Rain, Rain... Here to Stay....

The BRIDGE OF THE GODS... Connects Oregon and Washington.

So... I’m at the Cascade Locks, in Oregon. It’s been raining very very steadily since last night. I’m all snug in my little cozy house, having had a VERY expensive, pretty lousy brunch at the Multnomah Falls place. I didn’t think about it being Sunday and all.. Hell, I don’t even know the date!

Oh well, it was really pretty at the falls, rain and all.



A somewhat obscured picture of the falls... it was RAINING, you know...

I met my neighbors, Kurt and Shirley. (surely you can’t be curt is how I remember it). They were very nice and stayed another night because of the Portland Weather. I’ve been hearing about some nasty accidents out of there.

I drove across the "Bridge of the Gods" to Washington, and a little town called Stevenson. I think that is where the fires were just lately. It was a pretty little town, far nicer than this one, and had a nice market where I got a half turkey sandwich (assuming I eat anything tonight.. belch... )



Crossing the bridge...

later....

Ok.. someone raise their hand and tell me how much fun there is to be had camping...

Shit...

I turned on my little heater, and it quit. I figured that I should use the adapter to increase the amps. While I was at it, since I had to get all suited up to go outside, I thought I’d go pee. There was a little lean-to with some old chairs in it. I sat down to watch the rain, it was so pretty. There was a reason they were out back.. the chair collapsed sideways. I went down on my ... wait for it... knees. No harm no foul so far.. I tried to get up, but my long rider’s coat was under the chair, and I had to shrug it off to get up and fell again. This time it hurt.. some on my bad knee... but most on my right.

my GOOD knee , of course.

sigh..

I could feel the hematoma moments later.

So, I’ve had ice on it .. it’s not a BIG thing, but kneeling on that knee hurts. I think I’m going to have to hop around the back of my van on one knee for a while.

Oh for a video camera..

and I’m still belching up bits of breakfast...

and maybe (ahem! Allison!!) maybe fighting a cold..

Are we having fun yet? (grin)



The sternwheeler... you can see it taking a cruise in the 'on the bridge' picture...

Just a thought... the picture below is of the Columbia river near where it can be accessed in Oregon. I am always amazed at how big the river, and how dry the land on either side. It must not be worth harnessing at this point, because things flourish where they've tapped into it..

go figure..

Let it Snow... Let it Snow.. Let it... SNOW?

I didn't take this picture... but it's pretty!

I’d rather be lucky than smart..

Fortunately for me, I’m a little of both!

First the lucky stuff.

I left Joseph late today, and stopped by Russell’s to watch some glass work. I took some videos, but I believe I am going to have to have a better wifi to load them. I’m surprised at how big the files! I have wifi tonight, but seem to have trouble logging on to blogger...

go figure...

anyways. As I stopped at the (eep!) Wal Mart in La Grande, I heard SOMEONE say that it was REALLY snowing in the Meacham pass. My original plan was to stay at Emigrant Springs, a stop on the Oregon trail. Emigrant Springs is right at the top of Meacham pass. Russell told me that it would be cold there, and I said “don’t mind the cold”... I called him after driving through the BLIZZARD and said .. “Smart ass”.

I took video of the snow beating on my little van. It was so windy that it was coming straight at me, but because of the wind and the traffic, it wasn’t sticking. I knew when I got to Pendleton that it would stop snowing, as the drop in altitude is great.

So, I was going to stay in Pendleton...

I don’t like Pendleton (I would say I hate it, but that’s so harsh (as pointed out to me by Allison)). I looked at the campground and decided to travel on to Boardman, which is the point at which I-84 picks up the Columbia River. I figured even if the campground was just concrete, it would surpass Pendleton.



It was another oasis. Green... trees... grass... neat campsites and I am backed up RIGHT on the Columbia River. I can’t say enough about the Columbia. This is not the beginning of the river, and I have another... oh... 160+ miles to go to Portland, and then it’s another .. oh... 40+ miles to the mouth of the river. At that point it’s something like SIX MILES WIDE!


We’re talking RIVER here...



My back yard...

Lewis and Clark must have peed their pants...

So that’s the lucky part. The smart part is ...

well.

hmm... let me see..

I’ll come up with something!

A further note... I was able to post today at the Dalles, at a Shiloh Inn (thanks!). I was going to drive through the Portland area tomorrow, but it is apparently going to be innundated with rain, so I'm going to stay about 50 miles out of town for two nights. I might get rain but I will be NOT driving through the storm..

Don't know about Wifi...

On the Road Again...

Short post. I'm leaving Joseph this morning after one last breakfast with Allison. I'm not certain where I'm going, but it is going to be west of here. The weather here is so dry... I need some ocean to moisten me. I feel like "Big Fish"...

No pictures, but I'll put some on tomorrow if I can.


talkatchalater!

Perambulatin’

Wallowa lake... from the bottom...

I just called Mom (ti’s last night, according to the post date on this) and used my little Neti pot and I was just perambulating when I was invited to the neighbors for a piece of FRESH homemade home grown warm peach pie...

sigh....

I had breakfast today with Allison and we talked more and then shopped and I bought something...

for me....

it’s a long story, but I have a smaller version of this man’s work over my fireplace. I ordered two extra tree bunches when I got it, because it was too small for the wall. It still is...





but this ain’t!

and I deserve it.

I’m going to try to put a video of Jake, Russell’s partner, doing some glass work at their ‘foundry’, if you call it that. I think I have to go through youtube first, but if I can’t figure it out, I will show it when I get home. Russell is the one with with the beautiful glass at moonshineglass.com. I didn’t get video of Russell, as Jake was working when I was there, but I have pictures... Jake is Allison's son!

It’s quite an art...

This is just a small video test....



IT WORKED!... boy, you're in for it now.. (grin)

Here’s Jake, just in case...



Then I drove around Enterprise (the next town) and back to Joseph and piddled around (that saying may not resonate with the younger crowd, but we used to use it a lot... it doesn’t involve piddling).

Molly and Polly...

I stopped to see an old friend today. I didn’t expect her to be here, as she lives in Portland. She has a house on the lake. A BEAUTIFUL house on the lake which she rents out much of the year. She was actually my sister’s friend. Her older sister was mine... We called her and my sister Molly and Polly and the Mom’s made matching outfits for them. TOO cute. She was here because a Feng Schwing (whatever) expert told her she should not live in her condo in Portland for 49 days...

hmmm.... Hope everything is there when she gets back!

It was great talking to her. It was wonderful on the porch overlooking the lake. It was MARVELOUS that she let me use her shower!!! A REAL shower in a warm room... hot water...


sigh...

Then I moseyed around Joseph. I took some more pictures and visited the shops and had a grilled cheese sandwich with homemade soup. All in all a great day!

More pictures...



The cowboy...



The man and his dog. I love this one, but can’t seem to get a really good shot of it... This will have to do.

The eagle at the top of the page. This is the ‘greeting’ sculpture, as it stands on the incoming edge of the town. It’s graceful and gorgeous.

As am I, of course....



An old Barn. I drove out of town and went to the cemetery. I like cemeteries, but this one was... ordinary. On the way there, a small border collie ran out and chased me for a bit. I thought I was going to hit him! On the way back, I slowed waaay down. There he was, just sitting on the edge of his property.... waiting.... watching...

So I stopped.

He ran off...

All bark and no bite, the little coward!

So...

This sign has been here for at least 50 years, because that's how many years I've been coming here..

So...

I got to Joseph today. I stopped in Wallowa to visit my glassblowing friend and his new wife... What great people. I think it’s a good match! I watch production for a while; he was deep in making his glass pints (of which I am going to have a lot more pictures... they’re transcendent!) Then I was off to town.

The trees are taller than the last time I was here, which I now believe was before Mom’s first stroke... Certainly before this computer. The maple trees were in full bloom then... I have a picture I may put on a blog at a later date because the town looked as if it was lit from within.

Joseph, when I first met it in 1957, was about the same size, but was a ... well... shabby little town. In the last few years, they have done a lot of work, and kept it within the graces of the old town.

One of the most interesting things they did was redoing the sidewalks. They made them larger (the main street was always wide), and added little “corners”... that bulge out. This keeps the drivers away from the parkers, and adds some beauty to the town...

because..

On each corner is some kind of display. Sometimes it’s just rocks and trees and maybe an artistic bicycle ‘parked’ beside. Sometimes it is an enormous bronze sculpture from one of the local artisans.




I’m putting some here... now...

These are all full sized figures, and add such beauty to this little town that it’s a joy to walk down the street...


The horse...



The lady ... I really like her... there’s a side view so you can see how the town looks in front of her..







The big cat...



I took a few more I didn’t like, so I’ll put them on tomorrow or so. Turns out Joseph is rife with wifi.

I then headed out to the campground and not only did they have spaces, they gave me my FAVORITE space without my asking! go figure...

I drove up the little road that leads to the left of the campground. There are places with cabins and all...

and deer...



As you can see, they are fed too often by humans. I stopped to take a picture and this little one came right up... then, after I drove off, he just stayed there! I had to shoo him away after I turned around and came back...

The State Park has started feeding them outside of the campground, as they became such a nuisance during hunting season (and any other, I guess). They aren’t pets, and can raise up and rake you with hooves or horns. (antlers?) whatever.....

ask me how I know this...

I don’t know if you remember, but last time I had a picture of a motorhome with about 15 deer just sitting outside while the man cooked. He hadn’t fed them, but they all gathered there. I called him the deer whisperer.


I could, however, feed this little chipsquirrel...





So I’m off to bed. It’s cold up here in the trees, but the weather is nice during the day.

I am beginning to miss my bed!

Short Post From a Pretty Town

Coming into Joseph... the campground is in those mountains...

This will be short. There's no cell phone or wifi at the campground, so I'm in town...

I'll take a bunch of pictures tomorrow and post'em for you!

A river on the drive through Eastern Oregon..



The Grande Ronde...

Sometimes You Get Very Lucky....

My feet... tapping to the music from the rodeo.... or not....

Ok... first, let me tell you about last night. Not ONLY was there the rodeo next door, but the temperature dropped to around 30 degrees...

whoopee!

I could hear the announcers of the rodeo quite clearly, even with the doors closed. Admittedly they were quite funny, but it did get a bit old as the NIGHT wore on... and on... and on... Those rodeo people, they sure know how to party.

I had breakfast at the ONLY place to eat (well, as far as I’m concerned) in Sisters. Only had to wait a little bit. Then I found a wifi spot and posted!

Today I was driving from Sisters to... well, wherever. My plan was to get to Ukiah (yes, there is one in Oregon, too), where there was a state park. Now the drive from Sisters to East of Sisters anywhere is pretty sere... it’s high desert, no more no less, with a couple of trees and some pretty rocks thrown in for good measure. It was endless...

As I approached a little town called Mount Vernon (yes, there is one in Oregon, too) I noticed a little wayside on the map, so I skipped the turnoff to Ukiah, and went a mile or so out of my way to take a pee break (yes, they have THOSE in Oregon, too). Right beside the large park and wayside, was a little state park campground that was just delightful! It was small and very pretty and so green that it seemed to be an oasis in the countryside... $17 a night, electricity and the obligatory separate shower. I was in heaven! I didn’t want to drive the 120 miles to Ukiah, and I’m not on a schedule, so I stopped...




campground...



more campground..



Best move I've made all trip, and totally unexpected. The weather was cool but not cold, and all the trees are different and labeled. Someone had taken great care of this place in a teeny tiny town.




The back of my campspace...

Hooray for me!

OH! on the way from Sisters, about 70 miles into the trip, I saw a little turnout, right in the middle of nowhere, and I DO mean nowhere. I thought something was wrong with the tree, and I looked closer.

Shoes.....

Many, many shoes...

I have no idea why...

I can postulate, but it would do no good...





You will not believe what I had to go through to post this!

Yippee Ki Yi Yi....

Sisters....

Hoping to find a wifi spot tomorrow morning..... this stoopid KOA doesn’t have any, and I’m in Sisters, Oregon, which may not either. sigh...

The difference in temperature was dismaying today. It was so nice and cool on the coast, and it must have been in the 80’s today in Sisters. It’s in the kind of middle of the state, at a fairly high elevation, and hot... and dry...

I miss my State Parks Campgrounds...

Last time I was here, for those of you who remember, I stayed on the Metilous river, on the north of town. It was nicer in the trees by the river, but the campground was small and... well... sort of shabby...

I couldn’t wait until sundown today, which I thought would never come!

However... with the setting of the sun came...

THE RODEO!!!

Apparently, rodeo is a big thing in Sisters, and the Rodeo place is RIGHT next to the campground. I was going to call y’all and have you listen to the very loud sound, but it was too late for most of you when it started.

oh boy...

a rodeo...

right next door...

Now, if I were in my 30’s....

Sisters is/was a fun little town with gifty shops all over the place. I don’t know the history, but it looks as if it is an old town made new again. Unfortunately, I couldn’t stop anywhere in town because of the non stop traffic. There is only one main drag, and it was crammed with cars...

And big buildings are being built, even as we speak.

Huge ones...

On the way here, I took the winding shortcut through the trees and green and then (it was a total surprise to me the first time) LAVA ... lots and lots of Lava.. The Sisters are actually three volcanic mountains. They are quite beautiful, and have erupted not that long ago (well, as volcanos go, you know)... the road runs right through these big waves of lava, even though the elevation at that point is 5,300 ft! The lava isn’t lower (unless it’s worn by weather at the lower elevations) it’s only at that altitude...

go figure..




Hope springs eternal...




The observatory... don’t know it’s history...


A sample of Sisters building... had to turn off the main drag to take it!



The only picture I couldn’t get (because of the traffic) was of these beautiful horses. There were about 30 of them in a field which was being watered by these huge sprinklers. They were eating and playing in the sprinklers and, as I passed, two of them were rolling on their backs like big puppy dogs...

What a joy....


of course...

to make up for the heat...

it was about 30 degrees last night...

Nuthin....

I really don't have anything to say today. Much of yesterday was spent doing laundry, talking to a golden retriever named Maggie and talking again with my friend, who is at the abyss looking into moving into an assisted living place. She is very alone, and infirm and needs to..

It was kind of like the talk I never had to have with Mom, which , in and of itself, is a blessing..

So I took no pictures and did little...

The good news is that I am missing the "chowder and brew' fest here this weekend...

They were filtering in the campground last night, and ready to party...

See you later!

Florence in Lawrence?

sorry for that (grin)





The campground...

oops...

Not much to say today....

I spent much of yesterday visiting with my friend, and then reading in the campground... it’s cold!

Oh... I did, however, manage to give back some of the money I won in Coos bay.

Turns out there’s a casino here, too...

dang....


my neighbors... isn't that cute!

Lawrence of Florence...

This is the bridge leading to Florence... It’s famous for it’s Art Deco design and it’s age... and beauty. I think I’ve posted a picture of it before. It goes over the river than runs by what might have been my house under different circumstances...

Someone told me that there used to be someone who called himself “Lawrence of Florence”... He had camels and people could ride them on the sand dunes here...

I’m skeptical, but I’m going to check it out.

I’m in Florence, Oregon. I’m visiting an old friend, and am going to be staying here for 3 nights. This is one of my favorite campgrounds. The trees are taller, and the campsites still surrounded, and the individual showers (step in, big room, LOCK THE DOOR) and all are here.

Old town in Florence is vastly different from the one in Bandon. Everything here seems to be older and.... well.. better made? Maybe it's because this was also a logging place, what with the river and all...




One of the old buildings.




I came slowly up the coast from Bandon, after breakfasting at the little coffee place that had free wifi.

The speed limit on this very good ocean highway is 55 mph. It’s mostly two lanes (one each way) but has a lot of passing places because of the combination of motorhomes and old Oregon drivers. I always do the speed limit, here and anywhere else (except maybe at home). TWO cars passed me speedily at the junction where the road returns to two way traffic today, and BOTH of them were popped by the police...

Made me chuckle...

I stopped at the Casino in Coos Bay... walked in with my obligatory $40 and walked out with $200... yeaaaa for me!

I finished another book today. I’ve been reading “The Great Influenza’, about the 1918 Flu pandemic, but it got a bit tedious, so I stuck in a John Sandford book just to break the sneezing and wheezing and all the sick people.

My little bed, all ready for me to jump in and get cozy!

Huckleberry Hound....

The beach at Harris Beach State Park...


My fingers are all stained from picking Huckleberries. The nice lady in the campsite next to mine was picking them earlier, and I politely asked what she was picking. She didn’t stop talking for the next 15 minutes! Just a constant stream of consciousness kind of talking. I nodded at all the pauses and after she left, picked a half a bag and gave it to her.

It’s so peaceful here. I’m at Bullard’s beach campground, just up the coast from Harris Beach about... oh... 50 miles. The slow pace is nice right now. I was lying on my little bed with all the doors open (the sun is hot, but the breeze is cool) just watching the trees and green and listening to the sounds of surf and silence. Just little sounds... No lawn mowers or leaf blowers, no traffic, no screaming kids, .... nothing...

I had such fun coming up the coast! I stopped at the famous little fruit stand that started in 1971 and is now a big building with gifts and jams and jellies and wine. I’ve loved watching it grow over the years.

Brookings, the town nearest the Harris Beach campground is in the ‘banana belt’ of the Oregon coast. It’s milder than most of the rest of the coast. The town, however, is somehow unpleasant, as if a price has been paid for the ‘better weather’, so I drove to Gold Beach, where I knew there was a good breakfast place. As I was pulling out of a driveway, I saw two men RUNNING like hell. It was such a strange sight that I stopped and watched, wondering what would make them do that. Then the siren went off and I realized that they were part of the fire department. Men came from all over, and not one of them walked. They were on the road lickety split... must be nice to know they care that much.

I stopped in Port Orford, which is not my kind of Oregon.... the bottom half of the coast is too windy much of the time. I have a friend in Bandon, the town nearest this campground, and the house is right on the coast. The wind never quits, and the result is a lack of tall vegetation. Here at the campground, it’s much nicer, but there are fewer big trees and more Huckleberry bushes.

In Port Orford I stopped at the Post Office... me and half the town. It was a kick watching everyone greet each other and stop and talk. I love small towns. There was a woman driving the car below. She was SO proud of it. I didn’t get a picture of it at the post office, but saw her again at the gas station. She laughed when I said I had to have a picture. I told her it would be on the internet and she was thrilled! well.... she thought it was cool, at least.





There was this building... it fascinated me. I know nothing about it, but it looks like an old jail or something...




As I drove through the old town part of Bandon, I found a little coffee shop with wifi. I’m going to go there tomorrow and post with the rest of the coffee drinkers... Here is a shot of the old town in Bandon. It’s really kept a sort of kitschy charm, with galleries and gifty shops and such..





and, on a nice day, people eating at the crab shack...





Oooh... and it’s DARK at night! The KOA campgrounds are always brightly lit.. that’s why I had to make double thick curtains... When I made my toothbrush run tonight, it was DARK! Just some dim campfires left... those old people go to bed early....

Oregon HO!

The Oregon state parks are without equal.

I know this is an unequivocal statement, but remember, I have been a great many places in my years of travel...

I crossed the border today and stopped at Harris State Park. People have been telling me for years that this park is particularly beautiful... They were right. It’s on the ocean, but on a bluff, littered with tall trees and those little enclaves for which the state parks here are renowned. Each camper has a little space all their very own, surrounded by trees and bushes, which gives the illusion that you very well may be the only camper here. If you choose to go and seek companionship, you may. If you choose to sit and read and contemplate, you may also.... up to you.







All for $21 a night, including electricity and individual showers....

I drove around Eureka this morning, after having breakfast at the Samoa Cookhouse. It has been serving food since 1893. It was a cookhouse for lumber people for years, but has had great success as a regular restaurant since. It’s filled with pictures and implements from the logging days, and it’s best visited with a bunch of people, as they serve food the old fashioned way.... pitchers of orange juice, coffee, and bowls of biscuits and gravy and eggs and sausage and french toast. I have some video I took years ago inside... it’s the place i had dinner with the gentleman trucker many years ago.




Eureka is known for it’s old, beautiful buildings. There was lots of money to be made destroying the redwood forests. This house is known the world over, and the arts theater is equally impressive.






The drive here from Eureka was short, but interesting. I saw elk (see!) and redwood trees and any manner of small towns. I was going to stop in Trinidad, which is charming, but there was some kind of bike race clogging up the town. Stoopid bikes..












It rained a bit! I was so excited that I was going to call everyone I know, but my service here is limited, so you all lucked out!

I’m going up the coast at a leisurely pace. I don’t know where I’ll stop next, but there are dozens of little antique shops and odd breakfast places and cute little towns to explore. I know this coast well.. .

It’s raining again!

I will have to find a wifi place tomorrow morning, as the parks HAVE one, but they charge. Only drawback...