More Ramblin Oregon and back in the Willamette Valley of Oregon

Mr. Hood

Continuing east through the Columbia River Gorge, we had lunch at Hood River and then stopped off for treats at the Dalles. Approaching the Dalles, the Gorge changes from lush green to arid desert, very abruptly. The weather also changes from cool, windy, humid to hot, still, and dry, with the smell of Sage in the air. The Sage and Rabbit Brush are summoning our allergic reactions, so sneezing and sniffing are in vogue. It’s also prudent to watch out for Rattlesnakes.

We called-it-a-day at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Campground (Lepage) , located at the confluence of the John Day and Columbia Rivers. This was an 1805 Lewis and Clark campsite and it’s named for John Baptiste Lepage, one of their Corps of Discovery members. It’s a clear, cool, moon-lit night, with the Canada Geese chatting along the river. The Fall Chinook Salmon run is going strong, with the Native Americans camped nearby as they engage in their ancestral fishing customs. Salmon fishing provides them with a food source that is also a spiritual gift to them AND they sell to the public for cash. They sell Jacks (Chinook Salmon that return from the ocean early (like two years old), and weigh approximately 10 pounds. The best fillets are from the mature Chinook Salmon that run twenty to thirty pounds. Cooking and eating fresh salmon on the grill is inimitable and we will never again be satisfied with frozen fillets from the markets.

The Indians throw-up camps consisting of old camper trailers, tents, makeshift huts, from cardboard, tin, and the infamous blue plastic tarps. They stay as long as the Salmon run lasts, then they return to home and go about their usual occupations. I talked to two different groups of Indian fisherman, from the Warm Springs Reservation in Central Oregon and the Umatilla in Washington, respectively. By treaty, the Indians can fish year-round, forever. (Unless the Government decides to do something different!) This LePage Park campground afforded a most impressive sunset and sunrise.

Saturday, September 26, 2015

Yesterday afternoon, we arrived at Hermiston, in Umatilla County, Oregon and made our camp at Hat Rock State Park, located on the Columbia River. Hat Rock, a Devils Tower-like basalt outcropping, looks like its name implies (just like a top-hat). The rock was mentioned in the Lewis and Clarks Journals as a significant landmark on the river. The State Park is an oasis with a green-grass, irrigated picnic area and large Locust shade trees. We saw deer, California Quail, hawks, Magpies, and turkeys.This area of Oregon is a desert but with irrigation it has become a garden-spot, producing a wide variety of produce and agricultural crops. This is an area that utilizes those pivot-irrigation, round crop fields that look so strange from the air. Those round fields are immediately bordered by desert, where the watering stops, and along the edges is where you had better watch for Rattlesnakes. The discriminating Rattlesnake is drawn to these borders in anticipation of a nice rodent-smorgasbord.

We had a nice visit with Terry’s folks here, including a tasty barbecue lunch, and a walk in the park. This evening, it’s college football on television and rest and relaxation.

Sunset at our camp on the John Day River.

Sunday, September 27, 2015

This evening, we’re back on the John Day River, at a spot where we can enjoy the exceptional “Blood Moon”. This is a remote, quiet park with cozy little sites and shade trees, which provide pleasant, Comfortable shade for river-watching.

Monday 9-27

Last night’s “Blood Moon” was impressive but we had trouble staying awake for the entire event. With no phone or television, the quite of the hills and sounds of nature and the river lulled us into a totally relaxed state.

This morning, I walked Daisy down the river and came upon a small group of Native Americans, camped under a large Cottonwood tree, fishing and drying Salmon. As I watched them, each with their appointed activity, it occurred to me that this is exactly the same scene that the Lewis and Clark Expedition encountered here in October, 1805. The only thing different is the camp, with its Cabella’s free-standing tents and the prevalent Wal-Mart “blue tarps”.

This morning is windy and cold, ushering the definite feel of Fall that comes with October. Today, we plan to travel down around Mitchell and spend a few days in scrutiny of the John Day Fossil Beds, Painted Hills, and Smith Rock. Looks like we’ll have some beautiful Fall weather around the area.  

The John Day Fossil Beds and Painted Hills National Monument are colorful evidence of volcanic activity, environmental changes, and ancient plant and animal life in eastern Oregon. We enjoyed our visit and picnic lunch at the site.

Yesterday afternoon, we visited Smith Rock, just west of Prineville. Smith Rock is a sanctuary of majestic rock spires along Crooked Rive, in central Oregon’s high desert. It’s an internationally renowned destination for rock climbing, offering challenges for beginners to experts. It’s a remote place but it was packed with people until dark.They also have fabulous hiking, horse, and bicycle trails, with lots of wildlife to observe. We are really glad that we went to see it.

Awoke this first day of October at the Expo Center RV Park in Redmond, Oregon, on the eastern slope of the Cascade Mountains. We had a beautiful sunset with the backlit mountains in the foreground, some with snowcaps.

This morning we can see the “Sisters” mountains, situated between here and Bend. We spent the morning in the Expo Complex and toured the OSU Extension Service garden, enjoying the collection of native wildflowers, shrubs, trees, and vegetable garden. Most of the vegetable garden was showing the effects of the recent first-frost, but the fruits were still there, stranded by the dying plants. Our dogs were happy to join us but had to be on short-lease in the gardens.

Next, we headed west up the Santiam Pass towards Eugene. Along the east slope we passed picturesque Sisters village and then stunning views of Mount Washington and the “Sisters” mountains. On the west slope, we followed McKenzie River down and stopped for a picnic lunch at a scenic setting on the river. Oregon’s Cascade Mountains are minor compared to Colorado’s “fourteeners”, but Oregon’s grades are steeper than most Colorado Passes, so when puling a load, judiciousness is advised in choosing a route.

Going into Eugene, we got a “check engine” light on the truck, so after shopping Fred Myer and dinner, we stopped at AutoZone to read the truck computer codes. We took a camp at Coburg and installed new spark plugs and plug-coils, so the truck is back to normal. My AutoZone guy was the best at customer service. He went out of the way to make sure we got the parts that we needed.

Friday 10-2

Today, we shopped the Mall, had lunch, and rested back at camp. Over the weekend, we visit Terry’s folks and have a lunch date with my high school classmate.

See ya!

Rambling Oregon

I recently discovered this short poem in a Tillamook County Historical publication and it had no reference to the author but I felt compelled to share it;

Life is a history in volume three

The past, the present, the yet to be

The first is finished and laid away

The second we’re reading day by day

The third and last of volume three

Is locked away from sight, God keeps the key.

I presume that the poem was written by an early Oregon pioneer and it says to me, “keep on living your history”!

Saturday, September 19, 2015

We arrived in Portland and took a campsite on Marine Drive, alongside the Columbia River, and just west of the PDX airport. We were right in the airport flightpath but fortunately it was not disturbing, in fact, we enjoyed watching the jets and identifying the different carriers. On Wednesday evening, we shopped Costco and drove over to the IKEA store and the Mall.

On Thursday, we reconnoitered the Northwest RV Show at the Portland Expo Center. Every class and model of RV was on display along with vendors of every imaginable camping product. It was a good rainy-day activity.

Mt St Helens

Yesterday, we did a full-day, day-trip to the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, east of Castle Rock, Washington. This is a unique place to explore because the 1980 eruption set off a chain of events that are “stranger than fiction”. From Johnston Ridge, the north-side blast zone demonstrates nature’s power to reshape an entire landscape, creating the most curious geologic features. My favorite things were the scenic hiking trails and the huge logs that are now being eroded from the layers of volcanic debris, by the waters of the Toutle River. We had a picnic supper at Elk Rock Overlook and were thrilled to hear an Elk bugle in the cool night air.

Today, we visited the old site of Hudson Bay Company’s, Fort Vancouver, the “Outpost of the British Empire”, in the Pacific Northwest. Today, the fort’s buildings and furnishings depict what life was like when Fort Vancouver was the most important settlement in the Pacific Northwest. Dr. John McLoughlin was the very successful manager and leader, violating company policy to assist the growing American settlers and subsequently becoming an American citizen and settler himself.

It was a cool, sunny, fall day and we enjoyed walking the grounds with our dogs. We were surprised to see some Western Scrub Jays feeding on the gall grubs of the large Oak trees, with Mount Hood showing off its crown of new snow.

On Sunday, we attended Mass at the Old St. James Cathedral, founded in 1838. It reminded me of some of the Cathedrals that I’ve seen in Europe. The Mass was very traditional and reminiscent of the original Church at Fort Vancouver. 

Monday, September 21, 2015

Our visit in the Portland area was relaxing and enjoyable with some nice

Fall weather and interesting attractions. Now we have moved on to the Columbia River Gorge and a cozy campground at the Cascade Locks, just upriver from the “Bridge of the Gods”. This evening, I met a Nez Perce fisherman down by the river and made arrangements to buy some Fall Chinook Salmon fillets from him. The Native Americans have platforms built out over the water and (by law) they employ their traditional methods of fishing. I also met a Fish and Wildlife employee running a predatory fish reward program. You can fish and make money by turning-in predatory fish (Pikeminnows) and earn an $8 reward for each.

Now, we head out to the Columbia River Gorge. 
 

Horse Tail Falls

Today, we toured the Columbia River Gorge from our Cascade Locks camp.

At Bonneville Dam, we toured the Visitor Center with fish-ladder, hydroelectric generating facility, navigation locks, fish hatchery, and picnicked at the recreation area. By heading west on old US 30, we visited the waterfalls along the south rim of the gorge. Multnomah is the most popular but Horsetail is my favorite. Driving up to the south rim, we got an overview of the river and gorge. Thus area of the gorge is very popular and has lots of parks and trails. Returning to Cascade Locks, we crossed the daunting “Bridge of the Gods” to Washington and visited Beacon Rock. The old bridge is high, narrow, and the deck is see-through steel grid-panels, so you can see the river below. There’s a local Native American, famous for jumping from this bridge when the whiskey and bets are just right.

It was a beautiful day for touring and with our plan complete, we are enjoying our evening rest. Next, we’ll head east to Hermiston and a visit with Terry’s Jeff, Justin, and Marley.

Catching-up at Tilamook County's Barview Jetty Campground

Sunday, June 7, 2015

      With the hot days in Portland and the Willamette Valley, lots of weekenders came to the coast for cooler weather. Also, the weekend brought some of the heaviest fog that we have experienced to date. It was free-camping and free- fishing in Tillamook County so the crowds came, regardless of the fog. Friday morning was so foggy that I stood at the waters-edge, where I could hear the breakers but not see them. Yesterday, we climbed the dunes several hundred feet above the campground and beach and the fog bank was lying just offshore. The locals inform me that fog and wind are a common summer occurrence. Living adjacent to the Pacific Ocean, we have witnessed the extreme contrasts of sea conditions, which can change very quickly. We have observed the ocean as smooth as a placid lake, changing to roaring, towering waves very quickly. When this happens, the boats come running into the bay, through the jetty, to safe mooring at the ports. Entering the bay from the ocean is a technical challenge requiring a knowledge of the tide and navigation aids. If the tide is ebbing or flowing, the water at the bar and jetty can be very rough and dangerous. In slack water, it is important to know the depth of the water to avoid grounding on the bar. The depth can vary extremely with the tide, so tide tables are a must. Tide tables are available at marinas and marine stores and we use the tables to plan clamming, crabbing, and beach combing. Navigation aids, are horns, bells, markers, and lights that assist a mariner in safely navigating an area by indicating specific warnings. The most noticeable navigation aid is the jetty horn that can be heard 24/7 in the campground. We constantly get questions about it, a familiar sound that we no longer notice.  

Some of our visitors are wearing shorts and tee shirts but not being fully acclimated, I’m waiting for warmer days. Terry is even less tolerable of cold nights so we purchased warm sleeping bags which we can use for overnight tent camping trips during our days off.

Yesterday, at sunset, the ocean was rough but that didn’t stop the Coast Guard from doing their rehearsal maneuvers. Their helicopter hovered over their vessel as they extracted a person from the boat, using a cable and basket. The chopper hovered a few minutes and then resumed position, returning the guy back aboard the boat, all done with the boat under way. The Coast Guard Station is situated here at Barview Jetty and they frequently practice their assortment of maneuvers so that they are prepared to save lives in authentic emergencies.

Sunday, June 21, 2015

The first day of summer and Father’s Day has been another clear, cool day and the end of a very busy weekend in the campground. The 300 camp sites were completely filled this weekend with loads of people enjoying the outdoors. After a busy weekend, we look forward to having a quite campground during the week but with summer vacations more campers are increasingly present on weekdays. We’re told that this will be the trend through Labor Day. This week, another camphost couple arrived and we are glad to see some new help. This makes five couples, just one short of the six-couple requirement. The campground is divided into six areas, each with a camp host. We manage our own area but use teamwork to assist wherever the need arises.

Monday, July 13, 2015

How fast the summer is going by here on the Oregon Coast. Living on the shore of the Pacific Ocean has been an exciting time, with numerous exhilarating experiences. We have seen the ocean as calm as a mountain lake and as angry and rough as a catfish in a foot tub.  

As usual, the local people are surprised that we have discovered and visited so many attractions and sights that they were not even aware of.

Now it is time to begin searching for a winter-2015 location. We are guaranteed a spot back in Las Vegas but we would prefer something new to us. We have been researching Southern California on the Internet and have some good prospects in Ventura, Riverside, and San Diego counties. San Diego is our first-choice spot, with everything that we need for a comfortable winter. Any suggestions or comments?

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

With the summer season coming to a close at Bar View Jetty Park in Tillamook County, Oregon, we can reflect on a terrific summer of new people, places, and things. The team-people at the county campground has developed into a family of friends and companions, proving to be a valuable gift and reliable asset. We will miss them all and hope to meet again somewhere along the road.

The places along the Pacific Coast, like Astoria, Seaside, Cannon Beach, the capes, Pacific City, Newport and places in-between have been tremendous, with the sights, hikes, beaches, seafood, and entertainment.

Over in the Willamette Valley, from Portland to Salem we have enjoyed the history, sightseeing, College Campuses, abundant agricultural crops, vineyards, and numerous old towns.

Our favorite things were the visit with sister Rose, Tillamook County Creamery with their wonderful cheese and ice cream, the Washington State Tall-Ship (Columbia), the Tillamook County Fair, Whales/birds, and the numerous historical sights and parks.

For the last several days we have observed flocks of migrating Geese, heading south for the winter. This is our signal that we too will be heading south soon. We are excited about our winter assignment at Lake Cahuilla Regional Park, in the Coachella Valley of Riverside County, California, which begins November 1^st.

In between, we plan to ramble Oregon, and California. We will complete the seven-wonders of Oregon tour with:

Mt. Hood, Painted Hills, Smith Rock, Crater Lake, the Wallowa’s, with the Pacific Coast and Columbia River Gorge already visited.

In California, we plan to explore the Serra Nevada Range, along the eastern California line.

Such beautiful scenery

Terry with Sam on the sea shore

Typical haystacks on the shore