Sunset in Sutherlin, Oregon with a big red ball shining through the SMOKE.  That’s one of the first things we saw as we started south out of Salem, more and more SMOKE in the air.The other thing we noticed was the return to wearing masks EVERYWHERE as the delta variant virus surge hit Oregon.  The first couple of days we were able to get sandwiches for dinner at our favorite Nellie’s Deli.  Great sandwiches and then all of a sudden, they were closed.  All of the help was out sick with Covid!   

We did visit 3 wineries that we had been to before, Melrose, Hillcrest, and Giradet, with pictures located here.  Fortunately they had outdoor seating or we were the only ones there while tasting.  Dave was thrilled that we were able to get a couple bottles of Anonymous at Hillcrest Winery - he really likes that blend.   

We were able to meet up with fellow Class of ’06 members, Dwayne and Louise who we hadn’t seen in YEARS.  We’ve been in the general area a couple of times and never seem to match up, but they were also at Timber Valley during the time we were there and came down for some wine and munchies one afternoon.   There are very few members who are still on the road all of the time anymore, but Dwayne and Louise are, as are Dave and Toni.  

Next stop - California and more smoke and wineries.