Road trip to Bend and Sisters

In the world of " Camphosting",a little confusion on the part of the camper is normal."Where is my site? how many cars can I park in my site? How many people can I fit in my site? what time do I have to leave? I answered these questions and more when this group arrived this week. That is me trying to restore order and get them settled in. Its a hassle sometimes but Jeni and I enjoy helping the campers out.

One of the rangers,Connie Greenwood and her husband Greg took Jeni and I out in their boat on the Columbia for a little Salmon fishing. We met them at 6am and by 6:15 we were on the water. Jeni got a nice picture of the sunrise.

"Ole Philly"wasn't quite awake but once the pole went in and the fishing started I was awake. The wind came up and the fishing got to be a challenge so we had to get off the water.

Jeni had a great time also.Even though she had to get up at 5am! She had a great time until Capt. Greg hit a big wave and drenched his wife and Jeni.He got an earful! In spite of everything,we had a great morning. Thank you Greg and Connie

Wednesday we headed for Bend and the little community of Sisters Oregon. We shopped the quaint downtown area and had lunch at one of the many eateries. The town reminded me of old Folsom with its western theme and charm.

Jeni said that she liked the name because it reminded her of her sisters back in Phoenix.(all 4 of them)

Jeni loved the many hanging flower pots along the walks in Sisters. I think she will return here again some day.

The town got it's name from the 3 mountains just west of town. Sorry about the quality of this picture but they had a fire in the area and it was real hazy.

After Sisters,we headed for Bend.We toured the downtown area and the "Old Mill District along the Deschutes river.We stopped in to the "Deschutes brewery" to sample some of their brews and take a tour. We have always wanted to do a tour and today is our chance.

Jeni is sampling a dark ale in their tasting room. They give you 4 -4oz samples. I liked the "mirror pond" brew which was a light brew. Very tasty!

This is our tour guide Samantha. She is telling me I've had enough samples for the day as I gaze at the golden vats of brew.Yum!

It is a modern brewery with all the latest technology.

We sure enjoyed the tour and with my new found knowledge of beer , I let Jeni take the wheel for the trip home.

We stopped in Redmond for dinner at a little cafe called "The black Bear Diner". It was cool with the old truck sitting outside and wooden bears everywhere.

Jeni and the 3 bears! It was a great place with delicious food and great decor and atmoshere.I had breakfast and Jeni had the turkey dinner. big portions,great service, and priced right. Jeni loved the plates and napkins as they were white with little black bear paws.

We got back to the park at sun down tired but with alot of memories of our day trip.

We only have a week left here at Deschutes before we head to Washington. We have let them know that we would be willing to come back here next year and they have approved us so we will be back next July-August.We really love it here.

Our itinerary(set in jello not stone!) is to leave here next Wed. and drive to Fort Stevens state park on the western tip of Ore.Spend a few days then head to the Seattle area and stay in the Escapee park by Port Townsend for some R and R.We will stay a couple of weeks then head back to California.Jeni has to be in Sacramento for the eye doctor Sept. 24th.

Jeni and I would like to thank all the rangers here at Deschutes for taking great care of us. They really know how to treat hosts here at Deschutes.

Jackie and DJ's visit

It has turned hot here at Deschutes,so that means companys coming, Daughter Jackie and DJ flew in to Portland for a visit. Every time we have someone visit, the temperature rises. It was near 100 degrees while they were here.

They really enjoyed the park and monday Jeni took them to "Cousins"in the Dalles for lunch. Dj calls his cousin Alyx "cousin " and he thought Alyx had her own resturant!



Outside they have old farm equipment and DJ liked this old John Deere tractor. I know he is thinking, "I can drive this!" "cmon, give me a chance!"
After lunch, they were off in search of waterfalls. Oregon didn't dissapoint as they hit "horsetail" and "Multnomah falls."







They all had a great time and what a great way to cool off on these hot summer days.
Along hwy-84,the trains run both sides of the river and the barges are a constant sight moving up and down the blue waters.DJ loves trains so as they traveled 84 he got to see a lot of them.I have never seen so much train activity in one place!
Before we knew it, it was time to take them back to Portland to catch the plane. "Time flys when your having fun",and fun we had with them.DJ got a little Grandma and Granpa time, a little Gator time,and lots of lovin! Jackie got a little down time.

She has a hectic schedule with work,taking care of DJ,and running a household.It not for "wimps".Believe me, I would rather handle a 1000 angry construction workers,or fight a Mountain Lion than do what she does every day! I'm proud of her.
She is a "happy camper" at the Columbia river overlook.
I miss both of them already!



Jeni and I have less than two weeks left here at Deschutes, then we will be off for some sight seeing in Washington state. Then its back to Park Sierra for some down time of our own this fall.
We have commited to coming back to Deschutes next summer. We have really enjoyed it here.The Rangers have been great, and we love the area.
Of course,as soon as they left, it cooled down!I guess that is how it is sometimes,but we sure enjoyed Jackie and DJ's visit.

visiting Washington and a beautiful baby

I finally put a new picture on our title page as the other one had been on there a couple of years. And being the computer wizard I am, I can't get the picture formatted correctly! You only see part of the picture. Until I figure out the problem, here is what the picture should look like.We took the picture on a hike on the "railroad" trail which runs above the park. this is a beautiful area.

I am amazed how many barges move up and down the Columbia river. Also the trains that travel east and west right along the river on both the Oregon side and the Washington side.
The Columbia River Gorge is a very scenic byway and we have enjoyed traveling up and down it marveling at its many splendors.



Our days off this week were spent visiting our "camphost"friends Stan and Diane in Trout Lake Wa. They are staying at their Son in law and Daughters place spending time with them and their new Grandson Michael!
Of course Jeni had to get some baby time in and held him every chance she got! What a beautiful baby he is. Congrats to all of them.
Stan, Diane, and their daughter Jenny made a delicious lunch and of course there were CARDS to be played! I am happy to report that I was the big
winner for once.As we got into the car
to leave, Stan noticed I had a flat tire.
Humm.....what a coincidence! I think
the three of them conspired to keep
me there to play more cards!!!




Thursday Jeni and I decided to head east on the 84 to follow the Columbia into Washington where it merges with the Snake and Yakima rivers.
We checked out the communities of Richland,Toppenish,and Goldendale.
Toppenish is called the city of "murals" a project the city undertook back in the 80s to beautify some of the older buildings and keep their heritage and the heritage of the Yakima Indian's alive. What a novel idea. They were almost real! Jeni took pictures of the best ones.


The name of this one is"Old Saturday Market"circa 1890s

This one is"Yakima leaders" depicting famous Yakima nation leaders of the early days.

This one is"Long route Short day special delivery"

This one is"legends of Yakima" depicting several well known and revered Yakima Indian legends.

This one is called"Mystery House"

This one is"From Horse to Horseless Carriage"

This one is"Cattle Drive".

"Alex McCoy"an Indian agent in 1835.

Ruth Parton Was a "trick Rider in the early 1800s Toppenish.

And finally,"patterns of life depicting the Yakima ways of life in the 1800s.

Anyway,you get some idea of these beautiful murals and the idea behind them.We sure enjoyed Toppenish.

We stopped in Goldendale for dinner at a little cafe"Sod Busters". Great food and only 20 minutes from the park.We will be back there for sure.The best chicken fried steak I've ever had.

Well it was a great two days off with plenty to see and do but Jeni and I have to get some rest so it is back to volunteering again tomorrow.

But you can bet we will be back on the "sight seeing trail" again

next week as we explore more of Oregon and Washington.

Raft Trip

If I had a bucket list(and I don't), a rafting trip would be on it.Tom Peterson the head ranger for Deschutes,rafts the river once a week to check boater passes,(you have to have one to boat the Deschutes) and check the primitive campsites along the river, There are no roads in this 35 mile section of the river so rafting is the only way in.
This past week I was lucky enough to accompany Tom on this two day trip. Wednesday we loaded up and the adventure began!


On a scale of 1to5, most of the rapids were 2s and 3s. Enough to get drenched, but not get tossed out of the raft which was ok with me!
It was a nice warm day with a gentle breeze, a perfect day for rafting.
The Deschutes river is protected as a "Wild "river by the state of Oregon meaning everything on the river is regulated. Boating,fishing,and camping are limited to the condition of the river to keep it pristine and not over used. Oregon State Parks and the BLM are responsible for caring and policing the river and from what I see they do a fantastic job.


This trip, there were a lot of boats and rafts on the river so Tom and I pulled over frequently checking passes and licences for the commercial rafters.
Ranger Tom has great people skills which is a must for this job as he has no real enforcement powers on the river.No gun, no citation book, just his charm and love of the river. My hats off to him!
Tom brought all the food and beverages, tents ,sleeping bags, fishing poles(more later) and kitchen supplies all I had to bring was me and a fishing licence(more later).



After we made camp for the night, I set up the tents and Tom made us a delicious steak dinner with all the fixins and cold beer to wash it all down!
As we dined sitting in our comfy camp chairs,we got to know a little about each other.I was surprised to learn that Tom had a BA in Journalism and used to be a beat reporter. But his real passion was the outdoors so he took his family and followed his dream. My impression, he is living his dream,doing things on his terms.



After dinner and conversation it was time to FISH!
I had bought a 2 day fishing licence and Philly was ready to tackle those prized "Steelhead" trout.
We started fishing about 8pm and it was a splendid evening ,quiet except for the moving waters of the river and the occasional osprey overhead hunting his dinner.It just doesn't get any better than this.






About dusk, I hooked one.He was a "fighter"! I got him all the way in to 5 feet in front of me, he leaped out of the water,turned his head toward me,and broke my line and off he went! Philly had a few choice words #$!&*#$ for that fish! and I was not a "happy camper".

But the next morning I got my revenge. A nice 8lb "Steelhead"! Before breakfast.

What a blast it was fishing the Deschutes and living the "rafting life" for a couple of days.

After breakfast, we loaded up and were back on the water patrolling the river.

It was another beautiful warm day with the gentle cool breezes to keep us cool while rafting.

All too soon we were coming into the park and my great adventure was coming to an end.

What a beautiful river it is. I am privileged to have been able to raft to cool blue waters of the Deschutes and enjoy it's many wonders.

I am one Happy fella.I can't thank Ranger Tom Peterson enough for taking me with him and sharing with him the "vita buena"(the good life).

In my little world this was a biggie for me.I don't have a bucket list,I just let thing happen as they will,fate I guess you would call it,But if I did have a bucket list,This adventure would certainly be on it!