Another Lazy Day in Cove Palisades ST Park

September 30, 2012 (Day 247)

We woke up with good intentions…but again, we started talking to our neighbors, and ended up just taking a short walk through the brush to the fence that keeps you from going over a 600 foot cliff. There is a great view of the Crooked River below. (or maybe it’s the lake formed from a dam..we’ll find out later)

We had communicated with Marilyn and Gene a few days ago, and they decided to join us on their way north from Yosemite. So we grabbed a campsite long enough for their new trailer and reserved it for them before we went off on a quick trip to Madras for wi-fi and groceries. Although why we thought we needed any groceries with Marilyn arriving!

Harris went off to find the ranger and pay for our spot for the night, and ended up talking to this guy with his Model T. Dennis Printz (sp?)has worked on model T’s for over 30 years and was camping with this one when it broke down during the 200 mile camping trip. He said that he once took it back to Model T convention in Illinois, a trip of over 2000 miles without a mishap. It was headed back to the homestead for repairs.

We admired Marilyn’s new trailer, and enjoyed the great dinner she cooked for us: fried chicken, rice pilaf, salad, zucchini, fresh bread sticks, wine and dessert. Nothing like camping in style!

Marilyn and Gene’s new trailer has plenty of room to play cards, so we finished the evening with Phase 10, which Marilyn won.
Perhaps tomorrow we’ll get some hiking or geocaching done!

Total miles driven today = 28

Lazy Day in Cove Palisades ST Park

September 29, 2012 (Day 246)

When we left our RV park this morning, we told ourselves we’d hike later, when we got to the state park, so we could skip the morning walk. Good intentions!

First we drove south to Redmond and Terrebonne so Judy could visit the quilt shops. (Redmond, not worth it, Terrebonne great). Then we went further north on 97 to The Cove Palisades State Park outside of Culver.

This is a great state park. In fact, as we learned from people around us, it is the most visited park in Oregon. It’s reservations for summer fill up in January. Luckily for us, fall is a little more open. Half the campground is closed for the season, but that still leaves 89 sites. We sited Howie so that as we opened our door, we got a great view of Mt. Jefferson. We pulled out our chairs and ate our lunch enjoying the view. We watched this squirrel climbing a tree to get to seeds.

Then we got on our bikes, intending to at least tour the grounds….but….we stopped to talk to a couple down the road a piece….and about 5 hours later returned to Howie!

Ron and Renee were camping in an Airstream, and are from the Portland area. We just enjoyed visiting. They brought out some chips and drinks. Then they hailed another couple a few sites away, Rob and Susan from Vancouver, BC. The party went on until it got dark and a bit chilly. We had to come home for dinner but by then it was after 7 and we just decided to nibble instead of cooking a full meal.

The campground has some green grass around the sites, and then it opens onto wild grasslands. While we were visiting, we saw several deer wander through, and this jack rabbit.

We almost missed the sunset!

The moon will be bright again tonight.

Miles driven today = 47

Leaving the falls

September 28, 2012 Day 245


We decided to do one more waterfall hike before leaving Silver Falls State Park. We drove to the North Falls parking lot, and then walked down. And down. And down….to the top of the falls, and then down some more to get to the bottom. North Falls is 136 feet of falling water. The trail winds down and then behind the falls, almost inside a huge cave overhang. A bit spooky for Judy who doesn’t like caves much. But it is awe inspiring to watch the water from the back as well as the usual front view.

We continued on for while before deciding we’d head back up. (and up and up). We were amazed at the huge logs and boulders in the river. The boulders looked to be about 20 feet in diameter..at least.

We left the west side of Oregon, heading east toward Redmond. Of course, we had to make a quick quilt shop stop in Stayton, before heading east on highway 22. This was a beautiful highway, through forests of huge evergreens, and deciduous trees just beginning to turn colors. As we climbed higher toward the pass, the deciduous trees disappeared entirely. It reminded us of highway 2 to Stevens Pass. At the top of Santiam Pass, we saw acres and acres of white trees…leftover ghosts of a huge fire here. Then, over the pass, into the dry side, huge pine trees instead of firs, and almost desert country. Just like Washington…such variety within short drives…oceans to mountains to deserts.

We stopped in Redmond to get a few groceries, then drove to our RV spot for the night. We’re at River Rim RV Park in Crooked River Ranch, just outside Redmond. It’s a small park, very desert like, on the rim, obviously, overlooking a river. Harris cooked a great dinner of grilled salmon, rice and salad. The night was dark and peaceful, and again we had to walk outside to admire our moonshadows. Harris managed to get a picture of the bright moon.

Total miles driven = 130

Silver Falls State Park

September 26, 27 2012 (Days 243,244)


We drove a whole 15 miles from Silverton to Silver Falls State Park to camp for a couple of nights. We drove through some beautiful countryside….lots and lots of Christmas tree farms, in various stages. Some were mature trees ready to cut, others were knee high, and others were little tiny seedlings just getting started.

We arrived at the park mid afternoon, and were actually a bit surprised at how many campsites were occupied. Seems we’re not the only retired folks who like to camp in September!

After a quick lunch we toured a bit on our bikes, and went to the 4 mile bike path that led from the campsite, through the historical area, around a meadow and back again.
The park has over 9000 acres of “spectacular scenery”…(from a brochure, and we’re not going to argue). The CCC built the South Falls Lodge in the 1930’s.

Once used as a restaurant, diners ate on tables and chairs built from only two myrtle trees. The nuggets of knowledge we went away with were the facts that myrtle wood is among the strongest and long-lasting woods available, but if not dried one of the fastest to warp. When dried 18,000 pounds become 8,000 pounds of durable straight wood as evidenced by the tables inside the lodge today.

Back to camp, a great dinner and a movie on the computer..(the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel..great) then an unusual card game. Unusual because Judy beat Harris…a lot to a little (200 to 6 when Harris gave up)! We had a very peaceful night’s sleep after we went outside to enjoy the bright moon.
Thursday
The park’s most famous feature is the Trail of Ten Falls. These falls come from two forks of Silver Creek, as it tumbles over thick basalt lava flows resting on softer, older rock. The softer layers beneath the basalt eroded over time and created natural pathways behind some of the falls. The entire trail is 8 miles, and we elected to do the 5 mile loop today and leave some of it for tomorrow.

This is South Falls, 177 feet in height, and one that you can walk behind.

This is Lower South Falls, 93 feet high, and another one you can walk behind.

Another view of the same Lower South Falls.

Interesting trees bent over the trail that Harris liked along the trail.
The weather was absolutely perfect for hiking. The sun was out, but the trail was almost all shaded, so we didn’t get too hot. Sun seekers get lucky again!

Total miles driven today= zero!

Checking out Silverton, OR

September 25, 2012 (Day 242)

Caches and Murals

Today we decided to hang around Silverton for the day. The skies were grey and cloudy at first, but then the sun broke through, and it turned into a glorious day.

We started out by driving to the Gordon House, for two reasons. It is the only Frank Lloyd Wright house in Oregon, and the only one open to the public in the Pacific Northwest. (Except this house wasn't open today...appointments only...so we could only walk around the outside and marvel at the architecture.)

Also, Harris found our first geocache of the day in the grounds around the house.

Silverton has something like 19 murals around the town, and we enjoyed finding most of them on a walking tour. (We enjoyed it, that is, except when Judy had us turn in the wrong direction...)
Harris had to take a picture of this one...the Silverton Red Sox team, made up of local men who worked at the Silver Falls Timber Company. They were also a farm team for the Boston Red Sox.....and played their last game in 1954.

This was a clever hide....a cache disguised as a sprinkler.

These murals were copies of Norman Rockwell's famous paintings of the Four Freedoms.

Harris talked to this woman who was touching up a mural of Bobbie the Wonder Dog. (Lost on a vacation to Indiana, showed back up in Silverton 6 months later). She works every summer keeping the murals in good shape.

A mural dedicated to a local boy who made it big...Don Pettit, who as an astronaut spent 6 months as a mission specialist aboard the International Space Station.

We had to drive a few miles out of town to see the Gallon House covered bridge.
The name Gallon House was due to the bridge's use as a "pigeon drop" for liquor at the north entrance. Operators at a liquor dispensary nearby sold "white lightening" whiskey by the gallon to Silverton residents. At the time, Silverton was "dry," not allowing liquor to be sold in town, while Mt. Angel (a nearby town) was "wet."
We also found another cache nearby.

Fields of pumpkins turning orange for fall.


We went back to the RV park for a quick lunch, and then took our bikes for a short ride to find more caches...one in a nearby cemetery (from the 1800's), and one under a light post in a parking lot. While we were at the last one, we ran into a woman and her kids trying to find the same cache. They didn't know the trick about lifting up the metal "apron" where the cache is hidden. They were happy to find it, and Harris took a picture because they were just so darn cute.

We biked back to our camp, sat outside in the warm sunshine, and then had a great dinner. Harris grilled steak, cooked a potato and made a salad. Not the usual camp food!

total miles driven today= 12miles

Fall escape to Oregon

September 23, 24 2012 Days 240 241

The weather in Seattle has been great for several weeks, and we’ve been busy doing outside chores and enjoying the sun. This week, fall started to show up, and we decided to head south and east to get some more sun before the rains start in earnest. Ah, the joys of being retired! And no one appreciates going somewhere new more than old retired school teachers who don’t have to show up to the classroom!


Fire Fighting Convoy heading to a fire

We got a late start Sunday morning, but that was ok because we only planned to drive to Shelton to visit our good friend, Glenda Dehning. We had just called her the day before to see if she was going to be home, and luckily for us she was. We love visiting with her (even when we stay up way too late talking), and especially at this time of year. She has a great garden and loves to share her produce with everyone. We had a great lunch of rice and beans, fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots and green beans. We were so full that later we had a light dinner later, crackers, cream cheese with hot pepper mint jelly that Judy made, and more veggies.


Glenda showcasing our healthy lunch

On the way down I-5, just before Olympia, we were passed by a convoy of vans. After the 3rd one went by, we figured out they were fire fighters, probably coming home after working on the fires in eastern Washington. They all looked dirty and tired, and we wished we could have somehow signaled our gratitude to them.


Our camping spot for the night

“Camping” in Glenda’s driveway is sooo quiet and peaceful. Glenda always goes walking in the morning at 7:30, so we had to get up and join her. We hustled on the first half of the walk, but definitely slowed down on the way home because we got sidetracked by the bushes still loaded with blackberries. We snacked our way back to her house and breakfast. Sun-warmed, ripe, blackberries! Such a treat! We had a hard time leaving that behind.


Monday Night Football on cable trumps Oregon state park

“Camping” in Glenda’s driveway is sooo quiet and peaceful. Glenda always goes walking in the morning at 7:30, so we had to get up and join her. We hustled on the first half of the walk, but definitely slowed down on the way home because we got sidetracked by the bushes still loaded with blackberries. We snacked our way back to her house and breakfast. Sun-warmed, ripe, blackberries! Such a treat! We had a hard time leaving that behind.

Total miles driven= 315

Judy's Birthday at Mt. Rainier

Days 239,240

Judy likes to spend her birthday at Mt. Rainier. This year the weather cooperated beautifully...high 70's, then 80's...even 90's! The only problem was it fell on a weekend. The campgrounds were full. We first tried White River campground on the Sunrise side of the mountain. Full. The ranger told us everything was full. So, back down the mountain we went, towards 3 forest service campgrounds. The first, (and nicest) Silver Springs, was full. The second, Buck Creek, had room, but was not inviting at all. (and after all, this was a birthday weekend!) The third, the Dalles, had one space left. So we quickly grabbed it up and set out to enjoy our weekend.

There was a sign at the end of the camping loop that said, "9 and 1/2 ft Douglas fir", so we walked down a short trail to see the big tree. As you can see from the sign, the diameter is 9 and 1/2 feet, the height is 235 ft, and the tree is estimated to be 700 years old. They grow them big out here!

A picture of Howie in the only campsite. The only problem was, this entire camp was very close to the highway. We had our heads toward the road, and it was a busy road for most of the time. Not exactly the peace and silence we'd experienced before. And then, the people across from us had 2 yappie dogs. The dogs yapped and barked and barked and yapped. We said, "boy, we could have stayed home and heard this!"
All the sites had been reserved for the entire weekend, but on Saturday morning, these people were packing up and moving out. When we went to talk to them, they told us they were camping with their daughter's dogs, who were obviously not used to the great outdoors, and they didn't sleep at all last night. They were going home. They offered us their spot, and since it was a little further from the road noise, we moved right in.

After "moving", we headed up the mountain to Sunrise to do a little hiking. Good thing we got an early start. The parking lot was filling up, and later, became more than full. Sunny weekends will do that! The hiking was excellent...sunny, hot, but with just enough of a breeze to keep us comfortable and the bugs away. We hiked to Frozen Lake and looped back towards the parking via Shadow Lake. We were glad we had taken our poles with us, because we had to slip and slide over 3 different patches of snow on this lower trail. We met a ranger coming towards us on the trail who asked us if we had seen the bear. "No!, where?" "Back at the junction of the trails"...must have just missed it. It sounded like this particular bear had been making a nuisance of himself there.

Sunrise is definitely the place to go for gorgeous pictures of Mt. Rainier.

Saturday night we talked to some people next to us who had been to Crystal Mountain, next to Rainier that day. They told us the gondola ride was fantastic, so on Sunday morning we decided to give it a try. Crystal Mountain is a huge ski resort in the winter, and lures tourists there in the summer with this ride and various hikes. Again, we were lucky to get there fairly early in the morning, and could get on without any wait. When we came down a couple of hours later, the lines were very long. The gondola is quick and quiet, and whisked us to the top in a matter of minutes. The view from the top is spectacular. You see Mt. Adams in the south, Mt. St. Helens in between, Mt. Rainier right in front of you, the Olympics a bit to the north, Mt. Baker due north, and Glacier Peak if there isn't too much haze.

We hiked a bit along the ridgeline trail to get the great views, then found a shady spot to sit and eat some lunch before riding back down the mountain and heading home.

This picture was taken on Saturday on the hike to Frozen Lake. Harris was wearing his earphones and took his little XM radio receiver along so he could listen to the Mariners beat the Yankees. Such a fan!
It was a great birthday weekend.
Total miles driven = 310.