melted in an electric furnace.

I. Wearing insulating coats and helmets …

J. … using cranes, the molten bronze is put into a vessel to be used for pouring …

K. … and multiple workers use hand-held “arms” to pour the bronze into the cast.

L. The result is placed in a special enclosure to slowly cool.  (Not pictured.)

M.  The cast is removed and the material from the cast is recovered. 

N.  Imperfections in the bronze figure are repaired.  If the figure was complicated and required multiple casts, then the parts are welded together.

O.  Some figures are painted or glazed by an expert colorist.

P.  Several example of completed works.

Cruisers’ Rendezvous — Wallowa State Park, OR; July 16-21, 2017

This summer we had our second annual Caribbean Cruisers Rendezvous; this time in beautiful Wallowa State Park, near Joseph, OR, and just south of  Wallowa Lake, the largest of several glacial cirque lakes in the area. The lake was formed by repeated periods of glaciation that began some 3 million years ago and ended about 15,000 BC. The glaciers formed high in the Wallowa Mountains around Glacier Lake and moved down the East and West Fork of the Wallowa River.  The lake is 3.48 miles long and has a maximum depth of 321 feet.  The northern end of the lake is surrounded by a high and impressive moraine left by the glaciers.  

This year’s rendezvous was organized by Roberta (Celilo). Our activities during the rendezvous included hikes in the woods, a hike at the top of a nearby mountain, accessed by a spectacular lift, an afternoon spent on a Park-provided float on the Wallowa Lake (organized by Tom and accessed by Tom’s dinghy and an aluminum boat rented by Dave), many group meals, including a grill-fired pizza night, game playing (including lots of ladder ball), wine tasting hosted by Tom, and lots of relaxed lounging.  Some of us took a 12-mile ride on a pedal-powered two-seater rail car from Joseph to Enterprise and back.  And some of us joined a tour of the Valley Bronze Foundry where we were given a detailed description of the process by which bronze sculptures are created.  (See the next blog edition, to be following soon.)  We had such a good time at the Rendezvous that we vowed to gather again next year and we loved the area so much we resolved to return to the very same Park.  Stay tuned.