More Waterfalls!

Were on the sight seeing trail again. Heading down the Colombia river on I-84 towards Portland on a warm and sunny day.
The Columbia is a busy river as barges ply the waters taking supplies back and forth from the Pacific to the inland cities.
The scenery along the river goes from high desert brown at the park to lush forests of deep green about 25 miles west.



Our first stop is at Bonneville Dam and the "Cascade Locks" on the Columbia. We pulled in to the Bradford island visitor center to check it out. Here you can see how they use the river for many things. First and foremost for power. There is a series of dams on the Columbia that provide power to all of the northwest but the Bonneville has two separate power plants at the dam. Each churning out over a half a million kilowatts of power. The whole structure stretches all the way across the Columbia all connected by three tiny islands.

Standing at the viewing area, you can feel the rumble of the rushing water as it flows out of the dam to the river below. We almost needed an umbrella as the mist was very damp, but what a fascinating sight it was!

Watching the Barges on the river at Deschutes, I wondered "how do they get up and down stream past the dams ?" "do they jump over the dam like fish?" "Maybe a big crane lifts them over the dam?"NO, The dams all have "locks" something this "Arizona boy" didn't know!

Its a chamber at the dam where the ship enters and water is pumped in or out which either lifts or lowers the ship depending on which way it is traveling.A ship traveling downstream enters the lock and is lowered 60 ft to the river below at Bonneville.

In edition to producing power and getting ships through the dam, Bonneville also helps the fish navigate through the dam with a series of "fish ladders." Salmon, Steel head, and Sturgeon are just a few of the species that travel the Columbia.

In the "Visitors Center", you can view the "fish ladder" and watch the fish on their travels. When I took the picture,only a few smaller ones passed by but earlier there were some" THIS BIG'.(typical fish story)

We were very impressed with the visitors Center. The "Corp Of Engineers"has put our tax dollars to good use here.(for once!)

Well it wouldn't be Oregon with out Waterfalls so we hunted some more up.

On historic hwy. 30 just off the 84,there is Ainsworth State Park and a series of falls along the 30.

The first is "Horsetail Falls.

Horsetail Falls,right on hwy.30, cascades down about 100ft. A nice day use area and picnic area is just below it.I wish we would have brought "Subway". This would be a nice place to enjoy lunch.

Next up,2 miles west, we stopped at Multnomah falls. now this place knows how to "gather a crowd". On I-84 they have an exit just for the falls. You park and walk under the freeway alongside a creek and come to a visitor center, snack bar,restaurant,gift shop,coffee kiosk,restrooms and "the falls". The National Forest Service runs this little "tourist trap money maker!" There is a parking area on hwy-30 also which is where we parked.




The falls were spectacular and fell over 200ft. We hiked up 1/4 mile to the bridge you see to get a closer look. It was assume!

After that "gruelling"1/4 mile hike in the blistering heat(74 degrees!),........ We had Ice cream at the snack bar!

All in all,it was a great day. We got on the 84 and headed east back to the park. Between Cascade lock(Bonneville dam) and the Dalles,we saw a sign for another loop for Hwy-30 so we took it. It rose above the Columbia for some fantastic views and little towns that we encountered took you back in time to a slower pace where farming was the way of life. "a fantastic Day!"

We had a nice surprise the other day when our "camp hosting Friends" Stan and Diane stopped in to see us at the park. They are visiting their Daughter,son in law, and NEW Grandson in Trout Lake Wash. Which is only about 50 miles away. We had a great visit with them and we visited all afternoon. And yes ,Jeni got to play cards with Diane. I owe Diane "big time!"Our afternoon continued into dinner at the Dalles at a little Mexican food place.Good food, Great Friends.We sure enjoyed seeing them again.

We sure love the RV lifestyle. "good friends,good food,good scenery,and More Waterfalls!

warm and suunny at Deschutes

We have arrived here at Deschutes State Park. What a beautiful park this is. Tom the head ranger got us settled in and gave us the camphost book to get us started.Later Bruce the night ranger brought us our "Gator" to get us around.
This is our site. you could fit 3 RVs on this site! Paved,level,lots of shade,a little deck,a storage shed,and it sits above the campgrounds we take care of for a nice view of them.
Oregon Stake Parks know how to take care their volunteers. This is one of the nicest sites we have had.


This is my view from my lawn chair on our little deck high above the campground. We can see the campground and the Dsechutes river.
The 4th of July weekend was packed but very uneventful. With the sites so close together,and no campfires allowed.It seemed like a perfect recipe for trouble but Ranger Bruce kept everything under control. So far the campers have been "Happy Campers"here.
There is hiking here with 4 main trails to choose from.On the river there is boating, rafting,and fishing for world class steel head.

The area just outside the park is a high desert with golden brown hills that go up each side of the deep canyon the the Deschutes river flows through. Inside the park is a beautiful oasis of lush lawns,lots of trees,and cool breezes that cool the area on hot summer days.
The staff here keep the park manicured and lush just like every park we have been to here in Oregon.
The Rangers here in Oregon do not carry firearms like they do in California,but their customer service is next to none and it seems to work for them as we have not seen any trouble so far.


We sell ice at our site but no firewood as there are no campfires allowed during the summer because of the high fire danger.
What a beautiful site we have. The coach and our entertaining area stay nice and shady on hot summer days which was 104 degrees last week.
There is a set of steps that lead up to our site from the campground below. They come up about where the ice machine is.
The climate here reminds me of summer in Sacramento a little,not as humid but hot days and cool afternoon breezes that cool the evenings.

Jeni always loves waterfalls,so when one of the rangers told us of one close by,we just had to check it out.
This is "White river falls" which is in a little "day use" park run by Ore.St. Parks.The White river flows into the Deschutes river.
Speaking of the Deschutes,It is designated as a wild river and protected by State parks, and the BLM.Each segment of the river has its own set of rules. There is no fishing from a boat,only bank or wading in when fishing. Artificial lures allowed. No bait. Each segment of the 200 miles of the river you have to have some kind of pass to be on it depending on which segment your on.



We snapped this picture while we were out sight seeing last week. It is Mount Hood and the cascades in the far distance looking south.
We toured the back roads through towns like Rufus, Biggs, Wasco,and Grass Valley,yes just like in California they have a Grass Valley too.
There is a lot of wheat grown in this area. A lot more that I would have guessed.They harvest it, ship it over to the Columbia river, and put it on a barge and send it down the river to Portland. Some one told us that more wheat comes out of this area than any where else in the world except the Midwest.


Speaking of the mighty Columbia river, here it is.
There is an overlook in the park where we bring rubbish to,and we park the "gator"and gaze at this beautiful river.
The hills on the right side of the river is the state of Washington, and the left is Oregon. Hwy 84 is running along side the river. This is where part of the "Lewis and Clark" trail runs along side the river.
Some days you'll see barges and tugboats plying the river.
The park is located right at the confluence of the Deschutes and the Columbia rivers.
It seems that every park we go to in Oregon,The views are just amazing.We may never leave!
We are glad we are here for 2 months.
The warm sunny days at the Deschutes!

On the move

Well we have come to the end of our stay here at Cape Blanco State Park. What a great park this is and the people responsible for making it great are Supervising ranger Paul Wayne and his Ranger Assist. Debbie. These people have made our stay here one of the most fun and enjoyable experiences we have had since we started volunteering 5 years ago.

We will be back.and soon!

We also want to say thanks to Dave and Will the other rangers we worked with.(they were too busy keeping the park beautiful to get their picture)

We also want to thank Gary and Elsie,our co camphosts for showing us the ropes and guiding us along the way.These two special people are camphosts with know how and can do attitudes.We hope to see them again down the road.

Jeni has been down with what she thinks is a sinus infection. The last week has been tough for her.I took her to the Dr. yesterday and got some antibiotics.Hopefully she is better soon.

Yesterday we hooked up and headed north on the 101 toward Coos Bay. It is only 28 miles but with Jeni still not feeling "up to snuff" we will stop for the night.

We stayed at the"mill" casino in their RV park right on the coos River on the bay.

With Jeni feeling much better,the next morning we headed over to the casino for breakfast and some "action"! What a beautiful casino and RV park.Flowers and lush greenery everywhere.Jeni especially liked these hanging baskets along the walkway from the casino to the RV park.

We headed out north on the 101 to Florence headed east to Eugene and took the I-5 north toward Portland.

We left the "Mill "casino a little poorer but we enjoyed our stay.I'm happy to report that Jeni is feeling much better now and she is back to her ole self again,keeping me in line.And that is one tough job!!

About 5pm and 27 miles south of Portland,we decided to pull in to a State park just off I-5.We had heard that if you are a volunteer and traveling from one job to another,you can stay free in the State park for one night,so we thought we would try. We pulled into "Champoeg " state park where we were greeted warmly by the ranger,given a beautiful spacious site,and,oh yea,Comped!free! What a deal! The state parks in Oregon are so beautiful.

tomorrow we will trek on in to our new assignment at Dechutes State Park.

But tonight we will enjoy our free site here at Champoeg.

Birthday at the Cape

Well we have had a time with our computer and Internet service. The gremlins did a number on us but I think we have solved the problems and were ready to roll again.
We are near the end of our stay here as volunteers at beautiful Cape Blanco State Park.
Happy Birthday to my beautiful wife Jeni. The girls here at the park went out and picked a bouquet of flowers for her and sang happy birthday. She had a great day.
Thanks to Elsie,Debbie,and Gary for making it a special day for her.It is great to volunteer with special people like that

And what did I do for Jeni on that special day,well I took her to dinner at our favorite place for the freshest seafood we have ever had. Griffs right on the dock at Port Orford. We had lunch here a couple of weeks ago and really loved it. you are nestled right in with the fishing boats on the dock with a specular view of the ocean. We had Halibut for dinner and the portions were big and fresh. Believe me, the best halibut ever.Oh did I mention, caught that day! The waitress gave us a table by the window which made it a great birthday dinner for my girl.

I didn't get a picture of our delicious halibut dinner,but I did get a pic. of our lunch a few weeks earlier. We had fish and chips with fresh cod and red snapper that was in my delicious cicada sandwich.yummy!

We had the same table with the ocean view and it made for a special afternoon.

We took an all day jet boat ride up the rogue river out of gold beach a couple of days ago and had a great time.The boat cruises at 60 miles an hour and with some of the most beautiful scenery in Oregon,we traveled about 104 miles up into the wild wilderness of the Rougue river.What a great day.

Jeni and I were up early to go on our boat ride and in the park we came upon these elk grazing in the meadow. 2 mamas and their yearlings we think.

We have seen a lot of wildlife here in southern Oregon. Gray whales lounging in the ocean not a hundred yards off shore,elk in the meadow,tons of deer,turkeys,sea lions,harbor seals,and lots of dogs,but no Bears yet!

These sea lions we photographed on the jet boat back in port after our trip.

We had a great day.One of the things we enjoyed the most was the"360's" the boat captain would do to liven up the passengers. He would get the boat going about 60mph then start weaving side to side ,then do a complete circle with the boat and hit the brakes. Better than a roller coaster!It was a thrill'

Half way up the river we stopped for lunch at a little restaurant on the river,then back on the boat headed for port.We saw a lot of Bald Eagles,and Osprey.

While Jeni and I were on the bluff above the ocean enjoying our view,we spotted this wayward whale.But we were not sure what kind of whale it was. Actually it is a big rock about a mile off shore.It sure looks like a whale though.Jeni said it looks like the whale in Pinochle.

We are going to miss the ocean views when we leave this park. We will definitely be back.



As we always do when we at any park,we get a picture of us and "the sign". It has been a "hoot" here at the"Cape" as they call it.But we are excited about our new adventures coming up in July.

Dechutes State park awaits us in July and August, and we will be pulling out in the next few days,But that's another story for later.For now its great friends,ocean views,cool breezes and fun,fun,fun!!

Volunteering at Cape Blanco

This is our phone booth where we can get cell service just outside of the campground. Pretty nice aye. Jeni loves this place. We have seen gray whales here playing not 100yds off shore.
This is by far the most beautiful state park we have ever seen.
Jen and I drive the "ole" gator to this spot for lunch,breaktime,dinner,and phone calls. Its our favorite spot.

Here I am chopping kindling for the campers. this is the wood shed. There is 6 cords of wood in here. The park has these little carts that we load with fire wood and sell to the campers for $5.There is usually 9 or 10 pieces of wood in the cart. What a deal!
Jen and I load the carts {we have 5} and pull them over to our site about 5pm. We set in our lawn chairs and greet the campers and sell them wood until about8pm. Its a tough job, but sombody has to do it!


Jeni and I found a great place for breakfast a few miles from the park in Port Orford. A place called "The Paradise Cafe" Nothing fancy but hugh portions.Jeni wanted pancakes,she looked on the menu and they only sold 1 pancake. Regular or blueberry. Jeni ordered 1 blueberry pancake and an egg over easy. Our eyes poped out of our heads when we saw the pancake!! Thats a 16" plate that pancake is on and the egg is totally "dwarfed" by the cake. Wow! We both shared it and could not eat it all. The prices are great too.

It gets a bit windy at the "Cape" as the locals call it here. If it isn't rainingt, its windy or foggy. But now and then the sun sneaks out. It stays in the 50s for the high temp. here so we wear a coat most of the day. Jeni almost lost her scarf posing for this picture.

There are many wonderful overlooks at the park and each one is different.

I may have trouble getting Jeni to leave this place.

While we were in Port Orford,we toured the coastguard museum.This boat was used to rescue people off the oregon seas in the 1940s and 50s.This boat amasingly can right itself if it capsizes. The dosent says there is a ton of brass in the hull. It makes it top heavy when capsized so it just rolls over to right itself.

Port Orford is a neat little community.Jeni grocery shops and does laundry here. When we eat out we come here.

One day when we were off, we toured the Cape Blanco lighthouse. It is still a "working"lighthouse and still guides ships around the rocky shores of the cape. It was a beautiful day and the views from the top were breathtaking!

There are lighthouse hosts that man the tours,and they live in the campground like we do. There are 7 hosts in all in the campground. We are the camphosts,then there is the cabin hosts who take care of the rental cabins,4 lighthouse hosts,and the "Hughes house" camphost.

And this is the Hughes House!

This is a turn of the century project built by Mr. hughes for his family.They built an empire in the Dairy industry.

They amassed about 2200 acres which they later on donated to the State Park that is now Cape Blanco.

The inside is ausume. with all the amenities for that time period.

Jeni and I really enjoyed it.

Another place we like is Bandon,about 20 miles north of the Cape.

It has shops and lots of little seafood shacks along the wharf. We had the best cvlam chowder and fish and chips we ever ate! Its a cool little town.

The wharf is been redone and modernized and they have installed many benches, rails,and even a glass enclosed shelter with tables, chairs, and benches made out of "Myrtlewood" which grows locally here.

This is the enclosure.Jeni and I were playing checkers while watching sealions on the boat dock. Jeni kicked my $%?>" in checkers.

It is windy here and they have a couple of cool kite shops that we browsed through.

Actually, I lost because I fell asleep while we played! But Jeni never caught on.

Next week we have plans to head down to Gold Beach to ride the Jet boats.





This is Coquille lighthouse at the head outside Bandon. It is smaller than Cape Blanco and is not in service anymore. It is out on a point and there is another State Park just north of the point called Bullards Beach. We toured it and it also is a great park. The park is at beach level unlike Cape Blanco which is 100 or so ft. above the beach. They also have what they call "yurts". these are like cabins but are made from canvas.

The campground is bigger than Cape Blanco,with more sand and less vegetation.

We are enjoying Oregon so far and the sightseeing has just begun. We will surly be back to the Cape every chance we get.

Cape Blanco

Sorry we have not posted in a while but
we have no cell service at Cape Blanco State Park.
I have posted some pictures of our site here and the park itself, but they are in random order so my script may not match up with the nearest picture.
Our trip here from Sotherlin was a smooth one.We got settled in nicely for our month stay here.
We are the "camphosts"for the campground.In the site next to us is the "cabin hosts Gary and Elsie.Our days off are Monday and Tuesday's and the other hosts play camphosts for us.Gary and Elsie are off on Wednesday and Thursday's and we

play cabin hosts for them.

This is by far the most scenic park we have ever visited.The campground shrouded in forest and being able to look out to the ocean from about 100 ft. above. Assume! Some of the most sptacular views we have ever witnessed.

Cape Blanco lighthouse is also here. It has 2 lighthouse hosts that run the gift shop and help with the lighthouse tours.

In spite of the persistent rain and wind early in the month,we have taken advantage of the many vista points of the ocean along the coastal trail which runs through the park.As you can tell in one of the pictures,Jeni is a "happy camper "when she is by the ocean!

We have a "Gator" cart for running around in to do our chores.(DJ would like this cart as it has an enclosed cab so he could stay warm).Cape Blanco also has "horse camp"sites with corrals to keep the horses in and a riding trail just for horseback riding.Pretty cool!

Oregon State Parks have a great host program.Far superior to any other park we have volunteered at. They issue you a cap,vest,and name badge. They also issue you a park binder with all the info you need for the park and the surrounding area. By day two you are orientated and ready for work. The parks also train you on what they call "safety modules" for all of their equipment so that you are proficient to operate them within days of your training.

The best thing Jeni and I have gotten so far though, is a one foot by three foot sign with our name one it with big bold letters!We love it! We take our sign with us anywhere in Oregon that we are hosting and we display it so we are recognized as the "camphost" of that park.

Our site at the park is right next to the pay station and has a nice big patio.across the street from our site you can see through the trees to the ocean.It just doesn't get any better than this!

As I said earlier, Jeni is one "Happy Camper"!

Once we get our first days off we will be exploring the surrounding areas. There is a lot to see in the area and we can't wait to get touring.

Well I'm writing this blog up by the lighthouse overlooking the ocean. What a veiw! It is getting dark so I have to get back to camp.This we found is the only place where we get a signal for our phone and internet. But what a great place to be,the ocean at dusk,the lighthouse lit up and beaming it's beacon to wayward ships,and the cool ocean breezes,WHAT A PLACE!

Sight seeing and rain!

As the folks here at Timber Valley say
"welcome to Oregon,hope ya brought your umbrella."It is raining again this morning.The last two days have been sunny which we have taken advantage of with some sight seeing and leisurely walks around the park, but when we woke up this morning it was raining nicely! Well,at least I will get to see if my fix on the leaky passenger window worked.
We have sure enjoyed it here at Timber Valley. As always with any Escapee park, the members treat you like family.And here was no exception. There is a special bond with the RVing community that is like no other. a kinship that spans the U.S.No matter where you are traveling, an escapee park is like a safe haven for the RVer. Where friendship and camaraderie is always present.
Jeni and I did a little local sight seeing Saturday. We went to Copper Creek lake which is just east of town for a little picnic.It is a beautiful little county park surrounded by the forest. We took out our lawn chairs,found a spot along the bank, and watched the fisherman as we dined on Subway sandwiches. The warmth from the sun felt good and I was tempted to
take a nap but I just sat there enjoying the views.Jeni and I turned to each other and said "It don't get any better than this!"
We also checked out the "Rochester covered bridge" which spans the Calapooya river. The bridge is a couple of miles west of town on hwy. 138.
Friday night we went to dinner at the local Italian resturant.It was a bit pricey but the food was delicious. our favorite place though is "Diary Queen!" Were hooked on "Dilly Bars." Jeni likes the regular ones, I like the "Heath coated ones but with no stick. Yes,because of my phobia of eating ice cream on a stick, Jeni has to pull the stick out of the dilly bar before she serves it to me. I'm a weird little man!!! Today is Memorial day. It is a day we honor our brave men and women that have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. Show your patriotism,thank a vet,put out your flag,reflect upon the freedom you have because them.
Tomorrow we will leave Timber Valley for Cape Blanco State Park. We are very excited about volunteering for Oregon State Parks and Jeni is real happy because she will be by the ocean. Yes,whether were sight seeing, driving to new places,volunteering,meeting new people,or just puttering,"it don't get any better than this!"