The Summer Adventure Continues...?

Birch Bay RV Park in Blaine in Washington, is an RV park, not a campground, meaning there is no shade, no trees at your site. UGH. Two wonderful hikes in the area helped provide needed relief from the heat. Terrell Marsh Trail in Birch Bay State Park, and Point Whitehorn were perfect walks in the woods for the elderly. On the Point Whitehorn trail we met a man who is in his 90s. Inspiration for us to keep on trucking.

                                                                      Cedar Trees

Our fourth stop was to be Leavenworth, Washington. Monitoring the weather mostly to know which foods to purchase, I noticed that the day we were to arrive the prediction was 102 degrees. Oh dear. Not such a big issue except the air conditioning in the truck went out. Okay. Decision time. Go forward or not.

We feel blessed in that we were able to extend our stay in Blaine, forgo the Eastern Washington and Eastern Oregon section of our trip, head back to Paradise for seventeen days and then continue on with the planned trip to Ainsworth State Park in Oregon and then on to Seaside, Oregon.

So far we have learned a couple things about vacation traveling. Since we are now in ours 70's, hiking and kayaking in the same day taxes our physical resources. Seven days in one location is too short. Three of the days are dedicated to travel prep and rest. One day for grocery shopping and laundry; one day for kayaking; one for hiking. We began to feel that we were running from activity to activity. Not the peaceful, relaxing time we had envisioned. Lastly, your kayak trip may be cancelled due to wind. :( Sigh. No kayaking in the Puget Sound in Blaine this year.

September is a much better month to travel in Eastern Washington and Eastern Oregon. Hopefully, we can complete that leg of the travel adventure in the next few years.

                 Interesting Tree

 
Surrounded by sun dappled maples and sword fern on the Terrel Marsh Trail

  

A Resting Adventure

After eight years of volunteering Rich and I are taking a vacation, finally. We completed our volunteer assignment at Molalla River State Park and July 1 headed to Paradise RV Park near Chehalis, Washington. The plan: a tour of Washington State, kayaking, hiking, resting and visiting friends.

Rich and Cheryl in Paradise

                                                                     

Paradise, our first stop was a rest stop. A time to pause and gather resources. A hike to Woods Creek was a welcome inhalation of nature. We walked the trail two years ago. Now, there is a story walk. A wonderful new addition.

Paradise RV park offers kayaking on their pond. No typo there. In reality it was more interesting than we imagined. There are some good sized fish in the pond. As we glided along the water disturbing small insects, a fish would jump out of the water off the front tip of the kayak.  Our one hour kayak exploration of the pond was a good rowing warm up for the season.

Second stop, a beautiful tree filled campground in La Conner, Washington in NW Washington right on the Puget Sound. I forgot that the beaches on the sound are rock covered, two inch and larger buggers. Normally, that would be okay but Rich had pulled a leg tendon shortly after our arrival so limited or no walks on rocks. The beach and everything on it is for the use of the local Samish Tribe. Most days we would walk from our campsite to the beach to one of their sacred sites. 

Sacred Tree

                                                                                            

We signed up for a guided sea kayak tour in Bowman Bay. Great fun that tested our rusty kayak skills. Puget Sound has a wide variety of shore birds. The Rhinoceros auklet was a new, for Rich and I, and exciting bird sighting. 

Bowman Bay

                                                                                   

Our stay was short, seven days and then off we headed to a Blaine, Washington RV Park. 

Sun bathing at beach

Salish art on interpretive sign in campground

Winter Apocalypse

After making the decision to winter in the Willamette Valley, we expected some weather incidents compared to wintering on the coast. We did not expect winter apocalypse.

The main entrance to Sarah Helmick

Heavy rain arrived at Sarah Helmick State Park in January. Our hosting site is right on the Luckiamute River. After several days of rain the river was expected to crest at 28 – 29ft. Flood stage is at 27 ft. We knew that the river would begin to flood the park but our site would be okay and we could still exit the park if needed. The river was expected to crest at 3 a.m. So we set the alarm to get up and do an eyeball check of the river. Water level was up. If the level began dropping as predicted, no problem expected. We woke to the river still rising. We are not familiar with the Luckiamute River in the winter and its capricious and unpredictable nature. The river kept rising and rising to about 31.8 ft. Major flooding is considered to be 32 ft. Now, we can't exit the park. The new river crest estimate is in the afternoon.  

View from RV. Yes, water was flowing under the trailer.

The Luckiamute River rises and falls quickly. By the next morning our exit route, pictured above, was free of water.

Snow and loss of electricity in January, too. Fortunately, we are prepared with generator and gas to run the noisy thing.

February brought a major ice storm to the Willamette Valley. One quarter inch of ice is normal. Well, over an inch is not. Tree limbs cannot support the weight of the ice and break. The electricity went out about midnight. Rich slept through the noise. With each loud crack, I'd snap awake ready to run. You could call it the night of dancing tree limbs falling.. We woke to a park filled with fallen limbs.

After about two hours of removing limbs and debris, the exit road is cleared so we could leave if needed. The park is closed for a few more days until a crew of rangers arrives to remove debris. As I write this it is day six with no electricity. Life with a generator and remembering to not run too many items at once now feels normal.  

Fort Yamhill State Pak

Erratic Rock

It was great to volunteer after six months off. Fort Yamill is a day use park. Rich and I spent most of our volunteer time outdoors. Rich focused on the macro activities: mowing, pruning, trail maintenance, weeding, blowing leaves etc. Cheryl focused on  the micro activities: display maintenance, scat removal, decapitating gopher hills, repairing replica army fort uniforms.

With COVID, museums are closed. Sigh. A lovely day trip to visit to nearby Erratic Rock in Sheridan was a much appreciated outing.

November and December when we aren't at one of our many medical appointments, you will find us camping south of Newport.

We had a visitor in the Officer Quarters. Rich had never seen a praying mantis before.

 

 

C-Rations

                               C-Rations. Chicken, carrots, chips, cornbread, chocolate chaser.

We have received a few inquiries if we have trouble finding food on the shelves at the grocery store. During the six months we were at the coast we competed with tourists. Relish was an item that disappeared off the shelf. Organic tomato paste was often a no show. Disposable gloves and rubbing alcohol were hard to find. Olive oil was a mysterious item that appeared briefly and then disappeared for weeks. We shopped in the morning before all the organic meats and produce had been purchased. September 1st we landed at Fort Yamhill and now shop in Salem. Totally different shopping scene. Boxes of disposable gloves, lots of rubbing alcohol, plenty of organic meats and produce and relish. When complaining to my daughter about organic products not being readily available she reminded me that being able to afford to buy organic is a privilege, that all my food and shopping concerns are 1^st world privileges.

Pantry items are now purchased when it is on the shelf. No waiting for sales. And we are frugal and much prefer saving so the not waiting for items to go on sale is a new mindset. Buying when it is available and not just when you need it feels like hoarding. There is a fine line between hoarding and taking care of yourself and loved ones and I am not sure where the boundary is.

Fort Yamhill this morning was a mix of smoke and fog, Mostly smoke. Rich and I are safe and at least 30 miles from any fires.

We Have Moved to the City

Like Sardines

At least it feels like we have moved to the city. Finding an available campground for three weeks that included the Fourth of July was a challenge. We landed in Mossyrock, near Chehalis, Washington at Paradise RV Park. Beggars can't be choosers. On the plus side, we do have one of the few sewer sites. The campground is situated on the side of a terraced hill. Each RV site forms the terrace. And when it rains hard?! Well, I would not choose a site at the bottom. With no privacy and lots of little dogs, Mimi, our cat spends most of her time behind the sofa. I would join her if the space were larger.

Traditionally, Rich and I take July and August off from volunteering. Best case COVID-19 scenario, we will resume volunteering in September at Fort Yamhill.

The Doldrums

Nautical terms cross my mind as Cheryl and I deal with the current CORVID-19 pandemic. Becalmed, adrift, lost moorings are some terms that come to mind. At times the doldrums set in as the wind has been taken out of our sails. Thinking of lifeboats adrift which may open us to other realities as in the book, The Life of Pi. Or we just sit and weather it out coming finally to land on a whole unknown world with eyes and expectations changed. We live our lives in a trance and big events interfere with our plans. 9/11, World War I, World War II, Vietnam, assassinations, The Depression. All come to mind that have changed us and our institutions. 

 Where will we go from here?

(A little slice of sunshine. A few of the beach access points opened up today, May 15)

Reviving a Soggy Camera

You may recall that last summer while kayaking Rich and I over turned the kayak dousing everything including my camera. For months the camera has been submerged in a bowl of rice and occasionally I would check to see if it was functional. Turning the camera on each time, the display screen was blank. Boo. 

Playing around with the camera recently I noticed that when the shutter button is pressed it makes the satisfying click noise. The view screen is blank though. Ever up for an experiment, during a walk on the beach this week I took some photos. Of the 150 or so, 19 were of birds, the intended subject of the photos. 

Most were of sky,

Sea,

and Sand.

Sky, gull and sea. All three unintentional.

Some of the birdless photos are interesting.

The birds pictured: Whimbrel, plover, and crow.

I will keep practicing.

FYI. 

We will continue to shelter at Whalers Rest Campground south of Newport through May 31. Not sure yet if the park we hope to volunteer at in June will be open. Sigh...

Hanky Panky Face Masks

A New Look

We are now CDC compliant. In keeping with current government orders to avoid unnecessary travel, our face masks were made from materials on hand. One men's handkerchief, and one women's handkerchief. Fortunately, I made Rich's first. It was huge, Paul Bunyan sized.
I think we look a little bit like cute mummy monsters.

The Importance of an Emergency Exit

We've pretty much always pooh-poohed the need of an emergency exit. We've updated our thinking on that issue. Doing laundry is a necessary weekly chore. Recently, while in the laundry room, a small room with one door and a small window that a very young child could possibly scoot out, the door handle broke trapping us inside. My first thoughts were, what are our assets. We have water. We have heat. Unplug heater, if there is a fire we are then trapped in a burning building. We have plenty of clean laundry to make a somewhat soft bed and to wrap up in if we end up spending the night. We have light. Limited tools; whatever is in my wallet. Rich is dismantling the handle to remove it and hopefully then be able to exit the open door. Not luck there.  And, why is heavens name did neither of us bring a cellphone? Second lesson of the day, always have a cellphone handy. Okay, what are our options now. Wait until folks come to do their laundry in the morning? It is probably about 4:30 p.m., not too long of a wait. Fortunately, neither of us is claustrophobic. It is a small room. We quietly beaver away in our own way to solve the issue of how to get on the other side of door. At this point a fledgling thought drifts through my brain. Crawl up on the counter, and open the window, hoping that it will open. Okay, window will open a bit and if we are very lucky, a dog walker may pass and I could yell at them from the open window. Rich is still trying to unravel the mystery of  the broken door knob.

So...what was our fate? Was Rich able to remove the offending stuck piece of metal?  Did we spend the night in the laundry room and miss dinner? Did the heavens smile on us and the prayed for dog walker pass by? It was the latter. Tools were passed through the open window so that the door hinges could be removed. Once removed the door was stuck in the frame, of course.  A rescuer on the outside gave one mighty kick to the door, and the door slowly toppled inwards into Rich's waiting hands. Gazing out the open door, we see three guys. Discussions begin about guy things, doors, door knobs, the mighty kick, etc. Me. I go outside.  

Where are Rich and Cheryl?

We are happily sheltered at Whalers Rest, a private campground, until April 23 or when the governor changes her stay at home order. At the camp we have cell service and a site with a sewer hookup. We feel fortunate. Our next camp stop would have been in Pacific City. No cell service there and only a few sites with a sewer hookup. Doable, but much easier where we are staying. We are well and enjoying some quiet time.

Rain, Rain Go Away

Volunteering in the Welcome Center On a Very Rainy Day

February is a wonderful month to volunteer at Beverly Beach. Rainy, one day three and one half inches, but the rains bring the frogs. The male frogs arrive first and serenade us in the evening. Then the females arrive. At some point a blue heron arrives feasting each morning until most of the frogs leave. Then we start looking for frog eggs. It is such a joyful ritual; listening to the male frogs, waiting for eggs to appear.  

The Holidays

We are not used to so much sunshine.

Thanksgiving

With Thanksgiving landing during the last few days of November and two days before we were scheduled to arrive at our next volunteer site, we elected to stay at the coast and not travel to be with family. A sad but sane decision. Thanksgiving day dinner was a pleasant community event at Thousand Trails RV Camp in Newport. We, meaning Cheryl, cooks a thanksgiving meal, also. This year it was very disorganized. A few items, the bread machine, rolling pin and ceramic baking dishes, remained forgotten in storage. Fresh baked  rolls were served post thanksgiving. A large glass mug was a good but slippery substitute for a rolling pin. Hey, everything was edible and tasty.

Solstice/Christmas

Christmas landing mid week meant another holiday without visiting family. All hosts at Beverly Beach have Christmas off which means the park rangers do the tasks normally assigned to hosts. Nine yurts were assigned to one ranger for cleaning. Rich, knowing nine yurts is too many along with all the other ranger tasks stepped up and worked cleaning yurts christmas day. The hosts gathered together christmas day for a pot luck dinner. Great food and friendship.

New Years

Ah, 2020. As a child looking to the future, I (cheryl) thought that the year 2020 would be a magical year. Will keep you posted.
Host orientation each month is on the first. 1 January 2020 found Rich and Cheryl arriving for host orientation at Beverly Beach at 9:00 a.m. No late night revelry. We watched Bohemian Rhapsody. A high energy but rather sad movie. A comedy would have been a more appropriate choice but are  watching the 2019 oscar nominated films as they become available to us at each host site. Hopefully, we will have viewed them all by the time the 2020 nominations are released.

Have a magical rockin' 2020. 

October 2019

Spirit Mountain. Photo taken from the site of the Ft. Yamhill bockhouse.

October found Rich and Cheryl volunteering at Ft. Yamhill State Park located near Grand Ronde, Oregon. A sweet site that we will return to in 2020. The fort was in operation for only ten years, 1856 -1866. An interesting piece of history. A small section of the Killamook trail, the inland route the indigenous people used to walk from the coast to Willamette Falls in Oregon City, borders the park. Fort Yamill was built to moniter the Killamook trail.

September 2019

Granary Tree. Acorn woodpecker food storage.

September. A lovely month as the maple leaves change color and begin to fall to the earth. Squirrels and acorn woodpeckers gather acorns. Humans return to school and work.

At Tou Velle State Day Use Park and Marina near Medford, Oregon, Rich and Cheryl gather mostly cigarette butts left by fishermen. Lots, and lots. They also gather confetti. Hordes of the stuff. Birthday confetti. Graduation confetti. Bridal confetti.

Two precious items gathered, two kittens. One we were able to reunite with its mother. The second, mother not found, we took to a no kill shelter. The little tyke spent the night with us. Mimi, our cat, nose bent out of shape went outside and refused to come in the RV.

We still think about the little guy and hope it is adopted by a good family.

Bend: Playing Hard

Peregrine Falcon

Choosing which places of interest to visit during our short stay in Bend was a bit of a challenge. First stop was The High Desert Museum. The museum is large enough that you cannot experience everything in one day. Raptors in Flight was our favorite. We walked to the exhibit area arriving near the end of the group. Location is everything. There were a few bench seats available so we sat there instead of on the ground. What we did not realize is that our seats were in front of one of the five or so "ghost"* trees where a handler puts food treats for the birds to encourage them to fly. Raptors would fly straight toward us. A few times, the leather strips attached to a raptor's leg, called bewits, would tickle Rich's hair. Close and exciting. The raptors are all rescue birds. We loved it!

Rich being goofy at the museum. There are seventeen miles of old lava flows in Bend. Astronauts have been known to visit and practice walking on the very rocky ground as seen in the background of the photo.  

Paintbrush

Lava Cast Forest, beautiful and stark, surprised us with a few blooming plants, butterflies, birds and chipmunks. 

The last lava flow at Lava Cast Forest was about 1300 years ago. Slowly, plants and trees are returning. Beautiful twisted downed trees show the creative resiliency of nature. Twisting allows the trees to retain water more efficiently.

The High Desert Museum and Lava Cast Forest were the two new places we visited.

We had an exciting moment while kayaking the Little Deschutes River. Not paying enough attention the kayak was heading toward a dead very dense bush. Not thinking we both leaned away from the bush and tipped the kayak over. Fortunately, the Little Deschutes isn't very deep, three to four feet, and is slow moving. We managed to get back in the kayak without tipping over again. It was an exciting kayaking experience. 

 The Big Flow, one mile of obsidian, and Lava River Cave, a mile long lava tube, are two places we have visited before and absolutely love. Lava River Cave at about 45 degrees in temperature was the perfect place to spend a 95 degree afternoon.

As our time in Bend comes to a close, we reflect on the many wonders of the earth and the stark beauty of the area. 

* ghost tree. My maternal grandmother called a standing dead tree, gray with no bark, a ghost tree.

Playing Tourist

Munson Falls


After three weeks of home maintenance projects we were finally had a week in Pacific City to play tourist. We visited Munson Falls located in Tillamook. Sorry about the picture quality. We forgot a good quality camera and our phone cameras are lame. 

Rich with the wild hair.

Cape Meares Lighthouse located in Tillamook, is the shortest lighthouse in Oregon.

Our next adventure takes us to Bend, Oregon. We are playing tourist for the month of August. In September, we head to our next volunteer gig near Medford.

Creaking Down the Trail

North Falls Trailhead

A main draw for volunteering at Silver Falls is the Ten Falls Trail Hike. My hope was that Rich and I would be able to hike the ten falls trail by the end of our stay. Rich is challenged with going downstairs and I am challenged with going upstairs so we hiked the ten trails on two separate days. Our hiking pace is slow, a meander.

The ten falls in no particular order.

Lower North Falls

Drake Falls

South Falls

Lower South Falls

Twin Falls

Double Falls

Winter Falls

North Falls

Upper North Falls

If you counted there are only nine falls. We missed a picture of Middle North Falls.

These photos where taken during our volunteering stint at Silver Falls in May and June.
We are now hanging out and resting in Pacific City. No cell service helps with the resting.