I drove to Collier Memorial State Park on Monday last where Candy joined me. The park had nearly been destroyed in the 2020 Two-Four-Two Fire. While damaged, heroic effort saved most of the park.
The river behind is the Williamson River. On Tuesday, we started our hikes along the Williamson.
The mosquitos were awful, but the river crossing was too much for my recovering knee.
That was about 1/4 of a mile of hiking. From there we went to two portions of the Wood River. First was a very easy 1+ mile hike.
From the meandering river we drove to its source.
It just bubbles out of the cliff. However, it quickly gets larger and spectacular!
Not feeling too bad, we decided to find a flat trail to push my knee. We went to Crater Lake NP and selected a portion of the Pacific Crest Trail.
The trail was relatively flat for two miles in (and, of course, back, too).
There had been signs warning of critters, such as bears. We saw lots of squirrels and birds but at one point I saw some movement ahead. I thought it was a squirrel at first but then I saw what I took to be part of an ear….but of what?
Relief flooded in: a deer.
Thus, on Tuesday I did five plus miles of hiking. Yes, I felt my knee but the right drugs help.
Wednesday we again headed to Crater Lake NP. We decided to try Annie Creek Canyon Trail. The start is a very steep trek into the canyon.
It was slow getting down, but the hike was very lovely once on the canyon floor.
There were lots of wildflowers as well as the creek.
At the far end of the trail there was another climb out of the canyon.
We loved the hike. For lunch we returned to our campground and to finish off my hiking, we hiked 2 more miles to the logging museum (and back). A very nice camping trip!
As I have had inquires, let me report that I am progressing well, better than my surgery last October. Frankly, I have had less pain post-surgery than I had prior to walking into the hospital!
Of course, I still need to rest the knee and help my recovery by doing my PT. Which I am doing.
The surgeon removed not only the rough material that was irritating the joint but the chunk that had protruded from my knee after I injured it in May. The stuff was sent to pathology for a biopsy, and it was determined to be benign. One thing the report noted that I found interesting was “rare mitotic” material. That means the chunk was still attached and was experiencing mitosis or cell division. Where that chunk was is my largest incision with a fair number of stitches. Okay, TMI?
I am limping back to the couch now to take it easy…..
With surgery next week, which means I am unable to drive for weeks, I thought I would take a drive to Grants Pass. While en route, I stopped to do some Coast Guard Auxiliary work. One of the things I have been doing is Vessel Safety Checks and one of the lakes I stopped at was Lost Creek Lake (Reservoir) in Jackson County. To avoid confusion and to advertise what the Coast Guard Auxiliary does, I wear a casual uniform (it is official), put magnetic signs on the truck, and use a six-foot banner. See below:
There I am, decked out asking boaters if they want a FREE vessel safety check when a park ranger pulls up and starts laughing. Weird. Well, he had gotten a call from a woman who thought I was not legit and was doing a scam. I had to ask, what else could I do to avoid such calls? He laughed and said he had no idea what the woman was worried about. The signs were giveaways! Ah, well.
After that, I went to Candy’s. On July 4th, we went to a BLM trail and hiked. Cathedral Hills overlooks Grants Pass.
I am very slow, particularly going downhill, even with 2 hiking poles. Candy is very patient.
We got done with this hike before noon as the temperature would hit 100 on the 4th.
We then drove along the Rogue and Applegate Rivers to Jacksonville to have lunch at one of our favorites (The Back Porch) but, alas, it was closed for the 4th.
On July 5th, 2022, I ventured to the Valley of the Rogue State Park to try out my then-new trailer. Candy came out to renew our friendship. On July 6, 2022, we went along the Umpqua River and hiked into a waterfall. This year, I had to return to Redmond today so we went up the Umpqua River on July 5th. We hiked into a different waterfall: Watson Falls.
As you hike into a “hanging valley” and the waterfall, you hike next to the creek.
Once up the valley, you reach the misting waterfall. As it was already in the upper 80s, the cool mist was very refreshing.
I am sure these will be my last hikes for a month. I am looking forward to hiking once more without pain and post-hike swelling.
As a coda to the hike, we had lunch at the Steamboat Inn where last year on the 6th of July Candy & I ate lunch. All together, now: How sweet! How romantic!
I will post a blog (I hope) letting you know I made it out of the hospital.
There are many things to report, but none are all that exciting. As I reported in my May blogs, I screwed my knee up. Surgery is set for July 12th. First Candy and then Emily will be taking care of me as it is my right knee which limits my ability to drive.
Emily came for Father’s Day and we had a great three-day weekend. We went out to dinner on Saturday and Zach came over for a bbq on Sunday. Got to see his new truck that came with his promotion. Well done, Zach!
I have been to see Candy once in June. She was up for a while.
We hiked a short distance along the Deschutes River Trail but I needed my hiking poles for my bad knee. I am planning to go down to Grants Pass soon and then Candy will be up for my surgery. Yes, it is a bit of a weird marriage living 4 hours apart.
I doubt I reported that last year I joined the US Coast Guard Auxiliary. I joined the unit in Grants Pass, but 90% of my field activity has been in Central Oregon. Once in a while, I put on a uniform with my medal ribbons but mostly I am in a golf shirt.
One thing I am trying to do is become an official USCG Auxiliary mobile radio facility. Toward that end, I got my Ham radio license and I am having my ham radio installed in my truck.
So, once more I doubt you will see much of a blog post until I am once more hiking–with luck, early August. But for those who thought I passed out-of-sight, out-of-mind, sorry.
Candy’s two oldest granddaughters (well, also oldest grandchildren) graduated from Orem (Utah) High School on May 25th. I went with Candy to meet them as well as her eldest son (Alex), his significant other, and Alex’s youngest daughter. All were very nice to me.
However, I am a creature that loves to explore so we made the trip in two days. If you have not had a chance to visit the National Historic Oregon Trail Center on Flagstaff Hill in Baker City, Oregon, do so. It is a wonderful museum. While I have visited it several times, Candy had not and we did not see it this time either (Ha!).
What we did see was the California National Historic Trail Center in Elko, Nevada.
The pioneers often said they were off to “See the Elephant.” I guess we were, too.
I have visited many California Trail sites but never the museum. We started on the trail itself.
These signs mark the trail.
The trail starts basically as does the Oregon and Mormon trails: at Independence, Missouri (where another good museum is to be found!). The first decision the westward-bound travelers had to make was: What do we bring?
Much of what was taken that wasn’t food or tools was discarded much as a ship lightens its load. The pedal sewing machine in the lower left would be extra weight. Next, what do you use to haul the material? Horses? Mules? Oxen? Each has advantages as well as drawbacks. What did most choose?
A set of four oxen could haul tons (literally). Having made these decisions, the sojourners joined “trains,” or other pioneers.
One of the most common fears was of savages: INDIANS!
While there were isolated incidents, most whites (and natives) died of disease (accidents were the next most common cause). Most natives were friendly and curious.
The major pioneer trails averaged 10 graves per mile and they died at a rate of twice that of those they left behind.
After leaving the area near the Great Salt Lake the trail crossed a waterless desert that was the cause of many more deaths.
From there the parties headed for the mountains: The Sierra Nevada Range. To cross that, the wagons shed weight until camps started looking as if the trekkers owned nothing.
Probably the most famous party to use this route was the Donner Party. But the reason they were heading was to farm or seek mineral wealth.
From that site, we visited the historic Westover Army Airfield, where the atomic bombing unit (The 20th Composite Squadron) trained. Many of the buildings from when it was an active base still stand. The most interesting (other than the museum) was the control tower built in 1942.
We started up. As a side note, many are aware I had surgery on my left knee last fall. I injured my right knee at Fort Bowie and I am waiting for a date to have the right knee worked on.
As I was climbing down, I slipped and injured my right knee–a lot. It has a large lump extending from the side.
It was from this field that the Enola Gay took off for the far western Pacific and history.
The real plane is in the Smithsonian.
Our last stop of note was the Great Salt Flats known as the Bonneville Salt Flats.
While you can walk out onto the salt, I did not.
From there, we crossed the Great Salt Lake on a causeway. We visited the family I knew from Afghanistan (Sandrock-Hendricks), picked up Candy’s daughter at the airport, and reached her eldest son’s home shortly before midnight of the 24th (or perhaps it was after midnight so it was the 25th?).
The graduation was interesting as was meeting the last of Candy’s children I had yet to meet. Candy stayed behind for more family events and today (the 26th), I drove 11.5 hours (770 miles) from south of SLC to Redmond. And there you have it!
I have been back for about five weeks and a bit more than half has been spent cat-sitting for Emily as she visited England and Wales. I have spent a few days each week in Redmond and I have put my house back in order. I have also visited Candy in Grants Pass.
On Tuesday last, taking advantage of the GREAT weather, we went to the coast. On the way (on Oregon Highway 42), we stopped to visit one of Oregon’s many covered bridges.
This bridge is as many are now: Parks where pedestrians now cross where vehicles once did. I had business in Coos Bay and after my business, we had lunch in Charleston. And then we went to Sunset Bay State Park.
Candy and I took a short hike.
The first part of the hike took us to Simpson Beach. We had it basically all by ourselves!
Once we climbed down, it was lovely.
When I volunteered at Acadia National Park, I was told repeatedly that the rocky shore in Maine was like nowhere else and nothing was as spectacular.
Maine is beautiful, but despite what East Coasters might think, Oregon can compete very nicely!
I also enjoyed looking at the different shapes the rocks took.
That is swirling sand frozen in time in sandstone.
Another cool place in the cove was a sea cave.
From the beach, we strolled to the garden and enjoyed the flowers.
When it is as nice as it was on Tuesday, there are not many places anywhere in the world better than the Oregon Coast!
The Journey is the Destination 