Archive for September, 2009
Posted on September 6, 2009 by angela
I’ve never been to Oregon (I know!), and I have found it to be wonderful. The whole state is set up for outdoor recreation and every citizen seems to take advantage. Again, we took advice from a few readers and headed to Lake of the Woods. We set up our camp at a forest service campground right on the lake and then headed for the ‘resort’ area a short hike away. I love that all these camps have started calling themselves Resorts. It makes it seem like I’m on a completely different vacation.
Anyway, the Lake of the Woods resort has a restaurant, store, bar, cabins, and marina with free wi-fi. Bode explored and played on the beach and docks, but it was much too windy and cold to swim. We enjoyed the amazing view from the deck, the grownups with a beer and Bode with a plate of fries.
It is at this beautiful resort during a charming game of Candyland, that my son attempted to stack the deck….and lie about doing it. Although I was a little impressed at his card-sharking, we had to explain that hoarding the Princess Frostine card was uncool. And so, the game had to end. The night picked up when we met some really cool women with four girls. Bode had playmates for the evening as we enjoyed popcorn around the campfire.
Crater Lake was our next stop, and one I’ve always wanted to make. Arrival at the park coincided with nap-time, and Bode was crashed out in the back. There is something about a van doing 40 that knocks him out.
When we got to the Ranger Station, we were given these two options: if you’re hungry, turn left and go clockwise around the lake, if you’re not afraid of heights turn right and go counter-clockwise around the lake. Not wanting to question this logic, we decided we were not hungry and headed right. We drove around Rim Drive and took in the scenery. It was a little overcast and windy, but the lake was still very blue and picturesque.
Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the US, and was formed inside a collapsed volcano. This concept was explained numerous times once Bode woke up.
Without a clear plan for what was next, we continued north. This is when things got ugly. Bode was in a mood and we were all too tired to deal with anything. We set out for a highly rated campsite near Bend, but one wrong turn later and we were lost.
It was getting dark and I just wanted a shower. Oregon is set up for camping, so it was fairly easy to find a random campground in only a few minutes. They didn’t have a shower, so I opted to leave the boys to themselves and hole up in the pop top and read. We arrived just before dark…and were out of there by our earliest start time yet….9:30.
–headed to Portland via McKenzie Pass
Posted on September 3, 2009 by jason
From Trinidad, we headed up to Crescent City, which we were told was an industrial pit. It was no resort, but certainly not a pit. We found a great playground and park next to the waterfront where Bode could play (and walk through a tree) and I could work on some bus projects.
First, was yet another tune-up. I had been noticing a loss of power recently - and for some reason the timing and carb needed serious adjustment. I’ll double check this in a few days.
Next, was my chance to replace the drag link. After a few failed attempts in the past few days to use a cheap gear puller (it bent) we located a tie-rod separator that did the trick. It’s looks like a super-sized grilling tool. I didn’t pack a hammer in the tool bag, so I ended up doing some serious pounding on it with a rock. Primitive, but it worked. There aren’t many occasions when you get to fix something by pounding on it with a rock.
Bode decided to snap a picture of me and the spoils of victory… and then asked me if I got my hat in France. Touché, mon ami.
The new drag link means the bus now handles like a Porsche. A crappy one. But, at least it’s noticeably better.
We cruised along he scenic Smith River and then the Rouge River to our ultimate destination of Ashland. If you haven’t figured it out by now, we’re not exactly following a straight line. We zig. We zag. I’ve added a new map to our Route page that gives a more precise current location and our actual driving route.
Ashland is yet another college town and yet another really nice place with a walkable and pleasant downtown area. Deer come down from the hills and graze on the manicured front lawns on main street. People are either unfazed by this or are too engrossed in their cell phone conversations to notice (unknown pedestrian in the photo – not me!)
There are restaurants and pubs with umbrellas next to the creek that run through town. You don’t have to go too far to see cowboys and farmland, but it does otherwise seem a little upscale for a college town - I can’t imagine the students are buying high-priced art or doo-dads at the downtown shops. I’m guessing those places make their money during the Oregon Shakespeare Festival that takes over the town once a year. For some reason I just expect college towns to be a little more grungy and full of penniless students.
We didn’t see too many students either. Oddly, the school here doesn’t start until the end of September and then ends late as well, which seems to cause all sorts of logistical problems for students trying to get jobs.
Anyway, we parked here for a few days and relaxed and took care of the normal weekly stuff that we have to do. We were surprised to run into an old friend – BLZ Bug. Angela drove this car every day for maybe 5 years. Bode came along and that was that. It sat in the garage for about four years with only the occasional weekend trip around Alameda before we conceded it was time to sell. We knew the gentleman that bought it was a professor here, but really weren’t thinking about it when we were out for an evening walk around town. “There it is!” Angela shouted with certainty as we passed a parking lot. You just know your old bug. We took a closer look and left a note with our card on the window, not really knowing what to do.
I don’t know if you know the rule about selling a car to a friend or family member. Don’t do it. That’s the rule. No matter how great the vehicle or how sweet the deal, at some point in the future there will be a problem. You will hear about it and it will be your fault. As I was putting the card on the windshield, this is what I was thinking. Maybe it would be better to not know… The engine blew up. The brakes went out. For all I know, I’m leaving the contact info for the summons on the windshield.
Within hours, the new owner Dan checked-in and wished us well (apparently no catastrophes). If we would have contacted him earlier we might have had a host for our visit. And, he and his wife have actually driven to Panama. Small world.
*this was the official Oregon state motto. They changed it to ”Oregon. We Love Dreamers.”
– currently headed toward Portland via Bend
Posted on September 2, 2009 by jason
We drove up through the sleepy tourist town of Ferndale and grabbed some lunch and looked around for a few minutes. That’s about all there is to do there. If you like charming Victorian storefronts and trinket shops, this is your place. There’s a mini-farmer’s market, but you’re better-off hitting the one up the road in Arcata.
Arcata is a great little college town that we haven’t ever made it up to visit. We have friends who went to school here years ago, so we knew it existed, but never had any good reason to drive all the way up to check it out. A groovy little place with a downtown built around a well-manicured town square. Lot’s of VW buses. Lot’s of twenty-something neo-hippy kids lounging about, playing guitar, smoking dope and napping in the grass. All is well with the world.
I was impressed with one guy who parked his bike/trailer/solar-cooker combo in front of the local Co-Op and spent his entire day espousing the benefits of solar cooking. His own soapbox, I suppose, and a valiant cause. He showed Bode and I how he cooked beans in an old stadium light housing (great focal properties… and free). He also had Mylar-lined umbrellas and old satellite dishes and demonstrated igniting a piece of paper in just few seconds. The beans would be ready in about an hour.
After a lazy afternoon, we headed a little farther north to Trinidad for the evening. It was our first CouchSurfing.org experience as guests and it was a good one. We always liked the idea (what are you doing with your empty guest-room?) and had hosted CouchSurfing travelers in the past and met some really great people, so now it was our turn to surf. Our host was kind, shared some interesting conversations, and generously hosted us on short notice. In the morning, we were treated to breakfast made with all locally-grown ingredients, including blueberry muffins made with grains freshly ground in her kitchen. It just doesn’t get any fresher or tastier!
There isn’t much to Trinidad itself other than fog and a harbor, but it’s a naturally beautiful spot and was a place we would not have ordinarily visited. We took a short hike out to the harbor and got to witness all the action on the first of a ten-day salmon season. The word on the water was that there were no salmon out there.
Onward and upward to Oregon!
–currently headed towards Crater Lake and Bend–
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