By Jim McLain

By the fall of 1967, Marilyn and I, kids and dog had migrated from San Bernardino, California to Valencia, California so that I could continue my education by upgrading to a Cable Splicer/Lineman, moving into the Underground from the Overhead, that I might have another option for future work if needed. I succeeded and graduated from the Underground School held in Alhambra and worked for the next year in the Underground division of San Fernando California District of the Southern California Edison Company. We didn’t know it yet but migration loomed on the horizon once again as our life styles in this north end of Los Angeles became more impacted with incoming people with oceans of cars and trucks mounting daily. So, we said farewell to Southern California not considering we would ever return to live there again.  

Our next migration was Oakland California where my parents lived and five of my siblings. We found a place to live in Oakland (groan) which was even more impacted than Southern California and I found a Lineman’s job in the City of Alameda which wasn’t very far away from our home. After six months I was very disenchanted with working for a city owned utility so I interviewed with the Superintendent of Heavy Construction who built Tower Lines and did long term projects that often went out of town for Pacific Power and Light. We moved again to, Dublin California, for the remainder of 1968 till October of 1969 working for PG&E. 

 Now  that Marilyn and I were settling into a little slower life style, working for PG&E had become a great source of income and I was able to take up jogging in the morning once again. On a particular morning in October 1969, I went for a jog. The Sun was just rising and the Moon was just setting. The Moon was quite surreal looming quite large in the sky and a pallor of light smog tinted its appearance. It attracted my attention markedly as I stared at its “Harvest Moon” impressiveness. While I was deeply involved in this sight a question crossed my mind “Are you really there???” I couldn’t tell if the question came from my mind or perhaps from the Moon??? It certainly wasn’t an experience I ever had before. I had never been prone to think about God either. I watched for about 30 more seconds and then abruptly turned and jogged on home. 

 Linemen are outdoor people and many like hunting, fishing, camping and other outdoor sports activities and they have a plethora of stories about their exploits all over the US, Canada and Alaska, as well as the primitive places they had been. Crew talk was centered around these stories and had made me want to go there as well. In the days following the “Harvest Moon” encounter, I began longing more intently, to go where my buddies had been with thoughts of Oregon and Washington where Marilyn I had never been. Marilyn and I discussed the possibilities and agreed together that I should try to find a “Lineman” job in Oregon. Besides, the human crush all around us was pushing us to “another migration”. After a few phone calls we were invited by Pacific Power and Light to interview for a position in Pendelton Oregon. After the winter snow threat had passed, on the weekend of April 1,1970, we drove to Pendleton for the interview, they offered and we accepted the position!!! On May 2,1970 we were driving back to Pendleton with all our earthly belongings, 2 kids and a dog to start a new adventure in a strange new place which was a remnant of the “Wild, Wild West” 

On Saturday, May 3, 1970 We woke up in Pendleton Oregon to the sound of a freight train that sounded like it was coming through the wall of our motel room with her horn blasting and the screech of her wheels and then suddenly it was  past our room while the early early bliss of the predawn train blitz was back to normal, it left our hearts racing as our anxiety slowly receded!!! 

 After breakfast our first task was to rent a house so we drove down main street in Pendleton and noted a sign that said “BLUE MOUNTAIN REALITY” and figured that this was probably the cream of Pendelton’s realtors and we walked right in. The news that they had, “we have no rentals” was quite disconcerting as I needed to be ready for work on Monday morning. The realtor called two other offices and got the same answer, “no rentals available”! But our realtor had an “Ace” up his sleeve of a small home that he had listed the previous week. Marilyn and I were getting a little worried so we decided to take a look and if we liked it, we could then see if it could be worked out. It was a nice small 3-bedroom home, 1 bath, single car garage, a small but adequate kitchen with an eating area and a small front room with natural gas heat. The neighborhood was nice and sunny and the backyard was fenced and would accommodate our dog. 

We liked it and the price was $13,500 but we had no down payment. So, we went back to the office to explore options. Exploring options didn’t take long so the Realtor told us that because I was going to work for Pacific Power and light as a Lineman that he was prepared to loan us 2500 dollars for the down payment. Wow, a total stranger and he was practically handing me the house. Luck? or Miracle? At the time I thought “luck” but later I knew that it was “Miracle #1” of the living God though we did not know Him at the time!!! But that was not the only one. The next miracle was fast on the heels of first one. He also said that he could close and we could occupy it in a week!!! “Miracle # 2”.!!! Or was that luck also??? All that from a man whom was a total stranger and one we would never see again. But he wasn’t done yet. We also needed housing for a week so he called the Huskey Truck Ranch newly constructed Motel on Pendleton’s west hill on I-84 and arranged a week for “four” for only 150 bucks!!! “Miracle #3”!!! Or was that luck again??? After breakfast on Sunday May 4, 1970, next on our agenda was a storage building to unload our belongings. We went down to the parking lot where our vehicles were parked. Two spaces from where we were parked was a nice white pickup with a gentleman sitting at the wheel. As I walked by his truck, he struck up a conversation with me of just friendly small talk. Then he asked what I was going to do today. Kind of a strange request from a stranger who hadn’t introduced himself yet. I saw no harm so I told him “I am going down to Pendleton to find storage for my house goods”. Without a hesitation he said “I am a painting contractor in Pendleton and I have an empty building that you can use as long as you need it “without charge,” What a fantastic offer, just what I needed, I asked no questions but immediately accepted his generous offer. “What a friendly place Pendleton is” I thought. Again, Luck??? or Miracle??? I thought Luck then but later it became a “Double Miracle”. So today, I call them “Miracles # 4 and Miracle # 5” because he offered the building “without charge”!!! He took me to the building and showed me where the key was hung so that I could get it whenever I needed it. We shook hands as I thanked him and then he was gone, no name, no address, no phone number. I never saw him again and he never contacted me again??? 

 During the week before we moved into our new, to us, home and while I was working for Pacific Power, Marilyn and the kids explored the town of Pendleton. One day their explorations took them into Safeway Grocery and there Marilyn saw a woman about her age, 25 or so. Doing some thing that Marilyn seldom did she walked up to this perfect stranger and introduced herself and the kids. She also related our recent move to Pendleton and that her husband was a Lineman working for Pacific Power. And then Marilyn said “We are looking for friends; will you be my friend???” As this encounter played out, they became instant friends that lasted over 50 years. Before they parted, the woman now Carol, wrote down the address to where we were moving, and also planned a day she and her husband Don could visit us. 

After our move to our new home, Don and Carol came to visit us, and we had a very pleasant time getting to know them. During our conversation they revealed to us that they were Seventh-day Adventist’s. We knew very little about Adventist’s even though Marilyn’s home in Redlands California was bordered on the West side of Loma Linda and my home in San Barnardino bordered Loma Linda on the North. This was “Miracle # 6” since this Adventist couple took time to visit “us” who were as strange to them as “we” were to them!!! Before thy left they shared with us that they were part of a large group of young adults who played volleyball together at Pendleton Junior Academy every Thursday evening and were now inviting us to attend. Since we were now “friends” we said yes, it sounded like fun and good fellowship. 

 Thursday was just 2 nights away and we were looking forward to this opportunity for many friends in just a week and a half in Pendleton!!! We arrived at the school right on time and thoroughly enjoyed the games, the people and our acceptance among them. We didn’t miss another night. This was “Miracle #7”. These people really reached out to us making us friends and opening their homes to us, which laid the ground work of what would occur in the near future as we continued to travel the “Damascus Road” …Please stay tuned…