Sisters couple keeps highway clean

Barbara and Lloyd Gust keep the McKenzie Highway clean.

Barbara and Lloyd Gust have been keeping Highway 242 clean for years.

During the summer season they have contracted with ODOT to do litter patrol between mileage markers 79 and 81 on the Old McKenzie Highway.

Motorists may have seen their names on the small ODOT signs placed near their highway pickup area.

The couple, now in their 70s, usually get up on the highway four or five times per summer for litter pickup.

"We find old tin, rusted nails, cans, cigarette butts, plastic items and other debris along the road," said Lloyd. "ODOT let us up here just before the highway opened this past July.

"The wildflowers were delightful to see."

Asked why they chose this particular section to clean, Lloyd and Barbara agreed that, "This is a beautiful area and the old highway is a real gem."

Lloyd worked the area in his student days at the University of Oregon where he majored in Business Administration and Business Law.

"We love it here and want to pay back a little for all the beauty it has provided us," he said.

"My dad, in the old days (circa 1915), led cattle drives over the pass before there was a highway," said Barbara. "I have a special fondness and memory for this area. Later (circa 1940) we carried fruits and vegetables from the valley over the pass and sold them in Bend. Generally, most were sold before Bend to people along the way."

Barbara, who also was a student at the Univeristy of Oregon, graduated with a degree in Accounting.

Their area for cleaning is near Windy Point, about three miles from the Dee Wright Observatory at the summit.

"We took some graffiti off the rocks at Windy Point," said Barbara. "It was very hard to wash off so we used some gray spray paint and matched the rocks rather well."

The couple remarked that bear scat and cougar tracks have occasionally been seen along their cleanup route.

"Parts of the highway are narrow and curving and can be dangerous because of speeding drivers," said Lloyd. "We've seen 18-wheelers try to navigate the road (that's illegal). Bicyclists tend to be the most careful about littering the highway."

The Gusts live in Bend and continue hiking. Barbara enjoys knitting, and both enjoy musical events.

"I've also done a lot of rock hounding in these mountains in earlier years," said Lloyd.