UV Magazine Winter 2017 by usflyer

Nonstop

EUG to PHX

MERCY AD We’re Always On Our “A” Game We're serious about patient safety. The Leapfrog Group has recognized CHI Mercy Health as one of the safest hospitals in America with an "A" rating. Being named to this prestigious list speaks volumes about our entire team's commitment to providing the highest-quality and safest care possible for our patients and community.

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UV . WINTER 2018

FEATURES 44

FAST EDDIE

OVERTIME AT THE O.T.

TRUST THE MAN WITH THE STAR

Motorcycle mechanic Ed Halkyard may look the part of an old master, but his knowledge and skills are state-of-the-art.

Spend some time at Oakland Tavern and you’ll experience a colorful slice of Douglas County’s character — and characters.

We play 20 questions with the longtime proprietor of Chuck’s Texaco.

DEPARTMENTS UMPQUA LIFE

FOOD + WINE

CULTURE

10 THE SHOE MUST GO ON

24 THE WINE DOCTOR

34 WHAT’S IN A NAME?

It can be tough to find a good farrier, which

Foon Winery’s opening is the newest

helps explain why many Douglas County

feather in the distinguished hat of wine-

horse people have Jim Spencer on speed dial.

maker/cardiologist Howard Feldman.

12 PLANE-SPOKEN MAN

28 GOLD IN THE UMPQUA

Mark Nickel went looking for a hobby and

Gourmet chef Nancy Rodriguez offers

found a passion for collecting and restoring

recipes and wine pairings to help put the

hand planes.

dazzle in your holiday dining.

16 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE 21 MARKET FINDS Every Saturday, Umpqua Valley Farmers’

32 BUBBLE UP!

A brief history of some familiar local names.

36 LOCAL HERSTORY Family roots run deep for Roseburg optometrist Bonnie Gauer, who comes from prominent Douglas County pioneer stock.

40 RESIDENT WORDSMITH Historian Diane Goeres-Gardner has authored six books, including a pictorial

A local couple introduces Umpqua Valley

history of Roseburg and a chronicle of

to a popular Taiwanese beverage.

early Oregon hangings.

33 COOKING MADE SIMPLE

Market offers a bounty of food and other

Diane Clerihue provides answers to the

products from local farms and vendors.

culinary question, “What foods go best with which wines?” And vice versa.

OUTDOORS 72 UV DAY TRIP Take a winter day trip from Roseburg

HEALTH 62 ONE HAPPY MAN Dr. Cary Sanders and his family knew nothing about Oregon before moving to Roseburg. Now it feels like home sweet home.

BUSINESS 70 TRAINS KEEP A ROLLIN’

to Bandon.

75 WINTER WONDERLAND Adventurers of all ages and abilities will

Model railroading is Lachlan MacKinnon’s

find a variety of suitably snowy activities

livelihood, and the Roseburg storeowner

this winter at Diamond Lake Resort.

wants to help the venerable hobby grow.

65 INVASION OF THE ROBOT Mercy Medical Center acquires a robot to help surgeons in the operating room.

68 BLUE ZONES PROJECT What in the world is a Walking Moai?

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE 06 Editor’s Letter 09 Contributors 78 Last Word

TRUE GRIT

E DITOR’ S LETTER

he reviews are in, and I’m pleased to announce I am still able to venture outside without a disguise.

Our first issue of UV appears to have gone over very well, at least among the readers kind enough to send me their comments. My mother liked it too, but if I gave her a grocery list I’d written, she’d gush about how original and captivating it was. The theme for our second issue is True Grit. The following pages are filled with stories about the kind of salt-of-the-earth people who make the Umpqua Valley tick. People who don’t mind rolling up their sleeves and getting a little dirt underneath their fingernails. Don’t worry, if clean fingernails are your thing, we have stories for you, too. The best thing about putting a local magazine together is I get to either write or read about some of the many fascinating people in our communities involved in so many fascinating activities, whether it’s restoring antique hand planes or getting Harleys back on the highway. Our communities are filled with a lot of very interesting people doing very interesting things.

CONTACT ME editor@TheUVlife.com

They are also inhabited by people who don’t let a little winter weather keep them cooped up. If you want to get out this winter, there is plenty to get out and do. Our weather is temperate enough that most of the activities we enjoy the rest of the year, we can still enjoy through the winter. But, if playing in the snow is your thing, Diamond Lake Resort is just up the river. And the ride up provides some beautiful winter scenery, as our cover photo of Watson Falls shows. Or, if you’re more of the seafaring type, some of the best weather I’ve experienced at the Oregon coast has been during the winter months. There’s something to do whichever direction you head, so get out and do it.

Dick Baltus Editor in Chief

UV . WINTER 2018

TRUE GRIT PAGE 28 Looking for some new menu ideas for the holidays? Check out Nancy Rodriguez’s suggested menu with local wine pairings. PAGE 56 Around these parts, Chuck’s Texaco is legendary. Be sure to read Brad Allen’s fascinating interview with the longtime service station owner. PAGE 75 Need ideas for some snowy fun? Jim Hays gives you the rundown on winter activities at Diamond Lake Resort.

WINTER 2018

EDITOR IN CHIEF

Dick Baltus

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Tyler James

CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER

DESIGNERS

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Thomas Boyd

Michael Williamson, Kylee Lee

Jim Hays

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Brandon Johns, Josh Gaunt, Doug Pederson, Cara Kobernik, Autumn Gregory, David Shoyer, Jennifer Grafiada-Furbush, Brad Allen, Nancy Rodriguez, Bentley Gilbert.

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Tristin Godsey, Samantha Starns, Kevin Eckerman, Robin Loznak, Christina Dahlstroem Medick, Nicole Galster

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

PUBLISHED BY

OWNED AND OPERATED BY

LIFESTYLE + TRAVEL MAGAZINE OF THE UMPQUA VALLEY TheUVlife.com

Misty Ross, Nicole Galster

ADAMS, HULL + MACCLUER, INC. 603 S.E. Jackson St., Roseburg, OR 97470 ahmbrands.com

UV is owned and operated by The Umpqua Life LLC, a partnership of AHM Brands, CHI Mercy Health and Derek A. Adams

UV Magazine copyright 2017 by The Umpqua Life LLC. All rights reserved. No part of the publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage and retrieval system without the express written consent of The Umpqua Life LLC. The views and opinions expressed within UV magazine are the authorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of The Umpqua Life LLC, its employees, staff or management.

TRUE GRIT

THE SHOE MUST GO ON /

PLANE-SPOKEN MAN /

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE /

MARKET FINDS

THE SHOE MUST GO ON It can be tough to find a good farrier, which helps explain why many Douglas County horse people have Jim Spencer on speed dial. Story by Doug Pederson

armers and ranchers are no strangers to early mornings and hard work. They come with the territory.

Still, chances are few of them would trade their schedules for the year-round, sunup-to-sundown lifestyle of farrier Jim Spencer.

That’s OK with Spencer, since he happens to be one of those seven-day-work-week artisans of hoof care who enjoys what he does. Dressed the part in a pair of faded jeans, leather chaps, and boots caked in all manner of mud and gunk, Spencer has already finished shoeing his first horse by 8 a.m. Were it summer, he’d have shod several horses by now. But with less light in the fall and winter, his workload lessens, too. For this 61-year-old, working smart far outweighs working fast. In the course of a typical day, he’ll visit up to six different farms and ranches and work on well over a dozen horses, sometimes upwards of 20. “My back hurts every day,” Spencer says, when asked why more young people don’t get into the profession. “But you do get used to it. With enough experience, a young guy or gal can shoe a horse every 30 minutes. It’s a good life and a good living.” Spencer holds a pair of clinchers in one hand and takes another pull from his Marlboro cigarette in the other. To his right is a bay quarter horse that spends its days at Flournoy Ranch boarding facility just outside Roseburg. This isn’t the first time Spencer has worked on this beautiful equine. Its owners have been calling on Spencer for well over a decade.

UV . WINTER 2018

Photos by Thomas Boyd

A professional farrier for more than 40 years, Spencer is a fixture in these parts. He’s shod too many horses to count. And while he’s a modest guy who drives a blue Chevy Tahoe with more than 200,000 miles on the odometer and 17 years on the road, he knows he’s good at what he does. So do his clients.

UMPQUA LIFE

“MY DAD SHOD HORSES AND SO DID MY OLDER BROTHER. I WAS SHOEING BEFORE I HAD MY DRIVER’S LICENSE.” – Jim Spencer

As he works on another horse, several calls light up his flip phone, tucked away in his rig. He lets them all go to voicemail, never slowing down or taking his eyes off the job. “I’ll get back to everyone when we’re done here,” he says.. “My first call of the day came in at 7:29 a.m. I’ve already gotten 14 calls today. If I answered every one of them, I’d never get anything done.” For the people on his client list, that would spell disaster, or at least major problems. “There’s only a handful of folk around here doing what I do,” Spencer says, firing up another Marlboro with his red lighter. “We need young people to take this on, but they just aren’t there.” Spencer is a throwback in many ways. He doesn’t own a computer or smartphone; he has no email address. He started shoeing horses full time right after high school and not much has changed in his profession since. Growing up on a ranch in Roseburg, Spencer has always loved the area and understood what it meant to make an honest living. “My folks raised quarter horses, cows and sheep,” he says. “My six siblings and I started working the place at an early age. I think I was feeding the dogs and horses by the time I was 5 . As I got older, I learned how to shoe a horse. They were the primary mode of transportation. We didn’t have four-wheelers, or cell phones.” Right on cue, Spencer’s phone starts clamoring for his attention once again. He ignores it. “My dad shod horses and so did my older brother,” he recalls. “I was shoeing before I had my driver’s license.” Being a farrier has been a good career choice, Spencer says. He’s been able to raise three kids and provide for his family and himself. His main business expenses have been shoes, nails, gas and maintenance on the rig. Spencer reaches into the cab of his Chevy and pulls out the cell phone that works nearly as hard as he does. After listening to a handful of messages and taking some notes, he calls a few customers back before packing up his gear and getting behind the wheel. Spencer has no plans to retire. To the relief of his clients on regular eight-week job rotations (and those yet to call him) — as well as the many hunters and 4-H folk who hire him on a seasonal basis — he plans is to keep working as long as he is able. As long as the Tahoe keeps going, and his back holds out, Jim Spencer will keep on shoeing. TRUE GRIT

UMPQUA LIFE

Photos by Thomas Boyd

PLANE-SPOKEN MAN Retired Roseburg Police Chief Mark Nickel went looking for a hobby and discovered a passion for collecting and restoring hand planes. Story by Dick Baltus

e didn’t intend to mislead his wife. Mark Nickel truly believed he’d keep the promises he made a few years ago when he told Kathleen he had a new hobby.

He would remain focused, he promised. He would not spend a lot of money on it, he assured. It wouldn’t take up a lot of space in their home, he maintained. But, when all was said and done, Nickel says, “Those were all lies.”

The retired Roseburg police chief seems a little sheepish when he recalls the moment he announced his plan to start restoring and collecting vintage hand planes. But sheepish and repentant are two different things. 12

UV . WINTER 2018

In fact, a quick scan of the Nickel household would indicate he’s fairly proud of what has transpired here since he purchased his first plane in 2013. In a corner of the family room, near a bay window, are several display cases containing shelf upon shelf of the antique hand tools — each of which looks, at least to the untrained eye, an awful lot like the one next to it. And, indeed, they are a lot alike — except for their differences. All these over here are No. 2 planes, it is explained, and the smaller planes are No. 1s. These are from the Stanley Co., and those are Bailey planes. Here are some Stanley planes with Bailey designs, and this weird-looking one is from Russia (“If they built their weapons like they did this plane, we had nothing to worry about in the Cold War,” Nickel quips.) And these are just the tools that made the cut for in-home display. In Nickel’s shop a few yards from the house, there’s another large rack of them, not to mention others in various states of disassembly and repair. Nickel claims he has about 185 in his collection, but who knows how accurate that number is considering it will soon be made public and his wife will take a keen interest in his answer.

UMPQUA LIFE

Were one to take a quick review of Nickel’s biography, one would find little evidence that he was destined to become a plane collector and expert after he retired from a 38-year career in law enforcement. The majority of those years were spent in Roseburg, where he served as a detective and in public relations and training positions before being named chief in 2003. When Nickel retired in 2010, he set about to answer the question most retirees ask themselves: “Now what?” Kathleen, director of communications for CHI Mercy Health, had one idea. “She was working on a project, restoring some antique dining table chairs,” Nickel remembers. “The seats of the chairs needed fixing, and I said, ‘I can do that.’ As it turned out, I couldn’t.” Nickel had never claimed to be much of a woodworker, and doesn’t to this day. But that hadn’t stopped him from building a shop. So now he had a place where he could try to duplicate the indented area in the chair seat — put there to conform to a sitter’s rear end. What Nickel didn’t have, however, was the right tool for that job. He intuitively surmised that a plane might do the trick, and ordered one off eBay. He didn’t want to spend a lot of money on a tool he wasn’t sure was right for the job and he might never use again.

What arrived, Nickel remembers, “was a piece of crap.” Still, Nickel was convinced that a decent plane would do the trick. He went back to eBay and “paid too much” for an old Stanley plane from the 1920s. It arrived with a chip on the blade, which required Nickel to sharpen the blade past the blemish. That was all it took to spark his interest. “I started researching planes and learned the story of how Stanley became the toolbox of the world,” he says. “I was intrigued by how big a part of life planes were back in the day.” Virtually anything made of wood before the 1930s was touched by a plane, Nickel learned. “If you look at an old Stanley catalog it has hundreds and hundreds of planes,” he says. “They had planes for barrel makers and planes for instrument makers and furniture makers and cabinet makers. Everyone had their own special plane.” Nickel says he even ran across a plane on eBay that was designed for use on copper organ pipes. In the early going of his plane-collecting adventure, Nickel upheld his promise to Kathleen, focusing mainly on Stanley tools. But he soon learned about the Stanley business model wherein the company would purchase the patent of any plane-related idea that showed promise and drive the inventor out of business.

TRUE GRIT

UMPQUA LIFE

NO ONE IS MORE SURPRISED THAN NICKEL THAT HE HAS BECOME A PRETTY WELLRECOGNIZED EXPERT IN HAND PLANES.

Mark Nickel with one of the 185 or so planes in his collection.

The most famous and inventive of those was Leonard Bailey, who held several patents for innovations that revolutionized the planedesign industry. “They are still making planes today based on the designs he came up with in the 1860s,” Nickel says. So much for the focus on Stanley. Nickel may have entered the world of planes as a collector, but collecting costs money, and there was that other pesky promise he made to his wife. So, to finance his hobby, he decided to start buying, restoring and reselling planes he didn’t want to keep. He found a market, mainly online, for old Stanley models dating as far back as the 1880s. Nickel went back online to research methods of restoring the various metal and wood parts that comprise a plane, and soon became proficient in the different processes used to bring a tool back to working order. Start to finish, restoring a plane in bad condition takes about four hours, Nickel says. Planes in better shape take about two to three hours to restore. “I don’t like to brag, but I’ve gotten pretty good at it,” he says. “They don’t look brand new, but they look pretty good and are completely usable.”

UV . WINTER 2018

To sell his restorations Nickel heads back to eBay where smallor medium-sized planes sell for between $65 and $80 and larger ones fetch from $150 to $300. No one is more surprised than Nickel that he has become a pretty well-recognized expert in hand planes. And no one is happier than him that he has found such a rewarding answer to that question he asked himself several years ago – Now what? “I had a rewarding career, but I had a job where I never really produced anything,” he says, “I always admired people who went to work and at the end of the day they could point to something and say, ‘I made that.’ I never got that satisfaction. So I wanted to do something in my retirement that would give me that.” He has certainly found it. “I’m working with tools that are a significant part of someone’s history,” he says. “Sometimes they’ve been neglected so long they’re not much more than a hunk of rusted iron. It’s very rewarding to be able to turn that into something that can be used for another hundred years.” To learn more about vintage hand planes, or to purchase one restored by Mark Nickel, visit www.plane-dealer.com.

LLP

UMPQUA LIFE

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This is Home Serving Oregon since 1964

While many of our clients live and work in Douglas and Klamath counties, we also serve clients in Portland, Salem, Eugene, Medford, Bend, and numerous other states beyond Oregon. We pride ourselves in solving unique and complex situations for our large business clients, while still serving our small business owners and individual clients.

541-673-4423 wicksemmett.com

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TEXACO SERVICE

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Raven Crafts

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328 SE Jackson St. 541.673.5152

Treasures of the Heart Warming Gifts & Décor for any Season treasuresoftheheartonline.com

516 SE Jackson St. Roseburg, Oregon 97470 541-537-3522 Handcrafted, original artwork IsidraCastro @ravencraftstat2

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TRUE GRIT

UMPQUA LIFE

GIFTS FOR OTHERS Distinguished Apes 815 SE OAK, ROSEBURG LEVI SHERPA LINED JEAN JACKET, SEMIAN TENDENCIES T SHIRT, MEN’S PENDLETON WOOL SHIRT, BRIXTON CAP

Clemon’s Boots CUSTOM MADE PINK COWBOY BOOTS WITH MUSICAL INSTRUMENT 439 SE MAIN, ROSEBURG

CC Brand Beanie with Pom & Ruggine Blanket Scarf POPPY LANE 713 NE STEPHENS, ROSEBURG

Clemon’s Boots CAP TOE MEN’S DRESS BOOTS

Men’s Seiko Watch

KNUDTSON’S JEWELERS

535 NE STEPHENS ST., ROSEBURG

Sonos One with Alexa GOOD VIBRATIONS

957 NE STEPHENS, ROSEBURG

Women’s Seiko Watch KNUDTSON’S JEWELERS

UV . WINTER 2018

New & Used Vinyl Records THE RECORD LOFT

957 NE STEPHENS, ROSEBURG

UMPQUA LIFE

Stainless Steel Flask & Grave before Shave

Safety Razor Kit DISTINGUISHED APES

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Comfort Zone Essential Scrub SIMPLY SARAH

713 NE STEPHENS, ROSEBURG

Coola Mineral Suncare Travel Kit ABOUT FACE & MORE

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Beauty RX RN MEDICAL AESTHETICS & WELLNESS

DEBBIE CASKEY, RN - CERTIFIED INJECTOR MEDICAL DIRECTOR - MARY HAGOOD, FNP-C 725 SE MAIN, STE C2, ROSEBURG

Page Editor Debi Ashley Photography by Nicole Galster TRUE GRIT

Metal Snowman DC FARMER’S CO-OP 3171 NE STEPHENS, ROSEBURG

Yeti Roadie Gift Craft Cowboy Boot Stockings

DC FARMER’S CO-OP

COASTAL FARM & RANCH

Gift Craft Christmas Truck Sign COASTAL FARM & RANCH 782 NE GARDEN VALLEY BLVD, ROSEBURG

Carhartt Stockings COASTAL FARM & RANCH

Carstens Inc Throw Blankets COASTAL FARM & RANCH

UV . WINTER 2018

UMPQUA LIFE

Mercy Foundation

Mercy Founation

541.677.4818 mercygiving.org

A Mission of Giving

The mission of Mercy Foundation is to enrich the health, well-being and quality of life for our most fragile families with sick children. A not-for-profit corporation, Mercy Foundation strives to identify and fill the unmet health care needs of Douglas County residents. Mercy Foundationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ability to help make stable, compassionate health care widely available in our community is dependent solely on the goodwill and support of individual citizens, businesses and other foundations. Please consider a gift today! Visit us at facebook.com/mercyfoundationroseburg

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National Peace of Mind Warranty honored by over 14,000 AutoCare locations when you travel. 24 month, 24,000 miles nationwide Free loaner cars ASE certified technicians using NAPA quality parts EasyPay consumer finance Preventive maintenance program Locally owned and operated

UV . WINTER 2018

UMPQUA LIFE

Photos by Tristin Godsey

FARMERS’ MARKET FINDS Every Saturday throughout the year, Umpqua Valley Farmers’ Market offers easy access to a bounty of food and products from local farms and vendors. Story by Jennifer Grafiada-Furbush

t was a picture-perfect day for a stroll through the Umpqua Valley Farmers’ Market. Sunny, 70-degree weather and peak harvest season all meant the stands were stocked full of fresh produce and handmade delights.

Soaps, honey, eggs, garlic braids and sunset-colored dahlias shared space with freshly baked bread and canned albacore from the Oregon coast. Add cold-brewed coffee, tamales, microgreens and other products and the offerings can seem limitless.

Established in 1994, the farmers’ market has made its Saturday home in various locations. Through most of the fall, home was the parking lot of First United Methodist Church on West Harvard Avenue in Roseburg, but vendors move indoors for the winter. Amanda Pastoria, who took over as market manager last April, often chats with vendors and shoppers she counts as friends. “The most rewarding thing about the market is the people,” she says. “Over time, you begin to develop relationships and friendships. You get to watch families grow and constantly meet new people. You know the farmers and foodies who feed you, and the artisans who provide you with unique, high-quality goods.” To stay current on market happenings, follow the Umpqua Valley Farmers’ Market on Facebook. Or simply, get down there with your basket or reusable bag and check it out. The whole family is welcome. We share some market highlights on the following pages.

TRUE GRIT

UMPQUA LIFE

UMPQUA VALLEY FARMERS’ MARKET

VENDOR SPOTLIGHTS

LOCAL FIXE, LLC “My desire to make pasta draws directly from my love of making things from scratch,” says Chris van Dyke, who offers freshly made, cut-to-order pastas weekly at the market. “We work with raw ingredients that are seasonal, minimally prepared and sourced locally.”

GROWING MIRACLES LAVENDER GARDEN After more than three decades in the corporate world, Keri Roid decided to fulfill a longtime dream to own a lavender farm. She moved from California back to her hometown of Roseburg and began leasing a few acres from an old friend who lived down the street from her as a child. The first plant went into the ground in June 2016; soon, she will be expanding her farm to a total of 3,000 lavender plants including Grosso, Maillette, Provence and Folgate. “Each variety has a unique look and fragrance,” Roid explains. “Grosso is great for dried buds and oil production. Provence and Folgate are perfect for culinary use.” It’s obvious Roid loves them all: “Have you ever stood in a large field of lavender? All of the senses are engaged. The sight of many hues of purple waving in a breeze; the relaxing aroma released when you brush against it with your legs or when you reach down and gently run your hands across the plants. I am intrigued by its many uses, its healing properties, its seemingly miraculous ability to aid with sleep and anxiety.” 22

UV . WINTER 2018

WHAT THEY OFFER • Fresh and dried bunches • Lotion, body wash, sprays, hand soap, bath bombs, bath salts, eye pillows, diffuser bracelets, culinary lavender and lavender essential oil • Lavender classes and U-pick lavender • Hazelnuts, raw and roasted (seasonally) WHERE TO FIND HER • Umpqua Valley Farmers’ Market • Coos Bay Farmers’ Market

His options include whole wheat, traditional and gluten-free, as well as options like tomato basil, spinach, butternut squash and beet greens (sourced when in season from local farms). His pastas are popular and frequently sell out by the end of the market day. To avoid being out of luck, message him on Facebook to reserve yours. WHAT THEY OFFER Made-from-scratch, hand-cut to order WHERE TO FIND THEM Umpqua Valley Farmers’ Market

• Bandon Farmers’ Market

WHERE ELSE TO WATCH

• By appointment at the farm, 508 Lower Garden Valley Road, Roseburg.

Chris plans to expand into sauces, marinades, spice blends and condiments; to provide a mid-week pick-up option; and to provide his products wholesale to local restaurants and retailers

WHERE ELSE TO WATCH Keep an eye on the Facebook page for future classes and events Garden club tours welcome 2018 Lavender Festival (second weekend in July) CONNECT GrowingMiraclesLavenderGarden.com 541-817-6111 keri@growingmiracleslavendergarden.com

CONNECT Facebook.com/LocalFixe

UMPQUA LIFE

OMGROWN FAMILY FARM “Omgrown was born out of my dream to become a wildcrafter and tea maker,” says Aimee White, who originally hails from the outer banks of North Carolina. She began her business in a motor home, wildcrafting herbs from the forested mountains surrounding her home in Winston. “I was passionate about preserving food cultures and began to explore tea-making, fermentation and culture related to food,” she says. “I started doing the Umpqua Valley Farmers’ Market to share my teas and meet new people. This has expanded to a wonderful community and family for my son and me.”

CABA AUTHENTIC ARGENTINE EMPANADAS “Empanadas are an icon in our culture,” says Gerardo De Fusco, who with his wife, Laura, started CABA Authentic Argentine Empanadas in April 2017. Gerardo worked in restaurants for more than 15 years in his native Argentina before moving to Southern Oregon in 2014. “Empanadas are a popular food in Argentina that are enjoyed at birthday parties, business meetings and get-togethers with friends,” Laura says. “The empanada recipe varies depending on which region of Argentina you are in. We carefully choose our ingredients that guarantee the quality of our product and the health of our customers. Whenever possible we buy organic, locally sourced ingredients and non-GMO. Our empanadas are baked, not fried, which is a much healthier option.”

WHAT THEY OFFER • Empanadas • Chimichurri • Alfajores • Catering & Events WHERE TO FIND THEM

White’s delicious kombuchas were a huge hit at the market and can be found at various retail establishments around town. She also offers fermented foods such as hot sauce and krauts, unfiltered vinegars, tisanes (healing herbal teas) and tinctures from wildcrafted herbs. “All of my products are of high quality, local, naturally grown ingredients. All are gluten-free, vegan, sustainable and small craft,” says White. “Fire cider is considered a health tonic and will be available in mid-November. Usnea is a natural antibiotic and bronchial stimulator and my most favorite allpurpose tincture.”

• Umpqua Valley Farmers’ Market • Canyonville Farmers’ Market • Forty Five Coffee, Jacksonville CONNECT

WHERE TO FIND THEM Umpqua Valley Farmers’ Market

541-631-9260 www.cabaempanadas.com

Kombucha is available at a variety of local businesses, including Harvest Store in Winston and Two Shy Brewing, Draper Draft House, Oran Mor Mead and Cascadian Coffee in Roseburg.

WHERE ELSE TO WATCH

HOW TO CONNECT

They hope to sell their products wholesale to local businesses and ask that any interested restaurants or retailers please contact them.

Facebook.com/omgrownfamilyfarm

info@cabaempanadas.com

TRUE GRIT

FOOD + WINE

THE WINE DOCTOR /

GOLD IN THE UMPQUA / COOKING MADE SIMPLE / BUBBLE UP!

Photos by Chris Pietsch

THE WINE DOCTOR It took a few years, a lot of elbow grease and the lionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s share of his free time over the last several years, but with the opening of Foon Winery cardiologist Howard Feldman can now add winemaker to his list of accomplishments. Story by Dick Baltus

UV . WINTER 2018

FOOD + WINE

Dr. Howard and Marjorie Feldman in front of the ornate entry gate he designed and fabricated.

he first time Dr. Howard Feldman laid eyes on the structure that now serves as the beautiful tasting room for his new winery, it was not a pretty sight. In fact, it was downright scary.

While many locals remember the old building (circa 1850) on Busenbark Lane that previously housed Champagne Creek Winery, and before that Callahan Ridge, those tenants were before Feldman’s time in the Umpqua Valley. So his first visit, not long after he arrived in these parts a decade ago, was unencumbered by any sense of nostalgia that may have softened his impression.

“It was like walking into a barn,” he remembers. “It looked like a haunted house. There were holes in the roof you could drop a cow through.” As Feldman continues his visual tour through the rundown building, his adjectives and metaphors get even more descriptive. But you get the idea — this was not the ideal foundation upon which to build a new winery from scratch. “I thought to myself, ‘Now here is an excellent opportunity to lose my shirt; I cannot pass this up,’” Feldman cracks. Anxious to share his discovery, he snapped a few photos, promptly sent them to his wife, Marjorie, a local artist, then eagerly awaited her response. “I think she may have threatened my life,” Feldman recalls, with a laugh. “I said, ‘No, no, this has a great feeling to it — the feeling of imminent bankruptcy.’” Years later, on an autumn Sunday morning, sitting at the large community table he built for his tasting room and with the formal opening of Foon Winery about an hour away, it’s easy for Feldman to laugh at the earliest memories of this venture. It has, after all, turned out to be pretty impressive.. The old barn that served as the Feldmans’ home while theirs was being built on the site is now a warm and inviting tasting room and includes a kitchen and gallery featuring the works of Marjorie (whose art also adorns the Foon labels) and others. If any barnyard beast ever occupied

this space, delivered through the roof or by other means, there is no evidence of it. Outside, a new covered entryway welcomes visitors inside, where they can taste a variety of Foon wines, including albarino, malbec, tempranillo and viognier. The whole thing takes on even more significance when it comes to light that Feldman had his hands in almost every aspect of the winery’s development. He did all the planning for the vineyard, all the spraying, mowing and trimming. He helps pick and crush grapes. Feldman is responsible for much of the woodwork in the tasting room. Besides the table, fashioned from beautiful native curly redwood, he made all the trim, the doors and the covered entryway. He designed and fabricated the ornate front gate and graded the road that leads from it to the tasting room. What else? Oh, the wine. Yeah, he makes that too. In what appears to be his spare time, Feldman is a renowned interventional cardiologist who this year celebrated a decade at the helm of Mercy’s Shaw Heart and Vascular Center. Since 2007, he has overseen the dramatic expansion of Mercy’s cardiology staff and capabilities. Under Feldman’s leadership, the center’s interventional cardiology program has dramatically changed the lives of hundreds of area patients whose risk of heart attack or limb amputation has been dramatically reduced, or eliminated altogether, by non-surgical procedures to restore blood flow through blocked vessels. A comprehensive electrophysiology program also has been established to diagnose and treat abnormal heart rhythms. Shaw Heart’s status on the national level has grown as well. It was the first program west of Texas to earn national Accreditation for Cardiovascular Excellence certification from the American College of Cardiology. An annual conference hosted by Feldman and Shaw Heart Center attracts to its faculty and educational sessions some of the world’s most respected cardiology authorities. TRUE GRIT

FOOD + WINE

John and Judy Waller Photography

It’s not the most predictable career path. It began in New York City, Boston and Los Angeles — where Feldman was educated and trained — and continues in the smaller community of Roseburg. It’s a long story how he got here, but the abridged version is he was good at starting heart programs; Mercy needed someone to do just that; and Feldman was ready to settle down with his family in a smaller community. “I had multiple opportunities to practice in large cities,” he says. “But the anonymity of practicing in a large metropolitan setting doesn’t come close to matching the reward of running into your patients in Sherm’s Thunderbird. I enjoy that sense of community.” Also, there’s not a lot of great wine coming out of downtown Los Angeles. Feldman was bitten by the winemaking bug while living in Sonoma County in the early ’80s, and the Umpqua Valley’s burgeoning wine scene made the opportunity Mercy was presenting all the more appealing. He started making and bottling wine in his new locale while still rehabbing buildings on the six-plus-acre property. Early on he learned the existing vineyard was planted with varietals that generally could not do well on the site and was without a trellis system. That required tearing out all the existing vines and replanting, but by 2011 Feldman and Foon had produced their first tempranillo. Those early bottles were, he says, searching for just the right word, then dragging it out far beyond the typical time required to expel two syllables, “Ghastly.” “It would be hard to imagine anything so dreadful,” he expounds. “It wasn’t fit for vinegar.” But, as a physician, Feldman is a lifelong learner. So he kept researching, consulting both published sources and local experts, like climate expert Greg Jones and winemaker Steve Reustle. “Many people in the local wine community were very helpful,” Feldman says. Before long, Feldman was producing bottles that didn’t require warning labels. “I’ll never forget having a dinner guest over in 2015 and opening a bottle of 2013 tempranillo. She actually smiled when she took a drink and described it as ‘lovely.’ That was the first wine that made me think maybe we could do this.” So do it he does. As with his professional endeavor, there is no end to the winemaking learning process. Just as no two heart patients ever recover in identical manners, grapes and winemaking present multiple, and sometimes unique challenges, Feldman says. “Every patient is different. You can take identical steps in their treatment, but some flourish more readily in your care than others. In the same way, all tempranillos are fermented the same way, but some ferment like crazy while others are a little slow. I have this recurring nightmare that I’m going to wind up with a ‘stuck’ fermentation and lose a lot of wine.”

(Top) Feldman has the same attention to detail in his winery business as he does caring for heart patients.

(Above) He designed and built the entry to Foon Winery.

Up to now, nothing has stuck. It took several years and a lot of hard work, but Foon Winery is open for business. And, 10 years after moving to town, Feldman is leading a state-of-the-art heart center that is widely recognized for the quality of care it provides local patients. Those are both occasions to celebrate, so grab a bottle and raise a glass. Pretty much everything from Foon will put a smile on your face except, apparently, a certain 2011 tempranillo.

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FOOD + WINE

Gold IN THE Umpqua If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re entertaining this holiday season and not sure what to serve, gourmet chef Nancy Rodriguez provides the following menu suggestions and recipes, pairing award-winning Umpqua Valley wines with each course. Story by Nancy Rodriguez

s we move through the seasons, the colors in the vineyards change from variegated greens to the vibrant hues of yellow at harvest and finally to the fallow vines that await the spring. In the Umpqua Valley, though, the golden glow is sustained by the award-winning wines that represent the region.

Just as the seasons range in color and character, so do the many varietals and styles of wines that have come to define the quality produced in this valley by winemakers with a vision.

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FOOD + WINE

A Menu for the Season Roasted Fennel Risotto with Rosemary Pesto Brandborg 2015 Riesling

Seared Scallops on Micro Greens with Saffron Aioli

Misty Oaks Vineyards 2016 Gerwurztraminer

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Hazelnut Romesco Girardet 2014 Sangiovese

Pecan Crusted Pork Tenderloin with Wine Reduction Reustle Prayer Rock 2015 Malbec

Chocolate Pot de Creme with Dulce de Leche Abacela 2013 Estate Port

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SEARED SCALLOPS WITH MICRO GREENS & SAFFRON AIOLI Ingredients • 1/8 t Saffron threads (a pinch) • 1/3 C Fresh orange juice • 1 t lemon zest • ½ C mayonnaise • 2 T unsalted butter • 2 T Olive Oil • 18 large scallops Sea salt • freshly ground black pepper

Directions • In a small sauce pan, add saffron to orange juice and zest. Bring to simmer, cook 1 minute until juice is infused with saffron. Cool. • Whisk mayonnaise into cooled saffron and juice infusion. Set aside. • Heat butter and olive oil in sauté pan. Gently place scallops into pan, sear for 2 to 3 minutes on each side until golden brown , turning once. Season with salt and pepper. • Plate on a bed of the micro greens, drizzle with saffron aioli sauce. Serve immediately. Serves six

Photo courtesy of Victoria Townsend - Dash of Savory

PECAN ENCRUSTED PORK TENDERLOIN WITH SHALLOT AND WINE REDUCTION Ingredients • 2 T unsalted butter

• 16 oz. dried figs

• 1/2 C dried bread crumbs

Directions • Preheat oven to 400 degrees. • Melt butter in sauté pan, add bread crumbs and chopped pecans. Sauté until golden brown. Remove from heat. • Dredge pork tenderloin in flour, whisked egg and pecan/bread crumb mixture. Place in roasting pan and roast in 400-degree oven for 45 to 55 minutes. • While pork tenderloin is roasting, add to sauté pan red wine, minced shallot and herbs, reduce by half. To the wine reduction, add 16 oz. sliced, dried figs and serve with pork tenderloin. • Remove pork tenderloin from oven, allow to rest before slicing, serve with wine reduction.

• 1 C chopped pecans • 2 T flour • 1 egg • 2 lbs pork tenderloin • 2 C red wine, Malbec • 1 shallot, minced • 1 T rosemary, thyme, finely chopped

Serves six 30

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CHOCOLATE POT DE CREME WITH DULCE DE LECHE

SWEET POTATO GNOCCHI WITH HAZELNUT ROMESCO

Ingredients

Directions • Heat oven to 325 degrees. • In small pan, slowly heat milk, half & half , almond extract to gentle simmer. • Melt chocolate on top of double boiler. In large bowl, combine eggs, cocoa powder and sugar. Gradually add egg mixture into chocolate, gently blending. • Pour mixture into individual ramekins. Place in baking dish filled with 2 inches of water, cover with foil. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove ramekins from water bath. Cool. Serve with Dulce de Leche.

Ingredients

• In sauce pan, combine milk, sugar and vanilla bean. Simmer until sugar is dissolved, add baking soda. • Reduce heat, cook for 1 hour, remove vanilla bean. Continue cooking until reduced to 1 cup and caramel in color.

• 1/2 lb. plum tomatoes, seeded and diced

• 1 C whole milk • 1 C half & half • 1 T almond extract • 1/2 C semi-sweet chocolate, chopped • 1/3 C dark chocolate cocoa powder • 6 eggs • 1/2 C white sugar

Dulce de Leche • 1 qt. whole milk • 1 1/2 C white sugar • 1 vanilla bean, split and seeded • 1/2 t baking soda

Serves six

• 3 medium-size sweet potatoes • 1 lb. gnocchi • 2 cloves garlic, minced • Olive oil • Salt • Freshly ground black pepper

Hazelnut Romesco • 1/4 C olive oil • 2 cloves garlic, minced • 2 red peppers, finely diced

• 1 C ground hazelnuts • 1/2 C red wine, Sangiovese

Directions • Peel and cut sweet potatoes into 1/4- inch cubes. Blanch in simmering water until tender. Remove. Reserve water for gnocchi. Cook gnocchi in simmering water for 5 minutes. Remove and combine with sweet potatoes. Sauté garlic in olive oil, drizzle over gnocchi and sweet potatoes, season with salt and black pepper. Keep warm. • In large sauté pan, combine minced garlic, diced red peppers and lightly sauté until peppers are soft. Add tomatoes and wine, simmer on low heat until reduced by half. Stir in hazelnuts and honey. Combine Romesco sauce with gnocchi and sweet potatoes. Garnish with Italian parsley. Serves six

• 1 T honey • Italian parsley, finely chopped

ROASTED FENNEL RISOTTO WITH ROSEMARY PESTO Ingredients • 2 bulbs roasted fennel • 1 shallot • 4 C chicken stock, heated • 6 T unsalted butter • 11/2 C Arborio rice • 1/4 C of white wine • 2/3 C Parmesan cheese, grated • 1 T Finely chopped rosemary • 1/4 C basil pesto

Directions • Cut fennel bulbs in half and thinly slice. Add olive oil, fennel and finely diced shallot to sauté pan. Slowly pan roast until translucent. • In heavy bottom pan, sauté Arborio rice in the butter. Add white wine. Slowly add heated chicken stock and stir continuously. Add more stock as it is absorbed. • As Arborio rice becomes creamy, add finely chopped rosemary and stir in pesto. Season with salt and pepper. • Finish with Parmesan cheese and fennel. Serve hot in individual bowls.

• Olive oil Serves six

Photo courtesy of Viviane Bauquet Farre - Food and Style

TRUE GRIT

FOOD + WINE

At Bubble Tea House, a local couple is introducing the Umpqua Valley to the unique Taiwanese bubble-filled beverage. Story by Cara Kobernik

teve and Micki Liu decided that they wanted to open something different in the Roseburg area. In the Bubble Tea House, they think they did.

“We wanted to wake up Roseburg,” says Micki. “There isn’t a legit Bubble Tea House like this from Portland to Sacramento.” The Lius opened the Bubble Tea House on West Harvard Avenue in late spring. They took over the space formerly occupied by the Gay 90’s Ice Cream Parlor & Delicatessen, which shuttered in late January after 42 years in business when Joy Easterly, the restaurant’s 78-year-old owner and operator, retired. The Lius took over the space and, according to Micki, did a complete remodel before reopening as the Bubble Tea House. While serving bubble tea, ice cream and chicken and vegetarian teriyaki is what brings in customers, the Lius said their primary goal is to provide a meeting place for students from Roseburg High and Fremont Middle School. “Sometimes the kids wait here for their parents to pick them up,” says Micki Liu. “They might get done with practice and can come here. It’s safe for them here and they never cause trouble. They get our wifi password for free so they can do their homework.” Bubble tea is a Taiwanese drink invented in the 1980s. The drink comes in a variety of flavors that include fruit juices, teas and lemonade along with “toppings” — popping pearls boba, a flavored jelly ball that provides a blast of juice when bitten into and requires the sipper to drink the beverage using a larger straw. “We cook the boba here every two hours,” Liu says. “You have to be very careful cooking it; I experimented with it a lot to get the timing down.” She says all of her beverages are made in-house to assure top quality. “It’s like a meal, especially if it has boba in it,” she says. “The smoothie is the most popular and somehow the kids always know what to pick that tastes the best.”

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Photos by Tristin Godsey

BUBBLE UP!

Diane Clerihue and a sampling of her creations.

COOKING MADE SIMPLE Whether catering or teaching about cooking, Diane Clerihue uses fresh ingredients, simple preparations and expert food-and-wine pairings to make memorable meals.

t’s easy to imagine an excellent Umpqua Valley wine served with a mouthwatering dinner — say, a tender steak and garlic mashed potatoes, paired with a good merlot. Or a lemon blueberry cake served with a sweet Riesling.

It’s equally a snap to make such a sumptuous repast a reality simply by walking into one of the Umpqua Valley restaurants offering delicious dining options. But whipping it up yourself in your own kitchen? Not so much. Enter Diane Clerihue. Clerihue, a Roseburg resident with a passion for creating great food and finding the perfect wine with which to pair it, is proprietor of Delish by Diane, a local in-demand catering company. But Clerihue goes beyond the preparation of a smoked salmon soufflé or stuffed risotto mushroom cakes. Her dedication extends to teaching local cooking classes aimed at helping would-be home chefs prepare restaurant-quality gourmet meals. Included are wine-tasting tutorials that help clients develop their own palates for finding and serving wines that best complement the food. Clerihue grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and was a frequent visitor to the nearby vineyards of Napa and Sonoma counties. It

Story by Autumn Gregory Photos by Christina Dahlstroem Medick

was in California that she began attending culinary classes in preparing four- and fivecourse meals and learning about which wines worked best with each course. When she arrived in Roseburg a decade ago, Clerihue saw the opportunity to create dining options typically available only in large cities. Co-owner of a winetour company, she started her food career catering lunches for tour guests. Delish by Diane grew out of those lunches. Clerihue focused on pairing food with wine and offering her cooking classes. She also hosts dining events featuring her own culinary creations, caters public and private events in the area, and often donates her services to fund-raisers for nonprofits benefiting children and animals. Delish by Diane keeps food preparation close to home by using locally sourced ingredients whenever possible. The cooking classes are rooted in the idea that delicious food need not be elaborate or complicated. Simple and fresh ingredients, with good wine pairings and artistic presentation, can make a meal memorable. The classes come in two varieties. Clerihue offers six-week sessions between September and May but also runs an intensive, one-day Saturday class that condenses the six-week course into a single session that focuses on

the highlights of the more comprehensive class — including food and wine pairings and full-meal preparation. The full, six-week course is designed for up to nine students in a session. It includes a beginners’ tutorial on wine-tasting, takehome guides for food-and-wine pairings and copies of recipes used in the class. With the small class size, Clerihue can help more adventurous students experiment with recipes. She has many repeat students, some of whom have been attending classes regularly for years. By helping students gain a new perspective on food preparation and providing a different take on the cooking experience, Clerihue keeps the classes as fresh as the ingredients. With Clerihue’s guidance, students become more comfortable experimenting with variations on recipes or creating something entirely new. Clerihue’s catering business serves such occasions as weddings, family reunions and corporate events. But she also does smaller events. Regardless of the event’s size, she prepares menus that appeal to all attendees, including vegetarian and vegan dishes. To learn more about Clerihue’s classes and catering services, email her at delishbydiane@gmail.com or search Facebook for “Delish by Diane.” TRUE GRIT

WHAT’S IN A NAME? / LOCAL HERSTORY / RESIDENT WORDSMITH

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

DOUGLAS COUNTY FACTS FOUNDED: Jan. 7, 1852 POPULATION: 108,457 (estimated) AREA: 5,134 square miles COUNTY SEAT: Roseburg

The short answer around here is “history.” This issue we start a new feature on the origins of the local names that are part of our daily lives. Story by Jim Hays Photography courtesy of Douglas County Museum

ouglas County is a place with a past. And, let’s be honest, a sometimes colorful past at that. That includes a creek named Steamboat that has never had one on its waters. And STEP Creek near the coast, whose name is an acronym. And Diamond Lake, whose name has nothing to do with either precious stones or the lake’s configuration. There’s a story behind nearly every named locale in Douglas County and UV aims to explain them all — or most of them — in short takes appearing in this and subsequent issues of the magazine. To those readers of a certain age, some of this material will be familiar, or at least “I remember once hearing about that.” But for others, it’s a chance to learn something new and interesting about the place we call home.

Douglas County Like counties in seven other states — Colorado, Georgia, Kansas, Missouri, Nevada, Washington and Wisconsin — our home territory was named for Stephen A. Douglas, a powerful U.S. senator from Illinois during the run-up to the Civil War. Known as the “Little Giant” because of his diminutive 5-foot-4 stature, Douglas was a big booster of statehood for Oregon, but was perhaps best known for getting second billing in the famous LincolnDouglas debates against the guy on the $5 bill. He also lost to Lincoln — and two other candidates — in the 1860 presidential election and died at age 48 just seven months later, a few weeks after the shooting war started.

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According to multiple sources, the county was in 1852 carved out of the eastern part of Umpqua County, which itself had been created by the Oregon Territorial Legislature a year earlier. Another chunk of Umpqua County was absorbed by Coos County in late 1853, and the remaining land was merged with Douglas County nine years after that. Accounts differ as to whether the demise of Umpqua County was caused by population decline or simply partisan politics.

Roseburg The seat of Douglas County government, Roseburg is the largest of the county’s 12 incorporated cities, with an estimated population of more than 22,000. The site was settled in 1851 by Aaron Rose, a recent arrival from Michigan. Rose established a homestead in September of that year, and his first building on the site was reportedly a rough-hewn roadside inn and tavern. Rose would build a more conventional hotel in 1853 and became a well-known figure in Southern Oregon before his death in 1899 at age 85. Rose’s homestead site was at the confluence of the South Umpqua River and Deer Creek. The town that started to develop there was first named Deer Creek, and a post office by that name was established in 1852. Two years later, Douglas County voters chose the town over Winchester as county seat and Rose donated three acres and $1,000 to build a county courthouse. According to Oregon Geographic Names, the name of the post office was changed in 1857 to Roseburgh (note the ‘h’) in honor of literal first citizen Rose and his German heritage. At the time, the town boasted some 800 residents. Over time, however, locals shortened the spelling, dropping the last character. By 1894, the town’s population had nearly doubled and the post office was officially renamed Roseburg .

CULTURE

ROSEBURG FACTS FOUNDED: 1851 INCORPORATED: 1872 ELEVATION: 528 feet POPULATION: 22,114 (estimated) AREA: 10.2 square miles

Above: Roseburg founder Aaron Rose (third from left) poses with friends outside the Resort Saloon and Roseleaf Cigar store around 1890. Both establishments were located on the west side of Jackson Street between Oak and Washington. Left: Aaron Rose, founder of Roseburg.

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Photos by Robin Loznak

LOCAL HERSTORY A Roseburg optometrist’s family ties reach all the way back to pioneer days. Story by Jim Hays

onnie Gauer wasn’t born in Roseburg, but that’s about the only thing about her that doesn’t have a deep connection with the Umpqua Valley and Douglas County.

How deep? All the way back to the days when Oregon was a brand-new state and the modern boundaries of Douglas County had just been settled. When kids attended school in log cabins and city namesake Aaron Rose’s hotel was the social center of town.

Gauer is a descendant of George Jewell Callahan, one of the county’s pioneer ranchers. The Callahan Ranch near Melrose is home to Gauer and her husband, Larry, and their daughter, Gilli. Gauer herself was born in Coos Bay, but attended primary, middle and high school in Roseburg, is an alumna of the University of Oregon, was a teacher and coach for 10 years at Joseph Lane Middle School and today is an optometrist and owner of Umpqua Optical Labs, near Mercy Medical Center in Roseburg. Larry Gauer, a master mechanic, is the longtime head of fleet maintenance for Douglas County Fire District 2. Gilli, 20, is a sophomore at Pacific University in Forest Grove. The Gauers’ spread is a “century” ranch, part of an Oregon Farm Bureau program to honor farms and ranches in the state that have been worked by members of one family for at least 100 years. The designation has been extended to nearly 1,200 properties in the

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state. The Gauers have horses, run about 100 head of cattle on their ranch, sell fresh fruit and vegetables at local farmers’ markets and also have on their property one of the state’s few remaining coal mines (see sidebar). The Callahan name is a permanent part of the Umpqua Valley. The name has been given to a creek, a road and a mountainous area west of Melrose. All were part of a trail the Callahans used in the 19th century to drive their cattle to Coos Bay. George Callahan arrived in the Umpqua Valley in 1864 at age 36 from Arkansas to take over a land grant he had acquired in a trade. It was his second trip to the Pacific coast. During the California gold rush, Callahan had been a young college student who joined a group that went west in an unsuccessful effort at prospecting. On his arrival in Oregon with his wife and children, Callahan was reunited with Thomas Brown, a classmate when both were students at the University of Missouri. Brown was working his land claim near the Umpqua Forks, which later became known as the Curry Ranch. The two families would become intertwined. Gauer, born Bonnie Brown, is kin to the Callahans through her great-grandfather, who married Mary Callahan, one of 11 children of George Callahan. Gauer’s grandfather, Clarence Brown, became a dentist in Coos Bay and his son, Clarence Jr. — Gauer’s father, nicknamed “Sonny” — spent much time as a child at the Callahan ranch as therapy for childhood asthma, under the care of Nannie Callahan Dunn, another of George Callahan’s daughters. Nannie had taken took over the ranch at age 25 after her father’s death in 1897. She married Frank Dunn in 1917. When she died childless in 1952, she left the ranch to Sonny. “Nan was a lady to admire,” Gauer says. “If there was something she thought she could do for the community, she got involved. And she did everything. She ran the ranch by herself for nearly 20 years. She was a pioneer woman with that kind of spirit.” Gauer isn’t without that same can-do spirit. After graduating from the University of Oregon with an English degree and earning teaching certifications, she returned to her hometown and joined the faculty at JoLane, where she also coached track and volleyball. When Measure 5, the property tax limitation initiative approved by voters in 1990, cut deeply into school district budgets and left Gauer looking for another way to make a living, she went back to school. This time, it was to Pacific University, where she earned a master’s in optometry, which opened up a new career for her. Why optometry? “I was going to go back to my original plan of premed in college, but it was a question of how much more education I was going to have to do,” she says. It was then, in the early 1990s, that she came to be mentored by William Allen, a longtime Roseburg optometrist and husband of

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COAL MINERS’ FODDER Story by Jim Hays

o say the least, Oregon is not a state synonymous with coal mining. Indeed, although the state’s modest coal reserves are duly noted on official maps of U.S. natural resources, the federal agency that keeps track of such things lists not a single coal mine operating in any of the state’s 36 counties. Yet the mine on the original Callahan property outside Roseburg was hardly unique in 19thcentury Oregon. The Beaver State has been home to a number of coal-mining operations since the 1850s, primarily in Coos County, but also in Douglas County and other, more-remote state locales.

Optometrist Bonnie Gauer with a friend on her family’s property.

Lois Allen, then the city’s mayor. “I knew Dr. Allen growing up,” Gauer recalls. “A woman at Melrose Church told him I was looking at going back to school. Dr. Allen asked to me to come down and see what he does. He was looking to retire in five or six years and wanted someone to take over his practice.” Gauer hadn’t considered optometry as a career, but under Allen’s tutelage, it started to feel like a good fit. Allen started sending Gauer books on optometry and when he died — during Gauer’s first year at Pacific — Allen’s wife gave Gauer his collection on optometry. She graduated from Pacific in 1993, did residencies at veterans hospitals and military bases and worked for specialists in Seattle and Eugene, all the while earning additional professional certifications and maintaining her home in the Roseburg area. She became one of five Oregon optometrists to achieve “diplomate” status with the American Board of Optometry, is an adjunct professor at Pacific and served a term as president of the Oregon Optometric Association.

Coal production soon far exceeded demand in what then was a sparsely populated region, and the bulk of the area’s sub-bituminous B and C highvolatile variety was first delivered to coal depots on Coos Bay, then transferred to freighters bound for San Francisco and other points in California. By 1904, Oregon coal production peaked at 112,000 tons for the calendar year, according to the 1955 edition of Coal Resources in Oregon, a publication of the U.S. Geological Survey. Almost all of the coal — 99.6 percent — came from the Coos Bay Field, a 250-square-mile tract and the state’s largest known deposit. Douglas County mines were in the Lookingglass and Camas Valley areas and also on the Little River east of Roseburg.

In 2013, she opened her own practice in Roseburg, not only offering eye examinations and prescriptions but also grinding lenses and making glasses and contacts for her own patients and others. Umpqua Optical Labs has six employees in its “little brown building” near Mercy.

However, when California began producing significant amounts of oil and natural gas in the early 20th century the market for Oregon coal declined sharply. The same USGS circular reports that at the time of its publication, Oregon coal production had plunged to less than 1 percent of its peak a half-century earlier.

“Vision is so important for people,” Gauer says. “When you can help someone see better, or fit them with glasses for the first time, it really opens the whole world to them. It’s life-changing for them — and for me, too.”

In its October 2017 quarterly report, the U.S. Department of Energy — which tracks the nation’s coal mining — listed no active operations in Oregon.

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The Umpqua Valleys are Beautiful in the Winter KOBERNIK FAMILY DENTAL

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Peer back in time... at the Umpqua Valleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Museums

Creating smiles

TO SHINE for a lifetime!

Umpqua River Lighthouse & Coastal History Museum 1020 Lighthouse Road, Winchester Bay 541-271-4631 Douglas County Museum 123 Museum Drive, Roseburg 541-957-7007

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Colliding Rivers Exploration Station 18782 North Umppqua Hwy, Glide 541-496-0157

www.umpquavalleymuseums.org

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Photos by Thomas Boyd 40

UV . WINTER 2018

RESIDENT WORDSMITH

CULTURE

Diane Goeres-Gardner authored six books from her home on the Umpqua River, including a pictorial history of Roseburg and a chronicle of 19th-century Oregon hangings. Story by Jim Hays

iane Goeres-Gardner is holding her own.

The 22-year resident of Douglas County is a prize-winning poet, an educator, a writer, a regional historian and a popular speaker who has frequently been invited to address civic and historical groups around Oregon.

From the home she shares with her husband Mike on the Umpqua River between Sutherlin and Elkton — and armed with knowledge gained from research field trips to every corner of the state — Goeres-Gardner has authored six books on Oregon’s past, including a pictorial history of Roseburg, published in 2010. In the process, she has often been the first to delve deeply into little known, yet significant, episodes in what former Gov. Tom McCall once termed “The Oregon Story.” Goeres-Gardner’s books are distinguished by thorough research and fact checking, as well as her particular knack for discovering rich, telling details that animate stories and characters that might otherwise stay hidden in seldom-read archives.

Goeres-Gardner is a fifth-generation Oregonian, whose ancestors arrived in Tillamook County in 1852. She was raised there, got her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Oregon and taught middle school and high school in Newberg and Portland. In Eugene, she was offered a chance to work with UO professor and award-winning poet Ralph Salisbury. “He asked me if I wanted to do some writing with him on a one-to-one basis,” she says. The collaboration helped Goeres-Gardner become an award-winning poet in her own right. Her narrative work Racing the Antelope was awarded first prize in the 2002 Oregon Poetry Contest. “I truly believe if you can write poetry well, you have the background to write just about anything else,” she says. Her husband, now retired, worked for the Oregon Department of Transportation, which is how they ended up living in Douglas County. Mike Gardner had worked at several ODOT offices when he was transferred to Roseburg to take charge of the office there.

But since the 2014 publication of her most recent chronicle, “Mike loved the area and decided that was where he wanted a history of the Oregon State Penitentiary, Goeres-Gardner, to retire,” Goeres-Gardner says. “I was ready to give up 68, has been forced to abandon, at least temporarily, her teaching by then and we moved there in 1995.” writing career as she tries to make much more personal The couple bought their property on the Umpqua River and history — remaining a cancer survivor. built a home for themselves. It was from there that GoeresIn May 2015, Goeres-Gardner was diagnosed with Gardner, who had long had ambitions of becoming a fullbreast cancer and began extensive chemo and radiation time writer, began seeking ideas for books. therapy, as well as surgeries. It was during one of the latter procedures last February that doctors discovered the Three years of research and writing later, she finished her debut, Necktie Parties, a case-by-case chronicle of legal cancer had spread to her lungs. hangings in Oregon between 1851 and 1905. Caxton Press, The latest setback forced Goeres-Gardner to leave her home an Idaho-based publisher of Western history, released the on the Umpqua — which she and Mike still own — and move book in 2005. to Eugene, where she is closer to her youngest daughter, Laurie, a psychologist who works at the Oregon State “When people meet me, a question they always ask is ‘How do Hospital’s Junction City campus, and Reya, her 10-year- you write about something so macabre?’” she says. old granddaughter. The couple’s older daughter, Nicolle, The answer can be traced to the University of Oregon Library, works for the City of Portland. where Goeres-Gardner was doing some research on her own family’s history.

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“I was looking at old newspapers on Goeres-Gardner was able to put the book together after a summer file there and kept coming across in which “I lived in the basement of the museum,” looking at historic articles about hangings in Oregon,” photos and determining which would make the cut for the book. she says. “I had never heard of “It’s not just a bunch of photos slapped on pages,” she says. “I try to such a thing.” group them to get continuity and establish a flow for the reader.” Goeres-Gardner started digging The problem for Goeres-Gardner wasn’t finding material for in earnest, visiting courthouses the book, but culling the museum’s trove of vintage photos to a and county archives around the manageable number, then obtaining caption information that she state, reading century-old crime could verify. reports and whatever trial transcripts and summaries “I had an idea of what I wanted to do,” she says. “My choices ended up being the photos in which I could identify the most people.” she could find. Some photos had names written on the back. But in many cases that was less than helpful. Women were often identified She was also aided by by their husband’s name. To get their own first names, Goeresreading A Tortured Gardner dug into the county’s marriage records, birth records, History, a seminal legal death records, published obituaries, property records and analysis of Oregon’s census reports. death penalty law

by noted attorney and law professor William R. Long. Goeres-Gardner found the book helpful, but much different from the book she wanted to write.

Goeres-Gardner has also written two books on the Oregon State Hospital, one an Arcadia publication, the other published by History Press and both released in 2013. The latter book, titled Inside the Oregon State Hospital: A History of Tragedy and Triumph, tells the story of the Northwest’s oldest mental hospital and a parallel account of the evolution of treatment.

“I wanted to tell the stories of the people involved,” she says. “Who were they? What were their backgrounds?”

Her most-recent work, the 2014 Oregon State Penitentiary, another Arcadia publication, was co-authored with Salem historian John Ritter.

Goeres-Gardner enjoyed the process. “I wrote lots of letters, made lots of phone calls,” she says. “It was a pleasure to meet all these people who are also interested in preserving Oregon’s history and were so willing to help.”

“I couldn’t have written the book without (Ritter),” she says. “I was kind of flailing around to get photos for it and I happened to meet him. He helped me find photos and identify things in them.”

To fact-check her own work, Goeres-Gardner sent a copy of her manuscript to Long, who wrote back that he found no errors and volunteered to write a back-cover endorsement of the book.

Homebound by her health issues and using oxygen, GoeresGardner has put her writing career on hold. But that doesn’t mean she’s not thinking about it. She has a prospective seventh book in mind, this one on an epidemic of familicides in Oregon during the early part of the 20th century.

Research for her first book led to her second, Murder, Morality and Madness, which details the fate of female murderers in Oregon’s penal system. Oregon has never executed a woman, and for “I would love to write it, or find someone to write it,” she says. “I have file boxes full of research I’ve already done.” decades had no prison for women. Instead, after their conviction by juries that were exclusively male, women were housed in allmale prisons and often exposed to brutal conditions. Goeres-Gardner’s Roseburg book was an installment in Arcadia Publishing’s Images of America series — soft-cover volumes of vintage photographs arranged and captioned to tell the story of a particular city or area of the country. A similar book on Sutherlin was published in 2011.

Books by Diane Goeres-Gardner

Compiled in collaboration with the Douglas County Museum, the Roseburg book was a different kind of assignment for Goeres-Gardner.

Roseburg (Images of America),

“Arcadia was looking for authors to do books on the West,” she recalls. “A friend of mine had done a book in California for them and thought it was a positive experience. I contacted them and got a contract.”

Necktie Parties, Caxton Press, 2005 Murder, Morality and Madness, Caxton Press, 2009

(with Douglas County Museum), Arcadia Publishing, 2010 Oregon Asylum (Images of America), Arcadia Publishing, 2013 Inside Oregon State Hospital, History Press, 2013 Oregon State Penitentiary (Images of America), (with John Ritter), Arcadia Publishing, 2014

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CULTURE

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Photos by Thomas Boyd

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Motorcycle mechanic Ed Halkyard may look the part of an old master, but his knowledge and skills are state-of-the-art. Story by Brandon Johns

n antique Harley engine bolted to a post and a weathered chopper front end converted into a mailbox guide you into the driveway.

A glimpse at the hand-painted sign in the yard lets you know that you have arrived at Fast Eddie’s Dixonville Cycle, home to Douglas County’s Harley-Davidson custom and restoration specialist.

The jingle of the bell on the door announces your arrival as you enter one of the last mom-and-pop motorcycle shops around, a rare place where you can take a step back in time before old-school Harley repair shops became mostly extinct. An antique cash register, still ringing up sales, sits on the front counter. Parts ranging from new in the box to the rare and antique line the walls and fill the shelves. If a needed item is not in stock, it can be found the old fashioned way — by thumbing through a parts catalog.

TRUE GRIT

EARLY ON, MOTORCYCLES EMERGED AS THE FRAMEWORK AROUND WHICH MUCH OF THE REST OF HALKYARD’S LIFE WOULD BE WRAPPED.

A peek into the mechanic’s area reveals a variety of motorcycles with their gleaming chrome and polished aluminum, glossy paint with gold leaf, dull sand-cast aluminum and shiny brass. The scent of gasoline and leather, tires and oil drift about. The sound of classic rock tunes sets the mood. A metal lathe from the 1920s is still spinning and machining a custom part. The vintage valvehoning machine, built before there were even model numbers, dutifully performs its job. SnapOn wrenches from the 1940s are still turning bolts. Here, in the midst of this functional homage to an earlier day, you will find another throwback hard at work. Master mechanic Ed Halkyard could be plying his trade rebuilding an 80-year-old Harley motor, fitting some chrome pipes on a modern bike or performing a routine maintenance. More than 40-plus years of experience has armed Halkyard with the skills and know-how to solve almost any problem with any motorcycle, be it a newer Harley or an old Indian.

It’s easily noticed that everything has its place at Fast Eddie’s. It’s not a huge facility, so no space is wasted. Old and specialty tools hang on the walls. Rows of manuals sit on shelves, tattered and oil-stained from years of dedicated use. Halkyard still routinely pulls out a repair manual, even if he has done a job countless times, just so no detail has a chance of being overlooked “It’s important to take the time to do the job right every time,” he says. Wall space not occupied by tools or parts sports an antique sign, weathered poster or motorcycle curiosity. The back wall has become a memorial to friends who have passed — Tripper’s old Levi vest, Guyron’s custom license plate, Alan’s plaque. Born and raised in San Francisco, Halkyard grew up around motorcycles. His parents rode because it was cheap transportation. They would motor around San Francisco and surrounding towns to skate in roller derby tournaments, a popular pastime in the ’50s and ’60s.

At any given time, Halkyard’s vintage shop houses several bikes, perched on lifts and being worked on, and others tucked away awaiting parts. The phone rings often, and when it does Ed will drop what he is doing to grab a catalog and look up a part or dispense some needed advice.

In the ’30s and ’40s, Halkyard’s father was a parts runner for Dudley Perkins, one of the country’s oldest Harley dealerships. Halkyard also remembers being babysat by champion dirt track racers. Early on, motorcycles emerged as the framework around which much of the rest of his life would be wrapped.

There is something unique about all of them,” says Halkyard.

Whether fixing a car or a motorcycle, Halkyard has natural mechanical skills that he was always

Halkyard considers his customers his friends, As a young man, Halkyard was working in San and that philosophy gives his shop a welcoming Mateo, raising money to head to Alaska, when a feel. When Halkyard introduces people, shortly friend told him about some property in Oregon after providing their name, he recites the type of he owned and invited him to stay there any bike they ride. He keeps a large mental rolodex of time he needed. everyone’s motorcycle and remembers pertinent “It sounded like an adventure,” Halkyard says. “So facts about them. I headed north to a small town called Glide to stay “Bikes sort of have a personality, like people. for a short spell. That was 1973.”

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able to fall back on when other jobs didn’t work out. Eventually, those abilities landed him a job at Harley-Davidson of Douglas County, which gave him the additional training he needed to become a professional motorcycle mechanic. Years later, in 1991, he opened the shop he still occupies. Dixonville Cycle is the only shop in the area that has stood the test of time. Back in the day, there was a dealership in Roseburg for almost every major motorcycle brand. Today, there are none. Halkyard, who has never advertised his business, attributes his success to a loyal client base. “I’m grateful for the support all these years; I’m truly a lucky guy to have such great customers,” he says. Those customers are welcome to visit the shop to check on their bike’s progress. He often uses those moments to teach folks something about their ride. Customers may even be handed an antique, oddball tool and asked to speculate as to its use. Halkyard, who calls himself a “motorcycle enthusiast” instead of a biker, takes great pleasure in teaching. Years ago, he and best friend LeRoy Hecker, who gave him the nickname Fast Eddie, were the first traveling motorcycle safety instructors in Oregon. Halkyard obtained a teaching certificate from Oregon State University, then spent four years riding around the state teaching safe riding practices and skills. “We called ourselves Fast Eddie and Funky LeRoy’s Traveling Roadside Circus and Motorcycle Safety Review,” Halkyard says with a laugh. By applying what he taught, Halkyard has never had a serious accident while racking up countless motorcycle miles over the years. He shares that he has clipped a few deer, but escaped with nothing more than a banged-up foot. After owning and riding all kinds of bikes, including several Triumphs and the occasional Yamaha, Halkyard settled on Harleys in the ’70s. “I stuck with Harleys over Triumphs because less parts fell off them,” he says with a grin. Halkyard is particularly fond of the Knucklehead model, named after the knuckle shape of the motor’s rocker boxes. He currently owns a 1938 with sidecar and a 1947 classic bobber style, both of which he meticulously restored. He is particularly proud of his ’47 Knucklehead bobber. It took more than 10 years of collecting parts or fabricating one-offs, then designing and hand-building the frame. Halkyard says people are often curious about the flappers on the bobber’s upswept exhaust, something normally found on an old tractor. “I tell folks it’s been Oregonized; those flappers keep the rain out of my exhaust pipes,” Halkyard explains. Since he rides yearround, rain or shine, they’re a necessity.

Halkyard says his most challenging job was the detailed restoration of a rare 1933 Harley factory racer. The bike was one of five ever built. The work took five years of research, followed by Halkyard having to locate or hand-make periodcorrect parts before the restoration could begin. These classic motorcycles are now starting to be seen as working art. The Guggenheim Museum hosted an exhibit called the Art of the Motorcycle, featuring 114 bikes, including 14 classic Harleys with three Knuckleheads. Halkyard believes in keeping the old iron on the road, saying bikes are part of American history and heritage. “What better way for folks to see a classic motorcycle than to have it motoring down their street?” he asks. He also relishes finding rare relics and curios. One example is a photo from the 1920s of the original Roseburg Harley shop. Halkyard says he was lucky enough to have met one of the mechanics in the photo. The old-timer spoke fondly of the drag races they used to have down Jackson Street and the hill-climb competitions they would hold on Rose Mountain. Back in the day, Halkyard says, people rode because motorcycles were cheap transportation and provided a real sense of freedom. When you took a trip, there were no cell phones, laptops or GPS. “You just had your bike, a few tools, a bedroll if you were lucky, and maybe a minor change of clothes. All strapped to the sissy bar,” Halkyard says. “Now, despite all the modern-day conveniences, being on your bike out on the road still provides a genuine sense of being free.” “When living this type of life, you make some good friends along the way that tend to be loyal and willing to help when you are in need.” Halkyard says he is proud to have raised his kids in his adopted lifestyle. “You will get some interesting looks, though, when dropping your kid off to school, riding a classic Harley with your youngster in the sidecar,” he says with a smile. The passing of time has brought an untold variety of motorcycles through the shop doors of Dixonville Cycle. Bikes continue to change as the years drift by, and the techniques needed to work on them must evolve as well. With that in mind, Halkyard continues to learn new skills and tackle fresh challenges. Like his old Knucklehead, Halyard has remained steadfast and dependable and made Dixonville Cycle a Roseburg institution. So every workday morning, just as he has for over the past 25 years, Halkyard unfurls the U.S. flag into the breeze, sets it in position at the front of his shop and flips the door sign to Open. Then he’s ready for another day devoted to keeping the iron on the road.

TRUE GRIT

Photos by Robin Loznak

To spend a little time â&#x20AC;&#x201D; or a lot â&#x20AC;&#x201D; at the Oakland Tavern is to get a colorful slice of the character, and characters, of Douglas County. Pull up a chair, grab a tall, cold brew and one of the best sandwiches around, and enjoy the scene. 50

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Story by David Shroyer

n a rustic corner at the entryway of one of Douglas County’s most picturesque main streets sits a twostory, redbrick-and-wood building. Outside, it is a relatively nondescript structure from another time. Inside, however, it’s another story. And another. And thousands of others. To step into this old-school roadhouse is to be immediately immersed in years of emotional effervescence and ages of love and laughter, not to mention wooden barrels of salted peanuts, lotto games, a pool table, cold beers and simplistically delicious sandwiches. This is the Oakland Tavern, aka, “The O.T.,” established in 1898 and one of the most historic establishments in uber-historic Oakland, and this is my destination on a perfect fall Sunday afternoon. Fueled by visions of a great sandwich and a cold beer, I make the 17-mile drive north from Roseburg along old Highway 99, winding around corners, weaving in and out of sunbeams blasting through the thick, lush canopy overhead. As I emerge from the woods, bright reds and yellows and hazelnut browns illuminate the old town of Oakland. The autumn foliage melts into the aged, copper-colored, brick skyline of this village of fewer than 900. Shops line the wide strip of pavement, ominously named Locust Street, that cuts through town. Antiques. Café. Winery. Tavern! I push through the old farmhouse screen doors and they clank none-too-subtly behind me, announcing my arrival, like a parched trail hand stumbling through saloon doors after a long day’s ride. A harmonious hum of energy ripples through the submarine tube of a bar, and the accepting eyes of the patrons look up, quietly welcoming the newcomer.

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SITTING AT THE BAR, ONE CAN GAZE AT THE SCORES OF THREE-INCH SQUARE GRIDS GOUGED IN THE WOOD SURFACE WITH BAR PATRON NAMES AND YEARS AND PROMISES — A LOVER’S CARVING TREE, A ROAD MAP TO THE PAST, PERSONAL MESSAGES AND ADVERTISEMENTS

Jovial folks — old and young, sipping, chewing, cackling, jiving and jostling — cast peanut shells indifferently on the floor. Faded and gnarled license plates decorate the walls. PBR and Budweiser signs hang suggestively. Lotto slots beep and whistle. Football games blink and flash on flat screens behind the long, sweeping bar. Balls are lofted. Referees signal scores that are met with groans, cheers, gasps and guffaws. Derisive celebrations and obligatory excuses follow. Another Sunday afternoon breakdown at the O.T. All the “of-age” generations come here to share their stories, their futures and pasts, celebrate insanely tasty sandwiches and enjoy cold and frothy beverages delivered by attentive and friendly tavern staff. The seasoned bartender Derrick speaks of infusions, recipes and bartalk grandeur. He eases folks into comfort, handing out drinks and menu slips, upon which the hungry customer can simply check-mark whichever of the 15 various sandwiches sounds most appealing on any particular day. Another check for chips or coleslaw, pickles and peppers, and so on. All on your time, at your leisure. On this day I’m deciding between The JR Club, “A toasted roll with crispy pepperoni, turkey, ham, tomato, lettuce, mayo and melted pepper jack cheese;” the Buffalo Bill, “Buffalo chicken, Frank’s Red Hot sauce, diced pepperoncinis, olives, blue cheese dressing and blue cheese crumbles;” and the famed O.T. Grinder, “A toasted sandwich with olive oil and Italian seasoning, ham, salami, pepperoni, tomato, green pepper, onion, melted provolone and red wine vinegar.” I mull the options for a bit and let a couple sips of beer help distill my thoughts. The O.T. Grinder it is. A few short minutes and a half-pint of lager pass before the sandwich shows up. A thin sheen of oil coats the bun, and melted provolone sprawls out and onto the plate. A side of kettle-style chips sits idly by, waiting to be pilfered. It’s love at first bite. Citrus notes explode. Oily, fresh and savory. The

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1. Glide residents Marilyn and Glenn Wentz enjoy beverages and bottomless peanuts. 2. People travel for miles for one of the O.T.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s famous sandwiches. 3. A couple enjoy a game of pool. 4. The O.T. is the kind of welcoming neighborhood bar that

draws customers from all over Douglas County and beyond.

TRUE GRIT

cheese is at optimum temperature, warm but not too hot to completely devour. Short work is made of this fine craft sandwich, and my day continues.

is here from San Francisco to help his aunt and uncle on their farm. He and his pal talk about work, weekends, women and whisky.

A seat at the bar affords the visitor the opportunity to gaze at the scores of three-inch-square grids gouged in the wood surface, committing to O.T. history patron names, years and promises — a lover’s carving tree, a road map to the past, personal messages and advertisements: “Here starts the life of Roberta and Rod 8-28-82, a 50-year commitment.” “Killburn Wood Products, Ronce, Alvin, John.” “Danny loves Loretta” features a cartoonish arrow splitting the two names.

A disgruntled Seahawks fan shouts something disparaging about Aaron Rodgers, and receives mixed responses from the crowd. In a state generally owned by the Seahawks, the Green Bay Packers have an unusually strong fan base here at the O.T.

Then there are your tragically short-lived squares: “Butch and (scratched-out name).” Even some motorcycle outlaws have left their marks on this hardwood diary: “Outsiders — Portland, Oregon.” “Outsiders, Central Oregon.” “Hells Angels Oakland, California: Sonny, Irish, Marvin, Deacon, Big Al, John, 84.” The square just below, adorned with a double lighting bolt insignia, links in love “Sonny and Sharron,” as in Sonny Barger, former president of the Hells Angels from California’s version of Oakland. Robert, a 60-something denim-and-leather-clad man with a gray billy-goat beard and salt-and-pepper buzz-cut, is here for a break from his solo motorcycle cruise. He talks about his grandchildren, the senselessness of the recent Las Vegas shooting, and the small patch of real estate, and piece of history, he owns on this storied bar top. Robert tells me that he and his cousin Dave got together on one of their decade-or-so reunions and scrawled on the bar an outline of an open-ended wrench (an homage to a gift he had received) surrounding the bar’s name and location. Below the wrench they carved, “Callie Graham 1900-1981 — taught us to fish — 9-26-1984.” This old roadhouse has life. It seems to breathe in and out. Its sounds and stories bounce around it like Roman candles. A lone, 20-something redhead with neck tattoos hones his pool skills alone until he is joined by a local, also in his 20s, wearing a trucker hat, Wranglers and Nikes. The ginger

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The off-duty bartender, Jenna, a former professional boxer from Florida, jokingly flexes a bicep for some of the regulars, while her friend, fresh from Florida and just a few weeks into the Oakland Tavern scene, cooks up concoctions on the open micro-kitchen grill next to the bar. Kelly, another bartender, also is off duty, but she dutifully makes her rounds anyway, chatting up and checking in with guests, making sure all are, and all is, good at the O.T. Though they are out of sight on this Sunday, there are many other characters behind the scenes, all of whom contribute to the heart and soul and special flavor of this archaic establishment. Now on maternity leave, bar manager Jen is talked about in an almost ghost-like manner, with staff mentioning her comings and goings before the bar opens, making sure her fine-tuned crew has all the tools to keep this legacy tavern humming along. And there’s Jeff — “Fro” they call him — the brains and grit and finesse behind those sandwiches. And Rick, the owner of the establishment, the guy who puts competent people in positions and entrusts them to do their jobs well. There’s no micromanaging at the Oakland Tavern, they say. It’s not needed. The scene continues to unfold and evolve, as newcomers come and the day’s earlier visitors go. Bartenders switch shifts, and the dance continues. Outside, the sun has turned a deeper shade of red, a sign it may be time for me to leave lest I become a permanent fixture. There are, of course, much worse places one could wind up permanently than here. But there will be other days and other visits. And every visit to the Oakland Tavern is a trip.

TRUE GRIT

Photos by Thomas Boyd

UV . WINTER 2018

We sat down with the legendary longtime proprietor of Chuck’s Texaco in Roseburg and played our version of 20 questions. Story by Brad Allen

his green leafy goblet of the Umpqua Valley grows everything. Grapes fatten and burst out to make our rich wines. Green hop vines climb 12-foot trellises wafting backyards with the lemon-piney fragrances of IPA. Figs, fruits, vegetables and berries fill our bowls and fridges all summer and our pantries and freezers all winter.

Local legend has it that “Umpqua” means “bountiful” or “full belly” in the languages of the natives who’ve lived here for millennia. Good name. Our Umpqua Valley also grows a bounty of life wisdom and charm in local icons such as Chuck McCullum, owner and proprietor of Chuck’s Texaco on South Stephens Street in Roseburg. Everyone in town knows Chuck (and if that sounds like an exaggeration, it’s not much of one) — the toothy smile, the winsome banter, the ingratiating kindness and vigor for serving his customers,

TRUE GRIT

For nearly 60 years, Chuck McCullum has been almost constantly on the move ensuring his customers are served well and his station is in prime working order, if not necessarily perfectly organized.

whom he clearly loves. In an era when social media and politics divide us in alt-factual quibbling, it’s soulfully satisfying to have a few home bases of tolerance and life wisdom to welcome all comers.

“I’m a bad person,” he quips, looking away at a truck rolling in for gas. “Only a good person would wash the inside of windshields like that. But I like to think I smiled and made you feel welcome.”

After nearly 60 years in the same location, Chuck is still up at the crack of dawn, into his black-and-red Texaco uniform and cap, and soon hustling in the Texaco station that’s served multiple generations of customers since 1936.

We asked readers of UV magazine, as well as those online, what questions they’d ask Chuck and came up with the 20 that follow. One morning I found Chuck with an entire fleet of white U.S. Postal Service trucks shuttling in and out of his shop for service (clearly, the Roseburg Post Office is loyal to Chuck’s as well) and sat down in one of two chairs near the front counter of his office.

My first encounter with Chuck was on a warm August afternoon 30 years ago. A newly minted teacher in search of a job, I pulled into his station for gas and was charmed by the easygoing patter he worked up while washing my windows. Was I in Mayberry? Did I cross a time warp at Garden Valley Boulevard? Imagine my surprise when Chuck opened the passenger door of my dusty Toyota Tercel and bundled in to wash the inside of my windshield with his red cotton rag. I’d never seen that done before, and haven’t since, but it left an impression and, I’ll admit, swayed me to take my first teaching job in the Umpqua Valley. Any place that folksy and hometowny felt cozy to me. I was sold. I’ve been loyal to Chuck’s Texaco ever since. When I tell that story to Chuck, his eyes twinkle as he scans his shop, hung neatly with tools and auto parts. He denies the incident ever happened, insisting it couldn’t have been him who buffed the inside of my windshield.

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Behind us, the day’s delivery of auto parts stood in piles, as well as a brightly packaged toy Texaco airplane, no doubt earmarked for some local kid’s birthday or Christmas present. Parked high up on a shelf was every Texaco toy fire truck I wanted as a kid when my dad gassed up our various Pontiac station wagons. Behind the counter, taped to the wall, hung a curled and faded sheet of paper with a large circle. For stress relief, the accompanying instructions directed the reader to bang his or her head inside the circle. Clearly, Chuck is a low-stress problem solver. Thus prepared for anything, it was time for our interview. Chuck sat, cleared his throat, held up the sheet of questions he clearly had studied, and our game of 20 Questions for Chuck began.

– Chuck McCullum

“SURE. I’VE HOTWIRED THREE OR FOUR. BUT DON’T ASK ME ANY MORE.”

INTERVIEW 1. What was the first car you ever owned, and how old were you when you bought it? I was 15. It was a 1950 Chevrolet coupe. I bought it for 15 bucks from a lady on my paper route. I was collecting for the paper and I asked her if her car ran and she said, “It made a knocking noise and we’ve had it parked for a year. But we have company coming and if you wanna get it outta here, it’s yours for 15 dollars.” 2. When you were a senior in high school, how much per gallon did gas cost? Twenty-five cents. We didn’t have the taxes we have today.

3. Did you ever give cute girls free gas if they pulled into the station? No (blushes). Just my good smilin’ looks and I’d wash their windshield. That’s all they got. 4. Do you know how to hotwire a car? Sure. I’ve hotwired three or four. But don’t ask me any more. 5. What’s the fastest you’ve ever driven a car in your life? I owned a 1955 Chevrolet and I put a brand-new engine in it using the hoist in that lube room right here (points). Did it on a Saturday night after the station was closed. Got it runnin’ at four o’clock in the morning and drove it out to the Starlight Drive-In Theatre, which was out at Kelly’s Corner, on the old Highway 99, ya know?

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I turned it around, got on the freeway and came back, taking the corner of Mount Nebo at 100 miles an hour! I got off the freeway at Garden Valley and came right back here to the shop. The car was broke in and ran like a watch till I sold it. 6. When you started at this Texaco, did you wear a bow tie or any different uniform? Nope, I always wore the regular Texaco shirt and pants. They were Army green in those days. And the Eisenhower wedge hat. But I never wore the tie. 7. When you started, service stations provided a lot of services. What service do you miss doing for your customers? (Long pause) To be honest with you, at Chuck’s Texaco, we still do all that stuff. We never stopped! Cuz we run a service station.

11. What, in your opinion, is the best car model ever made? Boy that’s a good question. I’m still a ’57, ’55 Chevy guy. 12. What’s the worst car model ever? A PT Cruiser! That’s a nightmare. 13. Did you ever have a girlfriend who didn’t like the smell of gas on your hands after work? I only had two girlfriends in my life, and they both ended up being my wife, so I don’t know. 14. Have you ever had a customer who made you so mad you threw something after they left or wished you’d keyed their car? No, I’ve learned to not get mad and roll with the punches. I love my customers and always thank them. I tell my boys, “Be thankful you’ve got a job and thank your customers. It’s no fun having no job.”

8. This gas station has been here since 1936. To your knowledge, was moonshine liquor ever sold here?

15. What’s a fun little pleasure you enjoy doing in your job?

I don’t know. I don’t know. It was owned by a lot of nice gentlemen in Roseburg who were celebrities, but I don’t know if they had any moonshine.

Havin’ fun with my customers and have everybody all happy and being on the good side, ya know? Thinking you left a mark in their lives and their town.

9. This town celebrates Graffiti Days every year, but you actually lived through that time. What’s something you miss from that era? The cars. And the jukeboxes. 10. What’s something you’re glad is gone from that era?

16. Did you ever find love at a drivein movie? And what drinks or snacks did you typically buy at a drive-in movie? Pepsi, popcorn and hot dogs. And love? I kissed my girlfriend who ended up being my wife. That was love. (His cheeks grow palpably red here.)

17. Would you prefer combustion gas engines forever, or should they be phased out for electric cars at some point? Well I don’t think electric cars are our answer. And, of course I sell gas, so I’m a gas man. But I think the world’s gonna have to live with both of ‘em for a long time. 18. You’ve been a mentor and boss to many young men and women in your station for nearly six decades. What piece of advice do you give them that has proved to be the most valuable over time? Respect. I tell the boys who’ve worked for me “Treat your mother and your wives and girlfriends with respect. Don’t call her your old lady.” I tell ‘em, “I’ll fire you if I hear you call her your old lady. That doesn’t show her the proper respect. Respect her while you have her.” 19. What’s your favorite smell in a service station? Success! Gas and oil are fine. But I like the smell of success. 20. Ducks, Beavers, both or neither? Well, I live in Oregon. And I’m a merchant in Oregon. So I support both the Ducks and the Beavers because they’re both from Oregon.

Some of the crazy hairdos.

TRUE GRIT

ONE HAPPY MAN / INVASION OF THE ROBOT / BLUE ZONES

ONE HAPPY MAN Whether playing piano or family chauffeur, speaking Portuguese, or helping patients with joint disease regain their independence, orthopedic surgeon Dr. Cary Sanders has a lot to be happy about. Story by Dick Baltus Photos by Robin Loznak

t’s a beast of a people mover, a tricked-out converted GMC Savannah with all manner of both bells and whistles and front and rear seats so far removed from each other they might have different zip codes. Any larger and this thing likely would require its operator to possess a commercial driver’s license, and the Sanders family still uses every last square inch of it to conduct their off-site affairs.

“If you’re a family of eight you can fit in a custom van, but you can’t get nine in a standard vehicle,” says Dr. Cary Sanders, orthopedic surgeon, husband to wife, Katrina, and father to seven kids ranging from 3 to 16. “When we had number 7, we got lucky and found this crazy van that looks like a limo. The first time the kids saw it they were, like, “This is soooo awesome. But it’s awful to drive.” Sanders laughs heartily before adding saracastically, “We pull up anywhere in the thing and it’s not a spectacle at all.” In a family of nine, form definitely follows function, and in the Sanders family the functions take many forms. “Evenings are craziest,” Sanders says. “The pick-up and drop-off activities are totally out of control.” 62

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Sanders credits Katrina, his wife of 18 years, for being the “glue that holds the whole circus together. If the kids had to depend on me, it would be, ‘Sorry, you can’t take gymnastics. No music lessons. Nothing.’” Of course, being a busy physician is a pretty good excuse for being a lousy activity director. Since moving to Roseburg and helping to establish Centennial Orthopedics in 2015, Sanders has seen his practice grow quickly as patients needing joint replacements and other procedures, many of whom were traveling to Eugene for care, have discovered another outstanding option in their own community. Since moving from the Midwest, things have turned out nicely for Sanders, both at work and home. Sanders was raised in southern Illinois, the youngest of seven boys in a blended family. Born with clubfoot, he spent a lot of time in doctors’ offices early on. He was too young to be aware of what was transpiring during those visits, but once he was old enough to understand, they made a lasting impression. “I had a pretty normal childhood; I was running around and playing just like the other kids,” he remembers. “But at one point I was told, ‘Well, this doctor did this surgery and rearranged your foot and now you can walk.’ I was probably in seventh grade when I realized what clubfoot was and that this doctor completely changed my life in one day. I had always loved the natural sciences and thought being a doctor would be a pretty cool thing.” That feeling was only reinforced when Sanders was introduced to a physician after his parents converted to Latter Day Saints faith. “His name was Lowell Barrows and I thought he walked on water,” Sanders says. “He was just this unpretentious guy, and he became an icon for me.”

HEALTH

Determined to follow in Barrows’ footsteps, Sanders went to work on his grades (“I hadn’t been Mr. Academics to that point,” he says), and eventually enrolled at the University of Missouri, Columbia, where he earned both his undergraduate and medical degrees.

A turning point came more recently, when he ran across an accomplished classical pianist while browsing YouTube. An email conversation led to an invitation for Sanders to take lessons from the accomplished player via Skype.

He knew all along he wanted to “fix bones” and, after completing “It changed my whole outlook on piano,” Sanders says. “Even an orthopedics residency at Tulane University in New Orleans, over Skype to be able to learn from someone so accomplished Sanders opened a practice in southeastern Missouri, where his is amazing.” wife was raised. That’s where he thought he would finish his career, Sanders switched his focus from playing Elton John, Billy Joel but a few years later, he was looking for new opportunities. and other pop tunes to classical music; his favorites are Chopin Sanders had never been to Oregon, but when a surgeon friend told him and Liszt. “But I still play and sing a lot of Disney tunes with the about an opening in Coos Bay he got his first impression of the state. kids,” he says. “The Coos Bay opportunity wasn’t what I was looking for, but when I came out here I fell in love with the area,” he says. Soon after, he was in Roseburg talking with Mercy officials. “Mercy and Roseburg offered everything we were looking for,” he says. “Roseburg is conveniently located right on the I-5 corridor. It’s close to a decent-sized city in Eugene, but not too close. I grew up hunting and fishing, and that was right out the front door.” The Sanders family adapted quickly to their new hometown. “Everyone is very happy,” he says. The slower pace Roseburg offers has even afforded Sanders a little more time to devote to some of his old hobbies and pick up new ones. He has taken up mountain biking since moving, and it has become a favorite pastime. And he has had more time to commit to one of his longtime passions, playing the piano. As a youngster Sanders took lessons for eight years and got to a point where he “could play, but I wouldn’t call myself good.”

That’s, of course, when he’s not keeping his Portuguese-speaking skills fresh by phoning his Brazilian friends or reading Brazilian newspapers online. Sanders learned the language while serving a two-year mission in Brazil, but doesn’t have many opportunities to use it around here. There are, however, plenty of chances to help people with often debilitating joint conditions get back to a higher quality of life. Whether the victims of osteoarthritis (“the king of joint destruction”) or just the normal wear and tear of knees and hips brought on by years of use, patients can see dramatic improvements in their level of activity and independence after treatment and/or surgery. And every time they do, it reaffirms Sanders’ decision to become an orthopedic surgeon. “I never tire of seeing bones heal or patients being set free after a hip- or knee-replacement surgery. Every time I see a patient walk into the clinic pain-free it makes me happy.”

“EVEN OVER SKYPE TO BE ABLE TO LEARN FROM SOMEONE SO ACCOMPLISHED IS AMAZING.” – Dr. Cary Sanders

TRUE GRIT

HEALTH

Photos by Samantha Starnes

INVASION OF THE ROBOT Don’t worry, it’s a friendly robot. In fact, Mercy’s state-of-the-art robot could soon become many local surgeons’ best friend, helping them provide their patients even better care and faster recoveries. Story by Dick Baltus

oanne Williams didn’t want to be the first one.

Don’t get her wrong, the former registered nurse was excited when she heard about the new robotic technology Mercy Medical Center had just acquired to assist surgeons with a wide range of procedures. “I thought, my gosh, look how far we’ve come,” she says.

She just would have preferred that someone else be the first Mercy patient to undergo a procedure in which a surgeon guides the movement of mechanized arms to extract diseased organs, remove tumors and perform many other precise functions. “I was just a little apprehensive,” Williams, who lives in Myrtle Creek. It was a gallstone that got Williams to the point of needing surgery. Her surgeon, Dr. Brian McVay, said her gall bladder had to come out, and that she was an excellent candidate for a robot-assisted surgery, which has become the standard of care for many procedures. TRUE GRIT

HEALTH

“Among its many benefits, robotic technology enhances surgeons’ ability to see inside the body and provides better range of motion than the human hand,” says Dr. McVay. “It also speeds patient recovery by replacing the large surgical incision required during traditional open surgery with a few small ones.” “It’s an amazing piece of technology,” says Roseburg urologist Dr. Patrick Davol. “It’s a game-changer.” Davol has used the surgical robot in an array of procedures, including prostate removals and kidney extractions and

“It’s so specialized,” Dr. Davol says. “We can be a lot more precise.” In addition to its technological benefits, the robot is an ergonomic improvement for surgeons often required to stand and bend over for long periods during their procedures. “You’re sitting at a console in an ergonomic chair as opposed to standing up, so it’s a lot less tiring for the surgeon,” says Davol. “If you’re a patient whose procedure is going to last three to four hours, it is a lot better to have your surgeon comfortable.” If Joanne Williams was apprehensive at 7 a.m. on the

(Left) Dr. Patrick Davol at work with the surgical robot. (Above) Patient Joanne Williams back at work in her yard.

reconstructions. He says it offers many advantages for both the patient and the surgeon. He’s also quick to note that the robot isn’t acting on its own, but is simply a state-of-the-art tool that helps surgeons operate with better vision, precision and control. Dr. McVay agrees. “It’s not an autonomous machine doing the surgery,” he says.

September morning she went in for her surgery, that feeling was long gone by the time she got home, only 10 hours later. Instead of the side-to-side incision that would have been required with traditional open surgery, she had just two incisions, which she estimated were no more than an inch long.

“The robot is doing what the surgeon tells it to do and mimicking the hand movements we do outside the body on an interface system.”

“I didn’t even need sutures,” Williams says. She says she “laid around” for about a week, but was quickly back on her feet. At 78 years young, she had things to do.

While there are important differences, Davol compares robotic procedures to laparoscopic surgeries, in which the surgeon manipulates tools inserted into small incisions. “Lap” surgeries are far less invasive than open surgeries, which results in shorter recovery times and has, over the last several years, facilitated the shift of most surgical procedures from hospitals to outpatient settings.

Within a month, “I couldn’t even tell the surgery had happened,” she says. By that time, she was already back running, not the five miles she used to run, but running nonetheless. She was back on a riding mower again, too, taking care of the grass on her half-acre property.

“But performing a lap surgery is like working with chopsticks,” Davol notes. “We have to use straight, rigid instruments we can’t bend. The robot’s ‘hands’ have six degrees of movement so they bend and rotate far greater than the surgeon’s hands.”

“I’ve got a good life,” she says. “I didn’t get slowed down much by this surgery, and I really appreciate that.”

In addition, the robot provides surgeons with high-definition, three-dimensional vison, which allows them to see a degree of depth not previously available. 66

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And then there were her garden, her canning, her 10 great grandkids and the occasional trip with her boyfriend.

What has four arms, tiny hands, super-hero vision and just joined our surgical team? CHI Mercy Health is pleased to announce the addition of advanced robotic surgery capabilities to its surgical offerings. The da Vinci Surgical System is used in an array of minimally invasive urologic and general surgeries. With this system, surgeons operate through just a few small incisions, aided by 3D high-definition vision and tiny instruments that bend and rotate far greater than the human hand. As a result, surgeons are able to operate with enhanced vision, precision and control. CHI Mercy Health is pleased to be able to offer our community the many benefits of this advanced surgical technology.

541.673.0611

chimercyhealth.com

HEALTH

WHAT IN THE WORLD IS A WALKING MOAI? Blue Zones Project Umpqua Update

ho doesn’t want to live happier and healthier? The Blue Zones Project-Umpqua — profiled in the autumn issue of UV — is promoting local paths to both of those life goals.

One in particular involves getting groups of people together to simply put one foot in front of the other. For many, walking is one of the easiest and healthiest activities, especially when done in a group. The Umpqua well-being effort takes it a step further with an ancient concept, made new.

In the research that led up to the development of the Blue Zones Project, Buettner discovered that active centenarians in Blue Zones areas move far more throughout their day than most U.S. residents. They don’t go to the gym or exercise; instead they move naturally as a part of daily life by walking, gardening and doing their manual work.

Moai is a term that originated in Okinawa, one of five places where people enjoy inspiring longevity as documented by author Dan Buettner and demographer Michel Poulain. Moai (pronounced moeye) is a word for a group of people coming together for a common purpose. Originally, it was a way for villagers to maintain a system of financial support for one another.

Walking is free, easier on the joints than high-impact exercise, can be enjoyed in groups and, when done briskly, offers similar cardiovascular benefits to running. After a hard day, walking can relieve stress; after a meal, it can aid digestion.

Okinawans put children into small groups of five or six. They nurtured these young groups to foster lifelong friendships. In adulthood, Okinawans maintain strong social connections through regular Moai gatherings. Moais provide secure social networks. These safety nets lend financial and emotional support in times of need and give all of their members the stress-shedding security of knowing that there is always someone there for them. Today, in Blue Zones Project Demonstration Communities like Roseburg’s, the idea has expanded to represent an overall social support network and a vehicle for companionship surrounding healthy activities like plant-slant potlucks, or, in this case, walking together. The idea is for a small group of people — five to eight is considered the optimal number — to commit to one another to walk together

at a set time each week for 10 weeks. The concept goes beyond exercise, however, to encourage social networking and exploring local areas on foot. Walking together encourages conversation and other interactions aimed at creating a cohesive and supportive group.

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Most important, Blue Zones-area centenarians make walking a habit; they walk every day as their primary means of transportation.

Walking briskly for 30 minutes a day, five or more days a week, can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis, arthritis and some cancers. Walking is one of the most health-giving natural movement activities available to us, and the benefits increase when we walk with friends. Walking Moais leverage movement-based activities to give a focus and framework to the process of developing healthy circles of friends. Research demonstrates that when people cluster with others who are healthy or ready to change their behavior, healthy behaviors increase, as does one’s ability to make lasting positive health changes. To learn more, visit oregon.bluezonesproject.com, like the Facebook Page: Blue Zones Project-Umpqua, and attend the community-wide kickoff to sign up to stay informed about Purpose, Potluck or Walking Moai activities launching in 2018.

HEALTH

KEY COMMITTEE LEADERS NAMED The Blue Zones Project–Umpqua recently announced the group of community leaders who will help guide project objectives as members of the Steering Committee and Leadership Team.

STEERING COMMITTEE

Mike Fieldman

Dick Baltus

Executive Director, UCAN

Equity Partner, AHM Brands; Editor, UV Magazine

Gerry Washburn

Merten Bangemann-Johnson

Superintendent, Roseburg School District

CEO, NeighborWorks Umpqua

Kat Cooper

Dr. Heidi Beery

Manager, Community Outreach & Communications,

Umpqua Community Veg Education Group,

Umpqua Health

and Evergreen Family Practice

LEADERSHIP TEAM CO-CHAIRS:

KC Bolton, CEO Umpqua Community Health Center

Greg Brigham CEO, ADAPT

Vicky Brown Pastor, First Presbyterian Church

Lance Colley Roseburg City Manager

Bob Dannenhoffer, M.D. Douglas County Health Network

Marissa Fink CEO, YMCA

Robin Hill-Dunbar Program Officer, Ford Family Foundation

Michael Lasher Superintendent, Douglas County School District

Kathleen Nickel Communications Director, CHI Mercy Health

Wayne Patterson Executive Director, Umpqua Economic Development Partnership

Lisa Platt President, Mercy Foundation

Jeff Randall CEO, TMS

Larry Rich Mayor, City of Roseburg

Built Environment Policy: Dick Dolgonas, retired city planner, Bike Walk Roseburg; Stuart Cowie, director, Roseburg Community Development. Faith Based Organizations: Brenda Tibbetts, CURN facilitator, Head Start, CAC; John Schulz, board member, Roseburg SDA Church. Food Policy: Sarah Wickersham, program manager, UCAN; Sarah Runkel OSU Extension. Schools: Analicia Nicholson, director of learning, ESD; Trina McClure-Gwaltney, Healthy Kids Outreach Program, Mercy Foundation. Restaurants/Grocery Stores: John Robinson, manager, Sherm’s; Sherrie Stinnett, owner, Pita Pit. Tobacco Policy: David Price, director, Mission Integration, Mercy Medical; Jenn Scott, tobacco prevention coordinator, Adapt. Worksites: Deb Catterson, director, Umpqua Business Center, Francesca Guyer, Douglas County HR Assistant, Wellness Coordinator

11 DEC

BLUE ZONES EVENT Kick-Off Celebration Set MONDAY, DEC. 11, 5-7:30 P.M. Jacoby Auditorium Umpqua Community College Inspired by the world’s longest-lived cultures, the Blue Zones Project is all about making healthy choices easier in the Umpqua Valley – working with other organizations to encourage more places to walk and bike outdoors, more healthy foods and more ways to connect with family, friends, and neighbors. Umpqua Valley residents are invited to share in this exciting project by attending a free, family-friendly and fun community-wide kick-off event. Discover how to improve your and your family’s well-being. Enjoy family-friendly entertainment, cooking demonstrations, food samples, yoga and free giveaways during the Blue Zones Fair from 5-6 p.m. The featured program will start at 6 p.m. Attendees will learn more about this project and discover how to help lead the way to an even better Umpqua region.

Individual Engagement: Don Kasparek, retired Director of Special Education for multi county unit. Committee for Conference on Extraordinary Living

Tim Smith General Manager, Roseburg News Review

Sharon Stanphill Health Director, Cow Creek Band, Umpqua Tribe of Indians

TRUE GRIT

TRAINS KEEP A ROLLIN’

TRAINS KEEP A ROLLIN’ From his store in downtown Roseburg, and with the help of a local club of enthusiasts, Lachlan MacKinnon is introducing as many people as he can to the hobby of model railroading. Story by Josh Gaunt

he storefront on Southeast Cass Avenue in Roseburg has a small overhead sign that reads simply “Trains.”

Welcome to Mac’s Tracks, since 2007 the headquarters for model railroaders in the Umpqua Valley and beyond. Enter at the risk of reawakening your creativity, imagination and more than a little nostalgia. Founded and run by Lachlan MacKinnon, Mac’s Tracks caters to everyone from the greenest gandy dancer to expert yardmasters — selling track, locomotives, rolling stock and accessories for all gauges of model trains. MacKinnon is an authorized dealer for many manufacturers of train equipment, and if he doesn’t have an item in stock, he knows where to find it. But MacKinnon isn’t only a merchant of model railroads. He’s also an ambassador for the hobby, which was once wildly popular in the U.S. but has become more of a niche pastime.

“I wanted to encourage people in the hobby of model railroading,” MacKinnon says. A few blocks from his store, in the basement of a downtown Roseburg law office, is a miniature world of its own, the main layout of the Umpqua Valley Model Railroad Club — a breath-taking assembly of operational, scale-model freight yards, passenger depots, mountains, tunnels, bridges, trestles, crossing signals, buildings and cityscapes that evokes the days when the Southern Pacific regularly rumbled through Roseburg. Elaborately wired and with computerized controls, the layout is a web of track loops, switches and grades — meticulously built to look like the real thing, right down to the weathered-looking paint on buildings and the ballast on the tracks. Traversing through is the assembled trains of club members — freight and passenger lines. “We play like we’re running a real railroad,” MacKinnon says. Because many members of the club don’t have room for a layout in

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BUSINESS

Photos by Kevin Eckerman Lachlan MacKinnon, owner of Mac’s Tracks.

“THE BENEFITS OF A HOBBY CAN TEACH YOUR CHILDREN CREATIVITY AND HELP THEM FIND ENJOYMENT FROM PLAYING ON THEIR OWN, INSTEAD OF A COMPUTER.” – Lachlan MacKinnon

their homes, the office basement offers them the chance to work on their hobby and run their trains.

The business quickly outgrew MacKinnon’s home, so in 2008 he moved into the Cass Avenue location.

The Umpqua Valley club meets regularly, and members also take part in model railroad shows, demonstrating their hobby and encouraging others to take it up.

There, under that “Trains” sign, he promotes the hobby while selling all things model railroad-related — even Thomas the Tank Engine sets for younger engineers. Today, Mac’s Tracks carries the largest model-train inventory in Southern Oregon.

A native of Alaska, MacKinnon got the train bug as a toddler playing with his older brothers’ trains at home. He got his own set at age 12 and joined a local model railroad club in Juneau.

Most of MacKinnon’s customers are new to the hobby. Some are over 60, but he has younger enthusiasts as well. All are encouraged to join the train club, whose members share their expertise and where beginners can learn layout skills from experienced hobbyists.

But as he got older, he lost interest and put his trains in storage for more than three decades. His interest revived, however, when he decided he needed a respite from job-related stress. He rejoined the club and, in 1991, started selling model railroading “The benefits of a hobby can teach your children creativity and gear out of his home. help them learn to find enjoyment from playing on their own, instead of a computer,” MacKinnon says. “You can basically A decade ago, when he moved to Roseburg for family reasons, he recreate the world that you live in, in miniature. Model took the train business with him. railroading can be a hobby best enjoyed when the family and “I was totally surprised by how friendly people were here,” he says. friends work together to build a layout and operate the trains.” “It was kind of a cultural shock.” TRUE GRIT

Photos by Samantha Starns

DAY TRIP An easy trip from Roseburg to Bandon offers many points of interest and a great way to spend a winter day. Story by Bentley Gilbert

regon’s human history, natural history, geology, riparian and ocean life and “life” created from the detritus thrown up on our shores appear throughout the course of a day trip to the coast from Roseburg.

Born predominantly from two streams, one emerging at nearly 6,000-feet elevation in the Mount Thielsen Wilderness, the other from more than 2,000 feet high in the Cascades, the Umpqua River begins its 111-mile descent to the Pacific Ocean six miles northwest of Roseburg. “Any river is really the summation of the whole valley. To think of it as nothing but water is to ignore the greater past,” naturalist Hal Borland wrote in the middle of the last century in This Hill, This Valley. That’s a good way to look at the Umpqua River. The fifth-largest in Oregon by discharge, the Umpqua is one of the few rivers to cut through the Coast Range. The North and South Umpqua forks come together to form the main stem at Douglas County’s River Forks Park. There, the Master Gardeners’ Discovery Garden shows a welter of different species in well-tended beds, xeriscape (low-water), children’s, herb and butterfly gardens among them.

OUTDOORS

(Far Left) Sunset Beach (Top) Shore Acres at Cape Argo (Left) The Umpqua River (Above) Elk viewing at Dean Creek Wildlife Area

Continue on Old Garden Valley Road toward the crossroads at Umpqua, past filbert groves and several wineries, among them Reustle Prayer Rock with its well-known wine cave, and the Henry Estate, one of the valley’s oldest. At Umpqua, the Lighthouse Center Bakery serves soups and sandwiches from its all-vegetarian menu. Jellies and jams are for sale. On a rotating basis, the spiritual community that owns and operates the bakery offers a portion of 14 different loaves made from all-organic ingredients. Continuing west, the Umpqua River will appear on your left. Several waysides and boat ramps offer views of the stream. At this point, the shallow water exposes flat-lying bedrock of the Tyee Formation in the channel. Don’t overlook Elkton, about 39 miles from Roseburg on Highway 38, along the Jason Boe Corridor, named for a longtime Oregon State Senate president. In this quaint burg, Brandborg Winery offers its vintages for tasting and sale. If it’s lunchtime, delicious home cooking and wood-fired pizzas can be found at Tomaselli’s Pastry Mill and Café across the street. If you’re bringing children, or if you’re a fan of butterflies, the butterfly pavilion, native plant nursery, park and gardens of the Elkton Community Education Center is at the western edge of town.

The 30-acre site also features a replica of historic Fort Umpqua, the southernmost outpost of the Hudson’s Bay Company. At Scottsburg, about 20 miles west of Elkton, the Umpqua becomes an estuary, where its fresh water mixes with the salt water of the ocean. This brackish water teems with life. It is wide and slow and swollen. A county park at river’s edge offers excellent views upstream and down. Not to be missed as you approach Reedsport is a herd of about 100 Roosevelt, or Olympic, elk which reside year-round at the Dean Creek Wildlife Area, jointly managed by the Bureau of Land Management and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Generally visible (binoculars help), their white rumps or large racks of antlers rising from the field as the ruminants chew their cud make them easy to spot. As exuberant as the garden was where we began, the garden at Shore Acres at Cape Argo, just south of Coos Bay, is formal. A showplace of the late timber magnate Louis J. Simpson, the gardens display year-round flora with seasonal peaks: the blooms of 300 dahlias show themselves in early fall, with spring bulbs and daffodils later. Roses, thousands of annuals and perennials, rhododendrons and azaleas bloom in their season. Evergreen shrubs and trees define the garden throughout the year. A holiday light show glows nightly TRUE GRIT

DAY TRIP FACTS

from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Eve.

River Forks Park to Reedsport, with stops for roadside attractions, historical markers, scenic views, and meals:

Contrasting the serenity of the gardens is the surf crashing against the cliffs and headlands of titled sedimentary rock. A more sheltered beach can be reached by a stairway adjacent to the gardens. A fullyenclosed observation building affords spectacular views of rugged seascapes, towering storm waves and, from December through June, glimpses of migrating whales. A hiking trail connects the other two parks to the north and south with excellent views of tidepool life and marine mammals.

154 miles, 7 1/2 hours Return trip, Bandon to Roseburg, with no stops: 77.5 miles, 2 hours All publicly-owned parks and facilities on this trip were scrupulously clean, wellinterpreted, and offered some wheelchair accessibility.

Our last stop is in Douglas County’s adopted beach town, Bandon, and the Washed Ashore workshop. The nonprofit “creates art to save seas” and is the inspiration of artist and educator Angela Hazleton Pozzi. Through exhibits of aesthetically powerful art, the project aims to educate a global audience about the plastic pollution in oceans and waterways.

MORE DAY TRIP SUGGESTIONS Coos Bay Umpqua River Lighthouse at Winchester Bay Bandon: • Bandon Dunes Golf Course • Bullard Beach Lighthouse • Bandon beaches • Face Rock Creamery Umpqua River Lighthouse Washed Ashore Workshop

UV . WINTER 2018

From this flotsam and jetsam come colorful shorebirds and marine animals. Sharks, turtles and puffin are among their creations. A whale skeleton greets visitors to the workshop’s home in “Old Town” Bandon. Founded in 2010, the project collected 38,000 pounds of bottle caps, plastic bottles, beach toys and even flip-flops washed ashore on Oregon’s beaches. From this seaside community, 78 miles to the west, Washed Ashore exhibits all over the country in such places as the Smithsonian Natural History Museum, botanical gardens in Florida and currently, at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. Washed Ashore also has been featured on PBS’s NewsHour.

OUTDOORS

If you’re looking for a winter adventure, Diamond Lake Resort offers a variety of activities for snow enthusiasts. Story by Jim Hays

ll ages, all abilities. That’s the short answer to the question, Who can find something fun to do at Diamond Lake Resort this winter?

Situated 80 miles east of Roseburg via Oregon Highway 138, the resort is well-known for its trout angling, the natural beauty of its location and its close proximity to Crater Lake, Oregon’s only national park. Each summer, swimming, hiking, biking, boating, horseback riding and camping opportunities abound at the 3,040-acre

lake tucked between 9,182-foot Mount Thielsen and 8,363-foot Mount Bailey. But the fun doesn’t stop when the snowflakes start falling. From deep-powder skiers to snowmobilers to families seeking somewhere for the kids to slide downhill, nearly everyone can find a winter adventure to remember. Most winter activities depend on snowfall, of course, which can be hard to predict. On the following pages is a preview of what is planned at Diamond Lake Resort. Phone 541-793-3333 or go online to diamondlake.net to learn rates, availabilities and hours of operation, or to make reservations.

Photos by Thomas Boyd Tubers can catch a ride up the hill on Diamond Lake Resort’s 470-foot conveyor.

TRUE GRIT

Downhill Skiing Diamond Lake isn’t a downhill ski resort in the traditional sense. You won’t find chair lifts or crowded hills or beginners’ slopes. But the true-blue powder hound can ski Mount Bailey and its 6,000 acres of faces, bowls, cliffs, chutes and glades. Bailey’s sno-cat can take experienced skiers into otherwise inaccessible backcountry for as many as six long runs a day in some of the lightest, driest powder around. The mountain typically gets around 600 inches of snow (50 feet, if you prefer) during the course of the winter. Cat Ski Mount Bailey is billed as the nation’s longest-running backcountry ski operation. But space aboard the cat is limited to a daily dozen intrepid skiers, so book early to ensure an unforgettable day making fresh tracks in deep powder.

Cross Country Skiing If you prefer skiing trails, Diamond Lake offers seven miles of groomed paths and an additional 35 miles of backcountry pathways — suitable to all skill levels, from leisurely to vigorous. Trails are amply marked, so it’s easy to follow the one that’s right for you. Bring your own equipment or rent skis, boots and poles at the lake’s North Shore.

Snowshoeing It might sound a bit complicated for the first-timer, but snowshoeing is as easy as putting one foot in front of the other and is an excellent way to take in some of the most spectacular scenery anywhere in a more relaxed winter setting. A great family activity, too, and Diamond Lake offers snowshoe rentals in all sizes, including kids.Reservations are encouraged.

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Snowmobiling Diamond Lake boasts an estimated 300 miles of groomed trails for snowmobiles, the resort’s most popular winter activity. It offers the only authorized snowmobile access to Crater Lake National Park. If you don’t own a snowmobile, you can rent one at the resort — helmet included — and instruction on safe operation is available for inexperienced riders. Rentals, however, are limited to those age 21 or older with ID and a valid driver’s license or snowmobile operator’s permit. Operators must be at least 16, and anyone under 21 must have a parent sign the rental agreement. Ask about the resort’s special midweek packages, which can be customized to accommodate guests’ activities. Reservations are encouraged.

Tubing The resort’s tubing operation was upgraded last year to include a 470-foot conveyor to go up the hill and seven lanes to come back down on newer, faster inner tubes. This is an all-ages family activity that includes night tubing on most Fridays and Saturdays. In addition, discounted group rates are available for midweek visits.

Senior Activities Diamond Lake Resort sponsors an annual cross-country ski and snowshoe program for seniors, beginning Monday, Feb. 5. The weeklong program features package rates that include lodging, food, tours, instruction and other activities and offers seniors a chance to improve their skills or learn new ones.

OUTDOORS

Fishing When the weather turns frigid and the lake surface freezes over, anglers can still ice fish for some of Diamond Lake’s ample trout population. Because it has no native fish population, the lake is stocked with trout by the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife. Diamond Lake’s fishing reputation was damaged a decade ago by an infestation of tui chub, a live-bait fish illegally introduced that significantly altered the lake’s underwater habitat. To clear out the chub and restore habitat, state officials were compelled to use a rotenone treatment plan. The lake’s fishery is still monitored by ODFW, but has long-since fully recovered and is home to an estimated 400,000 trout.

Social Events Holiday parties: The resort hosts its annual Christmas and New Year’s buffets on those holidays. It also hosts an annual New Year’s Eve party in its spacious banquet room. Sweetheart Dinner: For Valentine’s Day, the resort offers a couples dinner. Reservations are encouraged.

Other Events Mount Bailey 3000: More rally than race, this Feb. 17 event is a “poker run,” in which competitors must stop at stations along the course, take part in an activity and draw a playing card. At the end of the event, the competitor with the best poker hand of their five playing cards will win a special prize. A prize purse of $3,000 will also be distributed among the competitors. Medford-based Rogue Snowmobilers host the Mount Bailey 3000 with the help of the Cascade Connection Snowmobile Club of Roseburg. Snow Bike Races: Snow bikes are a hybrid of motorcycle and snowmobile. The Championship Snow Bike Series, a national tour that is part of the American Motorcycle Association, makes its annual stop at Diamond Lake Resort March 23-25. On a motocross-style course, men and women riders compete simultaneously. The racing is open to the public, too, both for spectators and participants. For instructions on how to enter, go to www.snowbikeseries.com and click on “Registration.”

TRUE GRIT

LAST WORD

Confessions

OF A

Young Rocker

WE WERE ROSEBURG KIDS, WORKING OUR WAY UP THE WAY ROSEBURG PEOPLE DO. By Nate Hansen

hen I was a 16-year-old student at Roseburg High, emboldened by delusions of grandeur and visions of stardom, I formed a rock band.

Like many 16-year-old budding rock stars, I soon learned my musical abilities didn’t match my ambitions. But, unlike most 16-year-olds, I was fortunate to be part of that band for nearly six years, play countless shows and travel the country while forming the most enduring friendships of my life. I was a dramatic, heartbroken teenager when I formed that band in a Roseburg High songwriting class. I fancied myself a capable drummer, inspired lyricist and determined musical recruiter, and it didn’t take long for me to turn a few friends into co-conspirators.

We called ourselves Hemlock Lane, not because we liked the name, but because it sure beat Random Justification and The Opposite of Ending. Soon we had some original music and a lineup of highprofile gigs like the midnight spot at Roseburg’s Relay for Life, Melrose Elementary’s Bingo Night and several birthday parties, both adolescent and geriatric in nature. We weren’t picky. I truly believed we were only a few shows away from a record deal. We soon discovered, though, that we weren’t the only teenage band reaching for the golden rock ‘n’ roll ring. We knew we had to distinguish ourselves by writing and performing better songs. Songwriting became our collective focus and frustration, with writing sessions that featured all five members trying to find inspiration. This often turned our songs into musical Frankensteins, with one member adding a piece here, another a part there. Invariably, our best songwriting came from one person seeing their idea through. Our singer was the best at this, but Natty was a sort of musical Punxsutawney Phil, arriving once a year with another fantastic song. I’ll never forget Natty saying he wanted to finish an idea we had loosely assembled at practice, and arriving the next day with a completed song. A great one. Halfway There sounded nothing like our original idea, but it did earn us a collaboration with a producer in LA, a national tour and nearly 200,000 Spotify streams. Hemlock Lane didn’t get anywhere on innate talent. We hadn’t gone to a fancy performing arts school. We weren’t hipsters from some musical metropolis. We were Roseburg kids, working our way up the way Roseburg people do. We didn’t know, as teenagers playing a birthday party, that our music would land on five continents, take us all over America and facilitate a journey that lasted well into adulthood. Even today, we receive messages from fans worldwide thanking us for our music. I have no clue how someone in Jakarta found my album, but I find it astounding, and astoundingly humbling. Hemlock Lane provided us with a good measurement of the gap between “famous” and “almost famous.” And while “almost famous” was a phrase 16-year-old me might have balked at, 23-year-old me realizes it’s a decent landing spot for a high school band, and was a fitting end to a wonderful journey that I’ll never forget.

UV . WINTER 2018