Final Days in Ashland

Yesterday we went in to Ashland to walk around and look at stuff. One of the things one must look at in Ashland is the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.  It's a local repertory theater that produces eleven plays a year during their season.  This is the Elizabethan theater.  Note that it's open to the sky (and the rain).  Seats are resin and look hideously uncomfortable. Anyway, it's a massive set.

This is the green chair up on stage.  I don't know the significance of it.

The grounds of the OSF are lovely, with flowers in the beds.  The OSF brings in millions of dollars a year to the area.

Ashland has become a prosperous town, attracting tourists and retirees.  Retail on the main street reflects this fact.  There are no tacky tee shirt shops, there are upscale home decorating stores and clothing stores.  We did not see very many people in the stores, I'm not sure when they make their money.

This is the Ashland Springs Hotel, built in 1925.  It's been beautifully restored.

After downtown, we decided to drive up Mount Ashland to look for a forest road we saw when we hiked Grouse Gap.  It looked like it might be mountain bike-able.  It was up there.  We proceeded past the ski station on a dirt road.

We think we found the forest road, but decided that perhaps mountain biking at 6,500 feet might not be so much fun.

There is also a campground, way up there.  The road is so steep, you have to really want to get an RV up there.  It was an impressive drive up.  I'm glad we saw it.

Today we drove up to Green Springs Summit where the Pacific Crest Trail crosses the road.  It was spectacularly unimpressive hiking.  We hiked one side of the road, which moved in and out of trees and meadows. 

Upon returning to the truck, we decided we'd take the trail on the other side of the road.  It was slightly more interesting.  We got to see a reservoir and spillway.  Eventually that trail hit the top of the mountain and dropped precipitously downhill - we decided it was enough PCT for one day.

We drove up to Hyatt Lake to look at the campground and the lake.  Every single camp site had a sign on it saying "Available - one night only."  What's up with that?  Why can people only stay one night?  Does anyone understand the reservation system in forest service camp grounds?  Anyway, the lake is really low, the boat ramps are closed.  One wonders if they'll remove the boulders at the bottom when the water levels come back up.

The road up to the hike today is really steep.  There are many blind corners and double digit grades.  It's advertised as a bikeway.  Given the complete lack of shoulders and the grades, this doesn't look like a fun time to me.

Tomorrow we're up and out for Harrisburg.  We will begin a bout of preventative maintenance at Elite and Peterson Caterpillar.  I'm really not looking forward to the engine work, we have to unload the bedroom closet which is going to be a giant pain.

Spending Time in Ashland

Greetings Earthlings!  We're still in Ashland where we have been doing stuff.  Saturday we hiked on the Pacific Crest Trail, up to Grouse Gap.  It was a warm day, and turned out to be as much hike as we would want to do.  See the white streak across the sky?  That's the Gap fire in Seiad Valley south of here.  It's a big fire.

I often wonder about people who hike the Pacific Crest or Appalachian trails.  What do they think about all day?  After about three hours of hike, I'm pretty much done.  I wonder the same thing about people who ride across the US.  What goes through their minds?

Grouse Gap was a very dusty hike.  I ruined another pair of socks on this trail.

Sunday we drove into Ashland to stroll. We spent some time in Lithia Park.  It's an amazing 93 acre oasis of greenery in the city.  A river runs through it, and it's very tranquil in there.  This is the upper duck pond.

There is a small Japanese garden, with a water feature.

There is a ski area south of Ashland. You can take a shuttle to the top and ride a mountain bike all the way down the mountain, and then along a forest service road, and eventually into Lithia Park.  The area above the park is interesting.  It's really steep, and there are many unpaved roads.  We drove back into Ashland on the dirt roads, surprised to see that much gravel.

Today was the Grizzly Peak hike.  If you're going, the summit is a non-event. What you want to see is on the loop part of the trail.  So if you're pressed for time, ditch the summit, go for the loop.

Nothing to see here - a pile of volcanic rock.

The loop takes you around the other side of the peak.  The views are just outstanding.  There are a lot of dead trees from a fire in 2002.

Here is Jim surveying all that he sees.

Part of the trail is side hill and narrow.  Above the trail are several dead trees.  The wind came up and started whipping the dead trees back and forth.  Fortunately the branches were falling up hill from us.  Big chunks of bark were flying around, too.  It was sort of like a dust devil on the side of the peak.  We moved very smartly along that part of the trail.

This was also a very dusty trail.  I ruined a second pair of socks on this hike.

After the hike, we drove in to the Ashland Municipal Airport.  We saw this.  It's a Burt Rutan VariEze.  He designed the plane and sold the plans.  They're home builts.  It has 100 horse power engine, and will cruise at 165 mph.  It's just a gorgeous, if somewhat odd looking, little plane.

In place of a parking brake, the plane's nosewheel retracts until the nose rests on the ground. Resting the nose on the ground also moves the plane's center of gravity forward relative to the main landing gear, which prevents the plane from tipping onto its rear when there is nobody in the pilot's seat to weigh the nose down.

So far, we're enjoying Ashland.  It's been pretty windy, but now that the temperatures have dropped, we're happy.

Crater Lake

Friday was Crater Lake day.  It was a long drive, exacerbated by getting stuck behind dump trucks with pups on two lane windy uphill roads.  It was worth it!
Crater Lake is the blue-est thing we have ever seen.  It's mesmerizing, it's so blue.  We had a great day for it.  We headed out the East Rim of the drive.  The West Rim has a two and a half mile stretch under construction.  The road is gone, and it's currently gravel and wash-boarded dirt road, with thirty minute wait times.  The Watchman Overlook is closed.  Also closed is the Cleetwood Cove Trail, the only legal access to the lake.  No matter, the East Rim is spectacular.

This is the Phantom Ship rock formation.  It's as tall as a 16 story building, made of erosion resistant lava.  It's been there for 400,000 years.  It is the oldest exposed rock in the caldera.

Look at the water color along the shore.

Everywhere you look there is something magnificent to see.

This was taken at the Cloudcap Overlook.  It's the highest paved road in Oregon.  These two ladies are riding in the park to train for the Cycle Oregon ride.  They are very strong women.  There is a lot of up hill.

Then it was on to the Pumice Castle overlook.  That would be the orange structure.  It's eroded orange pumice that is said to look like a castle, hence the name.

The chipmunks know how to hold a pose and beg for food.

After the East Rim, we headed down to the Pinnacles.  They're fossil fumaroles, where volcanic gases once rose up through a layer of volcanic ash, cementing the ash into solid rock.  They're huge.  Look at the bottom of the photo, you can see sand blowing off the walls of the canyon.

Here is a better view of the blowing sand.  It was tough on the eyes.

We walked the sandy trail out to an old forest road.  This stone structure used to be the east entrance to the park.  It was closed in the early 1900s, leaving the north and west entrances open.

If you're in the park, this is definitely worth driving out to see.

If you're coming to the park when it's snowed under, you will still be able to see this from the visitor's center.  I think this justifies the drive up the steep hill to get here, even in uncertain weather.

This is Wizard Island, taken from the visitor center overlook.  If the Watchman Overlook was open, you'd be looking at the left side of the island.

We walked over to the Lodge, built in 1915.

I think the same architect did the interiors of all the big lodges.  Wood floors, stone fireplaces, they all have a similar look and feel.

Crater Lake gets about 44 feet of snow every year.  It's a harsh environment.  This tree looks mostly dead, but it's still hanging on.

So, if you're near to the park, make the drive.

We Are in Ashland

We left Seattle yesterday.  It was time to be gone.  Last night we stayed at Armitage Park in Eugene.  If you want to spend a weekend there during college football season, you'll need to consult the Ducks' schedule and plan to be there when they're away.  The campground host says the park is FULL when they're at home.  See this trailer?  See the yellow and green flag, and the table cloths and the yellow whirligigs on the front of the trailer?  See the duck head on the propane tank cover?  These are Duck fans.  I have never seen so much college team paraphernalia as I have for the Ducks.  It's everywhere in Oregon. 

Today's drive started out with fog.  It persisted for several hours.

This was interesting.  It's a concrete pumper.  There are two guys standing on the hill below the gray section spraying the hillside.

This was taken at a rest stop.  We're wondering where they've been, the front of the RV is covered in clear plastic sticky tape.  Some people do that when they go to Alaska to protect the paint.  His wind shield looks good, so who knows.

This is boat trailer and a boat on the roof of the truck.

Somehow this boat is launched off the roof of the truck.  I would like to see that done.  That outboard engine is heavy.

We're at Emigrant Lake in Ashland (Oregon) for a few days.  Friday and Saturday are forecast to be in the mid 90s.  Who knew it would be so hot in September?  By Sunday it's back into the 80's which will be good.  It's very dry.  I think Ashland is participating in the California drought.

The lake is extremely low.  The RV sites below the hill from where we are used to be waterfront.  Now it's a hike to the lake.

Why are we here?  Every single time we have been anywhere near Crater Lake it's been snowing.  So we decided we would come down in September when it is not snowing.  We're within day trip distance of the lake, so we are going!

Rabbits and Knives

Our site is awash in rabbit poop.  They enjoy visiting us.  It would be good, however, if they could poop elsewhere. 

Are you plagued by dull knives?  Is there no one in your area who can do decent sharpening?  If so, send them to Epicurean Edge in Seattle.  You can mail them in and they'll turn them in to scalpels for you.  I was slicing potatoes last night, moving too fast and maybe not paying sufficient attention, and I sliced my index finger.  It's fairly deep.  I went to bed with a pressure bandage still on it, which vanished in the night.  I wonder when that will turn up again.  Where do things go?
Other than this paltry offering, I have zippity doo-dah all to report.

Bike, Walk, Heart and Rain

Monday was the last really good day of summer. The marine push cleared early and we took the road bikes out to the Carnation Valley.  It was a good ride.  This is one of the many herds of cows that are out there.  It was really weird, there were a number of crows riding the thermals over the cows.  At first we thought they were vultures circling something dead, but it was crows flying in circles.

This is the always lovely Sikes Lake. There were geese at the far end, but the camera could not see them.

Tuesday was an aggravating day.  I woke up with my heart out of normal sinus rhythm, for the first time since April of 2013. It was very weird, I could feel it wriggling, with no good rhythm.  Over time, it felt like one atrium was getting more regular, while the other atrium continued to be irregular.  After about 30 minutes, normal sinus re-established itself.  One of the things I would really like to know is how long it takes to start forming clots when one is out of NSR.  That would be news one could use.  Anyway, we took the mountain bikes up the trail again, but it was gloomy and over cast and I was in a really crappy mood from that morning and I was mean to Jim.  So all in all, Tuesday was a crappy day.

Wednesday we set new personal bests on the three mile walk.  Jim has shown much improvement in leg speed and stamina.  I had my last PT appointment.  It's interesting that everything he wants me to do for the SI joint makes my shoulder seize up.  It's always something.

It rained last night, there were periods of heavy rain.  This morning we had to put duct tape on the hole in one of the clearance lights.  It's high up on the nose of the coach, chock full of water, and we're afraid it'll leak in to the RV and fry the TV and all of the electronics.  Do you think you can just go out and buy a new clearance light?  Noooooooooooo.  Camping World here and in Eugene doesn't have them in stock, and there are none in the warehouse.  We ordered a couple from Amazon and bought one at an auto parts store.  Hopefully something will be the appropriate size and depth.  We're going to ask Elite to replace it, nobody here enjoys being that high on the ladder.

There was also time spent with the shop vac extracting water out of the storage bay on the driver's side slide.  This used to just set our hair on fire, but now we are much more calm about it.  Everything in there is in plastic, and so far there has been no mold or mildew.  So we just unload the bay, vacuum out the majority of the water and then put a fan on it.  It'll rain again tonight, so we'll be doing this again tomorrow.   It's so odd, this only happens here.  It doesn't happen when we're driving in the rain, and it doesn't happen in Tucson.  Perhaps the universe is sending us a message.

Today's Vuelta a Espana was interesting.  The peloton let a break away go, and they got 33 minutes on the main group.  There were no danger-men in the break so it didn't matter.  The GC guys are resting up for the horror that will be tomorrow's stage.

We have five more sleeps here, and then we're leaving.