Fri, May 20, 2011

Friday, May 20, 2011

Tomorrow, according to some doomsday prophet, the world is going to end.  I’m hoping he is wrong because I really want to finish this road trip before making that last grand one! – Donna Downey

It is with some sadness that I am writing in my journal tonight.  When you travel the Columbia River Gorge all the way to the Pacific Ocean then travel the coastal highway down the entire coast of Oregon into northern California and back up into Oregon you are seldom without a jaw dropping view.  It is mile after mile of constant beauty both of landscape and waterscape.  So when you return to a “normal” highway there is a slight letdown… just a touch of withdrawal appears as the miles click off after you make that final turn away from the ocean.  

It’s not that we don’t enjoy most any landscape, it’s just that around almost every curve of the gorge and also the Pacific Ocean there is a view like something out of a great painting.  Actually, I guess it is a painting by the ultimate painter… God.  But it is, in my humble opinion, some of his greatest works.

We talk a lot when we travel about many different things but one subject that comes up frequently is whether we think we would like to live in an area.  As much as we both love the outdoors we agree that Oregon is a state that has something for all outdoor lovers.  Ocean, beach, rain forest, mountains, farmlands, high desert,  wetlands, marshes and if you don’t like the temperature where you are just drive for a while and you can find yourself in a totally different climate.  It’s a state we thoroughly enjoy and always end up adding it to our itinerary even though it is a heck of a drive from east central Mississippi. 

So after reluctantly leaving the ocean, we were in the endless forests of south-western Oregon and even back in the snow for a brief time before the day ended!  And we found ourselves once again driving along water, a variety of rivers but one of the more dramatic was the North Umpqua River.  Its stunningly clear emerald green waters wind their way flowing thru wavy canyons draped with Douglas firs.  I’m pretty sure I read it is a great fly fishing river as well. 

We made several stops along the ocean for puppy playtime and to enjoy the good weather this morning.  Our last ocean stop came at the Coquille Point Wildlife Refuge in Bandon before heading for the interior portions of Oregon.  Our lunch today was a picnic at the Sandy Creek covered bridge.  Then we were on the road pretty much until we hit the creeks and falls along the North Umpqua River.  We made a couple of nice stops at Fall Creek and Watson Falls before ending up in knee deep snow for our last trek of the day.  We wanted to photograph Clearwater Falls but the road that led from the highway to the trail that leads to the falls had not been plowed.  We drove in just a short distance and then made the fairly short hike thru the snow to the falls and the crystal clear water of Clearwater Creek. 

From there it was about a hundred mile drive to Bend, Oregon and our room for the night.  It was another very nice day with partly cloudy skies and moderate temperatures even quite tolerable in the snow. 

We are very well tonight and hope that y’all are too!

Peace, Hope & Love,

Donna, Charles, Paris & Dodger