July Visitors

Weather Update for 19 July – 25 July 2015

High Temp: 92.3

Low Temp: 42.3

Humidity: 94% - 27%

Rain: Zip

Cheryl's News from Camp Webegone

Frank and Jeri Ann

Rich and I were blessed in July with four groups of visitors; two visits with family and two with friends. The first July visitors were my cousin, Jeri Ann, and her husband Frank. Their home is in Virginia, and approximately every other summer they come out west and visit family. Camp Webegone was sorta on their way from California as they headed to Salem, Oregon. During their four-hour visit, we packed short viewings of Natural Bridge and the Rogue Gorge and lunch at Beckies.

The next visitor was my cousin Howard, who stopped by for an evening visit. We shared stories and childhood memories while sitting around the campfire. And as night falls, I got a sense of the ancient rhythms of our tribal ancestors, of the journey of their lives. That was an inspiring night.

Nancy and Sandy

Nancy and Sandy visited for three nights as they made the journey from Portland to California. They stayed at the Prospect Inn, located in the nearby town. Theirs was a leisurely visit filled with lots of sitting and chatting - an activity that Rich and I experience an awful deficiency of. We do enjoy our own company, but it is wonderful to have fresh conversation, new input, and unheard ideas. On a beautiful sunny day, the four of us  drove to view Crater Lake. For some folks, Crater Lake is just a lake. For others, the lake is a stunning beauty that touches the soul. It is always amazing to me to watch those that it touches.

Steve and Nina

Our final July visitors were Steve and Nina from Washington. They camped in Site 12 (my favorite) for three nights. The focus of their visit was rejuvenation - embracing the peace and quiet of nature, listening to the songs of the Rogue River, mixed with lots of hiking.

It was a wonderful month of fun and friendship. Rich and I were truly blessed and enriched by our July visitors.

Cheryl

Thunderbolts and Lightning, very very frightening

Weather Update for 12 July – 18 July 2015

High Temp: 90.0

Low Temp: 54.1

Humidity: 31% - 94%

Rainfall: Zip

Cheryl's News from Camp Webegone

Thorsday, July 9, 2015

Kaboom! And lightning crashed down into the Natural Bridge Campground.

Fortunately for us, it was raining at the time (over and inch in less than an hour), so it wasn't the fire hazard it would otherwise have been. Still scary though!

Lightning-struck tree

That day, we had heavy rainfall. There was even a brief period of hail the size of blueberries (during which when I opened the door, our cat, Mimi, bolted for her safe place in the woods). End of the day, big puddles, 2” deep in our campsite. And site 6 was a lake with about 6” of water throughout. Six inches of water and a black lab sitting and playing in it. That was how our day ended.

All sites were impacted by the storm, but all the campers stayed. Real campers, all.

The next day Rich and went on an explore to locate where the lightening struck. As it turned out, one bolt had hit four trees. That made us curious, so we asked around. The park ranger said the lightening probably hit the lead tree, then ricocheted to two other trees, and finally ricocheted off one of those trees to hit the fourth tree, the smallest tree of the four hit.

We also asked around about why the bark was stripped off the tree. There was a physicist staying at the campground at the time, and he said that when lightening strikes a tree, the moisture under the bark instantly vaporizes, which creates a force that blows the bark off of the tree. 

Now, isn't that something.

Cheryl 

Fire Update, or Is That Smoke?

View from Prospect

August 11, 2015

The fires are still burning. But we are safe here, with no evacuation planned. Not true of Diamond Lake - they are on notice to plan for evacuation, and only campers with reservations are being allowed into the area.

Last Thursday Rich and I hiked to Boundary Springs, this origin, at least groundwise, of the Rogue River. Today, that area is now closed to hikers.

We were handed a fire map yesterday. What you are looking at: The pink area is the area affected by the Crescent Ridge fire. The red trails are the ones that have been closed to hikers.

For us, it is not the fire, but the smoke. Rich and I deal with smoke off and on during each day. My sinuses suffer the most. Daily I have either sinus headache or headache bordering on migraine. Ibuprofen is becoming a daily staple.

Fire Map

Cheryl

PS: If interested, here is a link for Crescent Ridge fire updates -
http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4463

Fire Season

CHERYL'S NEWS FROM CAMP WEBEGONE

The nearest fire to us is 60 miles away, so Rich and I are safe. But we are surrounded by smoke. Irritating.

Just in case, we are planning various evacuation scenarios on the chance we get evacuated and need to leave in a hurry. My first task will be putting our cat, Mimi, in her carrier.

Will post fire updates regularly. Picture is looking south down the road in Prospect. Taken in front of the laundry mat.

Cheryl