Jerry Labuda

Now you tell us!!

Richard Maurer

Here is my latest Pacific Northwest travel video.  Oregon is not just rugged coastlines and verdant valleys.  Much of central and some of eastern Oregon is very arid, high desert.  This video is from my visit to Smith Rock state park in central Oregon.  The sparse landscape and towering cliffs of this area have a stark beauty much different than the Oregon coast or the Willamette Valley. 

Linda Wonn (Carpenter)

Thank you so much Richard. I havebeen to Benmd several times but never knew this park  rxisted.  What a wonderful video!  How do you do all the filming when you are waling and riding your bike? Very impressive.

Joan Elliott (Euans)

Hi Rich! Another beautiful video of some unimaginable place I haven't yet seen. The high flat rock formations remind me of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, because of the rock climbers there, too. What makes your videos unique for me is your calm and descriptive voice, and the patient pace you take on your trails. I am sure it is a lot of work though when you go to pack up the camper, right? I also enjoy the background music. That wouldn't be some of your own fingerstyle guitar playing, would it? I hope you continue to do what you love and love what you do!

Richard Maurer

Linda, thanks for the nice comments.  There are a lot of interesting things in the area around Bend, Oregon.  I had a couple of other trips planned for that area last summer, but the trip in June was cancelled because of heavy snow that lasted later than usual and another trip in August was cancelled because of wildfire smoke.  I hope to get to at least one of those places this summer.  Yes, there are challenges to filming activities as a solo traveler.  In part it involves being willing to take some time to set up a video camera on a tripod and capture your own participation in a scene.  It does take extra time and effort.  Technology can also provide part of the answer with video cameras that allow you to capture "selfies" that appear to be taken by a drone or other remote camera. 

Richard Maurer

Joan, I very much appreciate your wonderul comments.  I think that the vertical cliffs of Smith Rock offer the same sort of challenge to climbers as El Capitan in Yosemite, but the cliff face of El Capitan is much taller.  I believe that El Capitan is the tallest vertical cliff face in the world.  As I mentioned in the video, climbers do come from all over the world to climb at Smith Rock.  Thanks also for positive comments about my calm voice.  Back in the days when I was teaching medical and dental students the student evaluations of my teaching had a variety of interesting comments.  The one comment that has stayed in my memory over the years was the student who thought I was too calm and should drink more coffee.  The fingerstyle music is not my playing.  It takes me forever to record a new song.  I did briefly consider trying to record some fingerstyle for the videos, but I rapidly abandoned the idea as not feasible.  Finally, I do really enjoy visiting beautiful outdoor places.  It is work to make the videos, but somehow it enhances my experience of traveling in the outdoors.  Thanks for the encouragement.

Jerry Labuda

Very nice Richard, thanks for sharing.

Greg Cook

Richard thanks for sharing another part of your home state. What most impressed me is your film editing. Not sure how you're able to not only capture the beauty but the different angles you were able to include in your storyh.

Keep it up!

Richard Maurer

Jerry & Greg, thanks for watching and the nice comments.

Greg Cook

I stumbled across this video and thought it to be a perfect supplement to Richard's videos that share the beauty of Oregon. 

Jerry Labuda

Very interesting Greg, thanks for sharing.

Greg Cook

If I'm the last one on the bus for this information, I apologize. I stumbled across the Savanna High School Wikipedia page and learned things about our history and semi-famous to famous alumni.

You can read more here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savanna_High_School

If you don't have time to check it out, I thought I would include a picture of arguably our most famous alumnus..

Jerry Labuda

Very interesting, thank for sharing.

Greg Cook

Greg Cook

I remember my Dad climbing a ladder (under mild protest) to put up a couple of strings of Christmas lights.

How times have changed!

Greg Cook

Joan Elliott (Euans)

Greg, I hope you had a very Merry Christmas! I love the Amazing Grace Christmas House light show! I've seen other light shows, and even those put to music on the radio, but this is amazing! I went to the holdman.com website and saw many others of this company's spectacular lighting/music projects. Such talent beyond my imagination to envision or ability to do. I saw an interview of this brilliant man on that website and they do have a collection box in front of their house for money going to a children's charity in their area. Cars lineup for miles to wait to see it. Thank you so much for sharing this joyful holiday gift!

Greg Cook

Jerry Labuda

Very nice Greg, thanks for sharing. I hope you and Sandy and family had a great Christmas. A very happy New Year to you and and all our Rebel family.

Greg Cook

You're Welcome Jerry!

New Year’s prayer for the aging baby boomer population:

God, grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked anyway,

The good fortune to run into the ones that I do,

And the eyesight to tell the difference.

Greg Cook

Factoid that may interest only me: "Auld lang syne" means times long past in the language of Scotland.

Jerry Labuda

Very nice Greg, thanks for posting. Happy new year to you and your family and to all our fellow Rebels. May 2024 be a great year for all of us.

Greg Cook

Funny things we were guilty of in the 1970s.

It's time to fess up...What were you guilty of? 

I'll admit to owning a leisure suit or two and had one of those 70s cars (Chevy Vega) that was very short-lived.

Bob Lanphar

Greg, I had a Ford Pinto and a disco suit. Good thing the Pinto did not blow up with its gas tank and I still danced with two left feet. 

Francis (Frank) Willis

In the early '70s, I had just return from Vietnam and I was living in Chicago and Disco was everywhere. I had a yellow corduroy suit with bell-bottom pants and a matching waist-length jacket, floral silk long sleeve shirt, and blue platform shoes. I drove my 1970 Red Chevy Comaro into down-town Chicago every weekend to go dancing. I wish I had a picture to show you. It was so different from the '60s.