At the annual Gant Family Reunion every July, we visit with Tom and Marian Gant. Tom is Terry's (Curtis' dad) cousin and his family has owned and operated cranberry bogs since the late 1930's. Tom is in his 80's and he's still out running the bogs with his two sons: Steve and Gary. We've talked about making a trip to Bandon during harvest time so that we can see the entire process in operation. This time, we did it.
Just so happened that the Thy's family planned their visit around the same time we were planning to go. Made for a great family vacation!!
First stop: West Coast Game Park
Curtis remembers going as a kid, but the rest of us had never been. It's an interesting twist...wild animal park meets petting zoo sort of a thing. There were plenty of exhibits where the employees would bring out the wild animals and allow you to touch them (under supervision of course)...
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| Z lovin' on a Beaver. Not one bit scared. |
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| I believe it was a Lynx? Cute thing. |
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| When do you get to see a White Siberian tiger this close?! Beautiful! |
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| This one sums it up. There are multiple different animals just roaming the grounds with you (deer, sheep, goats, llamas, donkeys...). Calvin wasn't too fond of every creature in his face. Of course, they all think you're going to feed them. And if you have one of the nifty ice cream cones filled with grain, they really come after ya. I could see how it might be a bit intimidating being his height (o; I think he still enjoyed himself...I think. |
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| Like I said...not one bit intimidated (of the ferrets). |
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Our view of the Coquille river, just down the dock from the house we stayed in.
We had to snap a picture before it got too dark. |
The next day we met up with The Gants (Bandon family) at the bogs. They were right in the middle of processing as we parked.
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| You could just reach down, into the water, and grab a handful. And if you were daring, you ate them. Couldn't convince the boys to try them. I, however, loved them. Ate a little too many I think! |
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| The operation is simply beautiful...really. Watching the floats get smaller and smaller as they travel up the belt to the processing truck is just, well, neat. |
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| Tom's son Gary and grandson Garth are in the water, while Tom's other son Steve is up in the truck watching what falls. They get docked at the canary if the entire load is over 8% debris. |
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| Beautiful, right? Guess how many cranberries it takes to fill the truck? (o; |
After they finished up the field they were in the middle of when we showed up, they started syphoning the water from that bog to the one below it (all through a pipe system underground). It takes a few hours to flood a bog before processing. Timing is crucial. Too early= berries don't float well. Too late=berries start sinking to the bottom of bog.
So, this sweet lady invited us to her house where she told us she had just a little snack for our lunch (which ended up being a ham feast). SUCH a sweet woman she is (Tom's wife Marian).
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Ocean Spray receives their cranberries from small operations like the Gants have. They then feature their growers on their products. This picture was taken in 2009 and you'll still find it on the shelves at your local grocery store today. It's kinda fun to pull juice of the shelf that has your last name on it...And people you know.
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| Of course we had cranberry juice with our lunch...Multiple different kinds! |
Then we headed back to the bogs. I caught this moment between Tom and Calvin before they started processing. Tom was telling Calvin what a great name he had (which is Tom's grandfather's name as well as his own middle name). Calvin was a bit oblivious to it all, but he'll appreciate this someday.
Beating time...The "Beater" machine cycles through the field to loosen the berries. Each of the boys got a turn riding with Gary...And they talked about it for days afterwards.
Thom wanted the full experience, so the took them up when they offered him some waiters and a rake. Don't think he'll ever get an experience like this one again...
It was an experience of a lifetime. The time with family, seeing the bogs, experiencing the processing and some relaxing vacation time...I left Bandon with a full heart.
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| Z was a trooper. Her mobility skills are quite improving! She navigated the stairs in the house we stayed in well! |
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| It's not vacation until you've completed a puzzle together! |
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Family...Love them.
Snapped a pic before heading home. |
It's memories like this one that make life sweet...and make me want to drink more cranberry juice (o;
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