Enjoy the botanical diversity of the region during the annual Central Oregon Wildflower Show Page 4
INSIDE THIS ISSUE SROA News.................... 5 Calendar...................... 13 SHARC News................ 22
Public Safety................ 27 Classified..................... 38 Editorial...................... 39
From teepees to tents and camper vans, camping out in the woods shifts from grunge to glam Page 19
S U N R I V E R
S C E N E A NEWSPAPER PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE SUNRIVER OWNERS ASSOCIATION
JUNE • 2017
VOLUME XLIII • NUMBER 6
Worth the wait: Camp Abbot Trading Company opens
RV storage lot at SROA Administration
Toy Story, Sunriver Style By Susan Berger, Sunriver Scene SROA NEWS – With a booming economy, people are buying more “toys” – from campers and motorhomes to boats, snowmobiles, motorcycles and other recreational trailers. Parking recreational vehicles is only allowed in the driveway of Sunriver homes for the first 48 hours during a stay or visit, and at no time can an RV be used for sleeping within Sunriver. So where do all those toys go when they’re not being used? Following that 48-hour allowable time period owners and guests must store their toys at one of two recreational vehicle storage lots owned and operated by the Sunriver Owners Association (SROA). Known as the south and north storage yards — the south yard is located behind the SROA administration building and the north yard is on Thielsen Lane off North Imnaha Road. Both yards offer short-term (60 days or less) and long-term (up to a year or longer) storage space for owners and visitors to rent. Space sizes range from 8’x10’ to 12’x40’ with rental rates starting at $5 per night up to $355 a year. There are 331 spaces between the two yards but both have reached capacity – especially for long-term storage. In an effort to open up space, those Turn to Storage, page 6 SUNRIVER SCENE SUNRIVER OWNERS ASSN. VOLUME XLIlI • NUMBER 6 P.O. BOX 3278 SUNRIVER, OR 97707
By Susan Berger, Sunriver Scene Entering the new Camp Abbot Trading Company feels more like walking into a cozy neighborhood coffee house than a place that peddles nuts, bolts and housewares. A floor-to-ceiling fireplace crackles in a corner. Locals chat and exchange pleasantries. It’s been a long road for owner Bob Mitchell, who purchased the former Hammer Time property in October 2015. It’s also been a long haul for area businesses and residents who had to drive to Bend for something as simple as a box of nails. What was initially believed would only take a few months to give the old place a spit and polish turned into a labor-intensive, 17-month ordeal. As work began it revealed the building was in much rougher shape than originally thought – with problems ranging from outdated plumbing and electrical to extensive structural issues. At times, construction came to a standstill until plans and Deschutes County code approvals could be made. With a booming economy, contractors were often in short supply. “We really didn’t expect it to take this long, but we’re happy it worked out and got it done,” said Mitchell. This is
Mitchell’s tenth store. He also owns the three Ace Hardware stores in Bend, one in West Linn, two in Tacoma, two in south Seattle and one in Spokane. Although it may not say Ace on the outside, the store IS a hybrid Ace Hardware and department store. For the Sunriver area location, Mitchell wanted to pay tribute to Sunriver’s early history as a U.S. Army World War II training facility known as Camp Abbot. Black and white photographs on the walls show the officers’ club (today’s Great Hall), the Camp Abbot entry monument and others. Turn to Camp Abbot, page 3
Doc Skotte hangs up his Air Force wings By Lynne Schaefer The public is invited to the retirement ceremony for the longest serving officer (three weeks short of 50 years) in the U.S. Air Force Academy history and the oldest officer (turning 68 on Armed Forces Day) still pulling G-forces in an F-15 Eagle. Col. Daniel M. Skotte, known to Sunriver locals as “Doc” Skotte, has been the area’s family doctor for 34 years. He will be honored Saturday, June 3 at 3 p.m. at Kingsley Field in Klamath Falls. Dignitaries invited to the ceremony include President Donald Trump, Oregon Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and Rep. Greg Walden; Sen. Tim Knopp and Reps. Knute Buehler and Gene
Whisnant; Oregon Brig. Gen. Jeffery Silver; California Brig. Gen. David Bakos and two-star generals. A C-130J cargo plane plans to fly from
the Air National Guard Base at Point Mugu, California, with the USAF Band and Honor Guard, personnel from the 146th Medical Group, and, after a stop at the Fresno Air National Guard in California, transport additional personnel to the ceremony. As an 8-year-old growing up in Jackson, Minnesota, Skotte trapped and sold gophers to pay for his first airplane flight. His eagerness to fly resulted in his 1972 graduation from the U.S. Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs, Colorado. Highlights of Skotte’s Air Force career include: • Deployments to Poland in 1995 as flight surgeon with the 173rd Fighter Turn to Skotte, page 4 PRSRT STD. U.S. POSTAGE PAID BEND, OR PERMIT NO. 213