Oregon - 5th to 11th June

Oregon  -  5^th June 2012

Allen received his daily dose of books, maps and brochures from the Visitors Information in Oregon.    

 

Stayed one night in a freezing town called Klamath Falls (the word Falls is a lie, there were no Falls anywhere) and Klamath is a mighty quiet place on a cold day.  

Next morning I was on a mission to buy thermal PJ’s with feet in them! 

Crater Lake National Park

 

Being cold takes on a whole new meaning!!  We arrived at  Crater Lake and it’s WHITE OUT.  Snow everywhere.  

The image that welcomed us was stunning: a topaz lake surrounded by thousands of pine trees, snow, blue sky and sunshine.  The snow was fresh and powdery and it crunched under your feet as you walked. 

 

 

The Crater Lake Lodge looked very imposing against the snowy backdrop.   

 

 

We couldn’t drag ourselves away from the magnificent view but by 12 noon I remember my stomach felt like it was touching my backbone. 

 

 Allen parked the RV in a top location so we could eat Lunch looking at the alpine mountains.   

The Island is a new Volcano that has erupted inside Crater of Crater Lake

 

Moved to Diamond Lake RV Park for the night. 

 

Dinner was a complete disaster as ‘somebody’ was supposed to be watching the chook in the Weber but went fishing instead.  No fish and raw chicken – a great night.

Bend - 7^th June

 

With a 200kms trip tucked under our belt we stopped at a town called Bend.  Love the name and the super friendly people.

Very trendy & upmarket shops built from a disused industrial site.

The highlight of the day was a trip to the “Dollar Tree”.   I get very excited about this shop as EVERYTHING is $1.  We soon filled the trolley and made our way to the Checkout Chick.  She asked if we could spare a $1 for the homeless children.  “Yes, of course” we said.

Without any warning she threw her head back and bellowed at the top of her voice “HOO-RAR, HOO-RAR, MONEY FOR THE KIDS!!!“ apparently if she gets a donation she likes to involve everyone in the shop!    

Allen scoured the trusty Woodalls Directory and found a suitable KOA Park for the night.  On our journey we stopped at a low bridge….it said “Height 12ft 10in” we should be OK but judging by the debris embedded in the concrete we thought the Height was incorrect.  Turn around….what’s Plan B? 

For the next couple of days our journey was mainly spent driving through little towns and getting a feel for the less populated areas. 

Madras was a rather odd city in Jefferson County.  The Liquor Store didn’t sell wine and we found a supermarket that didn’t sell groceries.  But HEY it all adds to the joy of RV-ing.

White River Falls 

This time the word Falls actually means it had a waterfall.  The Park was fairly remote but it was a pleasant place to sit and watch the water plunging 90ft over a basalt shelf.   A photographers dream.

Remnants of an old Hydro-electric dam

 

                     showing an antique Gate valve.

Further down the River we saw some native Indians fishing from a platform using a long pole with a net attached to the end.  This was the first time we had experienced platform fishing but this was just the beginning as we were to see it many times during our trip.  

 

The native Indians are the only people who can fish this way and they are allowed to keep unlimited trout and salmon and sell it as a commercial business.   No one else has this right. 

 

Moro population 380 but I think 300 were away the day we arrived.  It was tiny.  

City Hall And Fire Station

The City Hall building was delightful, not sure how many state banquets they hold there.  They probably take it in turns to sit down.    

The landscape was dead flat and there were acres of wheat and barley fields.   I thought they looked like green waves blowing across the terrain.  

Sherman County RV Park (I re-named it Windy City)  We were literally blown into this Park by the howling winds gusting across the open land.  We were rocking and rolling all over the place.  The lids on the RV were flapping 100 mph.    

The "Facilities"

 Allen pulled into the first available site and braved the elements to hook-up.  

My job was to check the facilities.  At only $16 a night I had my doubts.  From the outside the Shower Block looked ancient and believe me when I stepped inside it was very primitive.  I don’t think they’d been cleaned since Elvis was alive.

I met a local lady and asked her if it was always windy in Moro!!  She said, “Yep, I have a bad hair day 365 days of the year”.   That would explain why the trees grow in one direction.    

 

Left Windy City and came across an old deserted Church on the side of the road.  Al 

found a plaque with the name Locust Grove Church dating back to 1895. 

 

  The last service was a funeral held in 1914. 

See the face in the round window?

 

Columbia River Gorge. 

The scenery was rugged and harsh.  It was a very grey day and we got as far as Dalles Bridge and Dam.  Walked along the pedestrian path at the side of the Bridge, it was a hair raising experience as the trucks were speeding across the bridge and  almost brushed against us. 

 

 

Made it up to Rowena Crest Lookout on the Columbia River and it was well worth battling the cyclonic winds because we got a great view from the top.   

 

 

Allen powered on and finally Cascades Lock RV Park took his fancy (still in Oregon).  I swear Al has a sixth sense about where to park.  Within minutes of arriving he’d worked out it was a FREE FISHING WEEKEND so no Fishing Licence required.

The lock was busy with fishermen standing shoulder to shoulder.  They were catching Shad.  Everyone was using a bait of brightly coloured pink, yellow and green fluffy stuff.  Once you attach the fluffy stuff you throw the line in and then proceed to wave your arm around in sweeping half circles.  If you ask me they look like a bunch of fairies.  Remarkably they were very successful.

 

 

The native Indians were also very successful catching Salmon and Trout from their wooden platforms.  The girls worked hard too catching fish and then selling them in the carpark.    

 

 

 

Statue of  Sacawega

The RV Park was beautifully kept with perfect lawns and Spring flowers galore.  Everything looked in pristine condition.

 

The Cascade Locks Historical Museum was totally awesome.  

 The museum was once the Lock Keepers house and the two Museum gal’s were both helpful and informative.  

One of the exhibits was a Fish Wheel.  A man called Sam Wilson designed and constructed the first one.  It’s a gigantic wheel that is attached to the back of a boat and as the wheel turns it scoops up the fish and deposits them into boxes.  Due to depleting fish runs the Wheel was outlawed in 1926.   

The Oregon Pony was the first steam locomotive in the state of Oregon.  It went to work in 1862 moving nearly 200 tons a day.  It is now kept in a climate controlled chamber next to the museum.

Bonneville Lock and Dam

This piece of engineering genius was right up Al’s alley.  

 We enjoyed the most fantastic tour of Bonneville Lock and Hydro-Electric Dam and it was all FREE.

 

 
We started at the Visitor’s Centre where we joined a group of people for a tour of the Powerhouse.  The Ranger gave a talk and answered questions throughout the day. 

The new locks drops or lifts a boat 63ft and can be filled in under 30 minutes.

 

 

The Fish Ladder allows Salmon & Trout to climb 63 feet up river to their spawning ground, after an arduous journey they spawn and die.    

 

A staff member (usually a woman) counts the various species of adult fish moving up the Fish Ladder. The day we were there she had counted 124,648.

 

Giant Herman the Sturgeon is 70 years old, 12ft long and weighs a whopping 204kgs. 

Back at the Cascades Lock RV Park an interesting thing happened to me.  I’ve always had an unfortunate knack of attracting ‘nutters’ .  If there’s a wacko lurking out there he or she will find me.  Today I hit Jackpot or should I say Crackpot.

A fellow camper (Michael) who I’d never met before approached me with a DVD in his hand.  He said, “I want to share this with you!”  I could see it was a home-made job with the title “2011 Turkey Shooting Season”.  I promised I would watch it. 

 

I’ve never seen a grown man dress up as a turkey before but I was in for a treat.  Camouflage makeup, feathered balaclava, even tail feathers it was all there for me to enjoy.  I started to feel uneasy about watching the video and asked Allen to FAST FORWARD.   Big Mistake!!

The next morning he gave me 4 more DVDs to keep as a souvenir of my time spent in Oregon.  Cheers Michael.

  

                                        End of 7^th Post