Sat, May 21, 2011

Saturday, May 21, 2011

I now have the typical road trip tan… the back of my right hand. – Donna Downey

We always tend to linger on the coast as long as we can and then it necessitates some longer driving days to begin our trek back toward Mississippi.  This would be one of those days.  The forecast was for rain and we did get in a little rain throughout the day but it was what we call a drizzle and actually very pleasant. 

It was a day of massive landscapes.  As you leave the forests of southwest Oregon you enter the high plains.  There are not a lot of different routes across Oregon and most follow a river so it was another day of beautiful water views as we drove.  With snows running almost 200% above average and several weeks of warm weather and more rain than usual all of the creeks and rivers are running full or more. 

We had planned to take the Elkhorn Scenic Byway thru the mountains west of Hells Canyon but at a fuel stop in Sumpter, Oregon we were informed they were not sure when that road would open due to the record snows.  So we took a little extra time in the historic small town before picking another route.  Two really interesting sites here were the Gold Mining Dredge and a small seesaw two opposite ends of the size spectrum for sure. 

The Dredge was used to mine for Gold in the Powder River and could eat up about 60 acres a year picking up material from the river, sifting out the gold and spitting out the bulk behind as it inched along.  It leaves behinds mounds and mounds of rock and of course in these times would not be allowed.

The seesaw was a real treat.  It was sitting outside a small local museum.  It is a “revolving” see saw made completely out of metal.  Even more interesting was the maker, which was the Freeman Company.  Of course, I got a real kick out of that because it is my mother’s family name. 

The most massive and expansive views came via the drive from Baker City to Hells Canyon.  Large, mostly treeless mountains interspersed among huge long valleys.  Lots of scenic old barns and ranches along the way, it was a nice ending to our long day of driving.  The sun even popped out several times and gave us some incredible vistas to enjoy. 

We arrived at our destination of McCall, Idaho just about dark and have found a nice room and are settled in for the night.  We are well tonight and hope that y’all are too.

Peace, Hope & Love,

Donna, Charles, Paris & Dodger



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



Thur, May 19, 2011

Thursday, May 19, 2011

You will never experience stillness more peaceful than when you are among the giant redwoods. The silence draws you in and soothes your noisy soul. – Donna Downey

We left Brookings headed south toward California after a good breakfast at Mattie’s Café. We weren’t sure how far south we would go on this trip.  We lost three days nursing my back so we may not go as far down into California as we planned.  But today we were headed to the Redwood National Forest at least! 

There is a beautiful drive in the Redwood National Forest named the Newton Drury Scenic Parkway.  It winds thru the majestic giant redwoods following about 14 miles of old Highway 101 past thousands or stately towering redwoods.  There are number of well constructed trails that meander thru the forest. Once inside the forest there is a great sense of openness yet you still feel removed from everything and there is also a serenity that is hard to experience in all but the most remote areas. This is where we spent most of our day. 

We drove just short distance south then decided we would return to Brookings for the night.  We are back at the Best Western again just two doors down from last night.  As I began work on my photos and journal, Charles headed out to gas up the Jeep and get us some supper.  He returned with a delicious meal of halibut and chips. 

We had another wonderful day on the road.  We are all well tonight and hope that y’all are too.

Peace, Hope & Love,

Donna, Charles, Paris & Dodger



Wed, May 18, 2011

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

There is a slight possibility that I could pass a drug test today. – Donna Downey

I’m being very brave today and decided to start the day without the help of muscle relaxers.  Of course, it helped that we didn’t really start the day until about noon.  Charles was up early, well actually Dodger and Paris make sure he doesn’t sleep too long every morning.  But after their morning walk everyone came back to bed and we enjoyed a cozy morning snuggled down in “grandma’s bed”.  I’m not even sure what time we finally crawled out of the bed but it was much later than normal.  Charles made a pot of coffee and I headed for the shower. 

With a cup of coffee in hand and a view of the ocean, and gratefully without any cramping back muscles, I sat down to work on my journal and pictures.  If there were a more perfect morning I can’t remember it now.  Another pot of coffee later I made the decision to head out without the assistance of any drugs.  Of course my supplier assured me he had whatever I needed so off we went.

We made it only around the corner from the motel to the Coquille Point Wildlife Refuge.  The Point overlooks a myriad of offshore rock formations of various shapes and sizes that provide habitat for a diverse wildlife.  There is a small paved trail that winds along the cliffs overlooking the beach and rocks below.  We spent the rest of the morning there enjoying the mild weather.

One of the large rocks is called Face Rock and has an intricate Indian story behind it.  The short version of this legend is that Chief Siskiyou and his tribe was meeting in the area with other tribes and was in the midst of a great feast.  After the great feast while all were sleeping the Chief’s beautiful daughter Princess Ewuana snuck away and swam out into the ocean.  The Indians believed the sea to be inhabited by an evil spirit named Seatka. Seatka captured the beautiful princess.  Although he tried to get her to look into his eyes, she refused to look away from the full moon.  So there in the ocean in stone is her beautiful face looking skyward – Face Rock.  

We did start down Highway 101 but then realized is was time for lunch and so returned to Bandon and had a good lunch at the Bandon harbor. After a walk around the harbor we headed out again to points south.

Today was very similar to yesterday, great weather, great scenery, unbelievable flowers, a nice visit at the Cape Blanco Lighthouse, windsurfers, and great places for puppy playtime. 

We arrived at our destination of Brookings, Oregon just about suppertime.  After another meal of fresh halibut we have settled into our room at the Best Western. For the third night in a row we have a view of the Pacific from our room.  I could definitely get used to this.  As I sit down to write and pick some photos to share, Charles has gone to do some laundry.  Paris and Dodger are sitting in the sliding door waiting for the occasional dog to pass on its way to a jaunt on the beach with human in tow.

Other than a few twinges when I tried to handle the large lens today, the back feels really good.  Charles, Paris and Dodger appear to be very well tonight and we hope that y’all are too.

Peace, Hope & Love,

Donna, Charles, Paris & Dodger



Tue, May 17, 2011

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

A good day on the road and a couple of muscle relaxers bring on happy sleep. – Donna Downey

Let me just rant a little bit on medical care.  It pains me, in more than one way, that in this modern age you cannot just call your doctor and get a prescription for a medication you have a history of needing, which is non-addictive and can save you a trip to the emergency room in a place far away from home.  Yet, we can call our vet and immediately have whatever medications our dogs might need i.e. antibiotics, ear mite medicine, arthritis medicine.  There is something wrong with this system. I mean really, what if I get ear mites?

Now back to the day.  It was a ditto kind of day.  A room with a gorgeous view of the ocean, a fire in the fireplace, a comfortable chair, my better half, two great pups, and a hot cup of coffee are the perfect start to the day.  We stayed until we burned up all the wood in our wood box and check out time was drawing near and the road was calling to us.

The ditto continued with the perfect weather.  The intermittent rain was very sporadic and just added to the atmosphere.  Around each curve was a view right out of a painting and the light was wonderful as well.  It was a day filled with unbelievable flowers, gulls, pelicans, ocean breezes, state parks, waysides, overlooks, walks and lighthouses.  It just doesn’t get any better.

My back cooperated and I am weaning myself from the muscle relaxers and very grateful that we some left from Charles’ shoulder surgery.  Otherwise, I guess I would have to have gone to a vet to get relief… but let’s not go there again.

We arrived in Bandon, OR and got our usual room at the Table Rock Inn.  There is a neat Vietnamese lady that owns the older cottage style motel and she always remembers us.  She told the desk clerk to give us a discount because we “are not messy and leave out room perfect!”  These old cottages are not fancy but are clean and have those great “grandmaw” beds that are like sleeping in a cocoon! We have a view of Table Rock and the endless blue Pacific waters. 

We opted for an in-room supper where we could watch the sun lower itself below the horizon and made a quick trip out to the high cliffs behind our room to watch the final light of the day. 

We are almost well tonight, we have had an incredible day on the road and we hope that y’all are well too.

Peace, Hope & Love,

Donna, Charles, Paris & Dodger

PS Need to add several thank yous.  First, to Charles for going the extra mile to make me as comfortable as possible these past few days and helping me with everything so I could continue to play with my photography.  He’s doing a yeoman’s job (whatever a yeoman is, they apparently do a good job).  Also to Renee my right hand gal who is keeping the office running and who enables me to have these great long road trips.  And finally thanks to all of you for your kind comments and encouragement and for sharing your road tales with us as well.  We are blessed!