Just came home from a couple weeks out camping, The first weekend we spent down by Garibaldi, Oregon in a county park. Three of our adopted daughters are Vietnamese and there is an annual campout there for a large group (100 to 200) of Vietnamese people and we normally attend it with one or more of our(now adult) daughters and their families. While sitting around the campfire Saturday evening I was approached by a gentleman of about my age. After introducing ourselves we got to talking and we discovered that we had both served in the same general area of Vietnam but on opposite sides! He said that he had been "drafted" as a teenager and, having only a limited education, believed strongly in the rightness of their cause. After leaving the Army and migrating to South Vietnam he came to realize that there was more than one side to the story. Eventually he was able to come to the US where he has married and raised a family. Very happy to be American he told me. I admit that it gave me a peculiar feeling to realize that there was some (slim) possibility that we had actually faced off against one another. Got to admit that I am very happy that we both made it home.
The second unusual incident was about a week later while we were at a 1000 Trails park in Seaside, OR. My wife and I were returning to the park after taking a walk when we saw two women, with fully laden bicycles, standing outside the park entrance. We engaged them in conversation and learned that they were German citizens (one was 53 and the other a bit younger) who were traveling by bicycle from Anchorage, AK to "as far south in Argentina as we can get." Between their limited English and my 50 years forgotten high school German we learned that they had seen the sign for the park and hoped to find a place to set up a tent for the night. However, they had been turned away at the gate because they were not members and were now concerned about finding a place to camp for the night. Per 1000 Trails rules, we, who had a site, were allowed to have one additional tent on our RV space. So we told the ranger that we were going to let them camp on our site. They were thrilled to not only not have to search for a place to camp but also to have access to a hot shower and a laundry. We had a great (and sometimes confusing LOL) time having a conversation that night and next morning before, after giving my wife and I hugs, they continued their journey south. That would be an arduous trek for young people and we were amazed that in their 40's and 50's they were doing it. Good people and we were glad to have met them.
Rick & Karen
2017 Hideout 177LHS travel trailer
2021 Ford Ranger w/tow package, named "Lil Toe"
Estu inteligenta, kaj parolu Esperanton
