Tumalo State Park

Another Oregon State Park

 We love the little town of Sisters and the bakery is pretty darn good too. When you pull into the Old West town of Sisters, you feel like you’re making a getaway. This friendly little outpost in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains draws visitors for its profound natural beauty. It was a good stop while we waited to start hosting at Tumalo State Park.

Sisters was named for the trio of towering peaks to its west and is an artsy community with 1880s facades and small-town ambience.

Tumalo State Park

After receiving four emails requesting hosts for the month of May and no plans on the books, we gave them a call and thought a month as relief hosts might be ok. Little did we know that they expected an awful lot of their hosts. No wonder they had to make so many requests for a last minute cancellation. Fortunately, we know how to set boundaries and handled it just fine. When the evening ranger texted us to check in with some campers, we texted back that it was 9:30pm and we were off duty. He would have to deal with it.

We got a kick out of the mom merganser and her 12 chicks on our morning walks. They would bolt around as if they had double expressos with sugar.

Fortunately, we didn't see any of these but plenty of other wild life.

The Deschutes River Trail runs to Bend and makes a nice shady morning walk.

We would watch this mom owl with her two kids and eventually they left the nest.

Camp Sherman

We had plenty of time for get aways and headed to Camp Sherman. Located just 31 miles northwest of Bend, this "city" sits on the headwaters of the Metolius River with views of 10,497-foot Mt. Jefferson.

Although not exactly a large, cascading waterfall, Wizard Falls is a scenic stretch of gentle rapids on the beautiful Metolius River. A 6 mile round trip trail runs along the river. We plan to hike it when we return next month.

Tumalo Falls

The 97 foot waterfall is a short walk from the parking area, but the road was closed two miles from the falls. But the grade was a pleasant walk along Tumalo Creek

 After our bike rides, we stopped at The Bite in Tumalo,  north of Bend, Oregon. We found fantastic food, an amazing assortment of beers on tap, plus a great festive vibe with fire pits and music. it was like a backyard party. If the tables were all taken, a large box held folding chairs to use.

Even though we found this hosting experience not one of our best, we enjoyed the other hosts and had some great finds. 

 

Valley of the Rogue State Park

Wildflowers Everywhere!

 Leaving the cool coast of the Pacific Ocean, we arrived in the warm Rogue River Valley with temps in the 70s. We had heard some negative reviews about hosting at the Valley of the Rogue State Park but wanted to check out the area. If it was too bad, we could always leave. We actually enjoyed our time here very much. 

We were placed in the F Loop which is the furthest from the Interstate and was closed to campers for the first 9 days. We were happy once the gates were opened and campers arrived. 

The B & C loops were closed to camping and used for FEMA trailers for fire victims of southern Oregon last summer. Several campgrounds and fairgrounds are being used to house those unfortunate people in Oregon. They can stay for 18 months and then FEMA sells the trailers to the highest bidder. People arriving in the area for construction jobs find themselves in a bind for housing even if they brought their own RV since the number of campsites have been dramatically reduced.

Upper Table Rock  Once a sanctuary for Takelma Indians, today these cliff-edged mesas near Medford are a haven for hikers and endangered wildflowers. views from the cliffs extend across the Rogue River to the Siskiyou and the Cascade Mountains. Visiting in spring, we caught the best flower displays and avoided summer's merciless heat. The Upper Table Rock Trail climbs through a scrub oak grassland with spring wildflowers. After a final steep pitch, the trail suddenly emerges onto the table's amazingly flat, grassy summit. 

The Rogue River, like a great green snake, curves across orchards, ranches and gravel pit ponds toward the distant white cone of Mt. McLoughlin. Turkey vultures soar on updrafts.

 Gentner's fritillary, is a rare member of lily family, that is endemic to southwest Oregon.

Fawn Lillies

The Cathedral Hills Trail System is located just outside the City of Grants Pass and is a haven for hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding enthusiasts. The park includes many loop trails and natural areas among its 400 acres of Douglas fir and Ponderosa pine forest. Other common woody plants are Madrone, Oak, Manzanita and poison oak. Spring is a popular time to visit because of the weather and abundant wildflowers. We hit the perfect time to hike with 4 miles of wildflowers.

Shooting stars

Each hike had different wildflowers as the previous went to seed.

Lunch at River's Edge Restaurant's outdoor seating was a treat overlooking the Rogue River while enjoying our prime rib sandwiches and listening to the water passing by. 

A large group arrived ahead of us and the waitress kept apologizing for the long wait but we were content to enjoy our afternoon.

We found several routes with cue sheets and maps for cycling and hiking nearby on Rogue River's visitor's website, took us through farms and vineyards. 

Some kids in the campground found two downed owl fledglings on the ground under a tree. The rangers taped off the area as they rested in the grass. Wildlife officers checked on them and felt they were too big to take for rehab but were probably ok. That evening they started walking around before making an exit. I grabbed the wrong camera and with not a lot of zoom for a blurry picture.

The Rogue River Greenway runs from town of Rogue River. The well-shaded trail heads southeast along the northern bank of the river through Valley of the Rogue State Park to the town of Gold Hills. 

After riding along the road in Gold Hills, the bike path resumes on the east side of town for a flat easy ride.

Oregon has so many wineries that many are finding other ways to use their crops to sustain themselves. Del Rio Winery is turning to jelly making.

One more wildflower before heading north to Hood River along the Columbia River Gorge. We are hoping for more wildflowers.

Tucson, Arizona

Getting a feel for the area

Before retiring, I had contracts to work in Tucson at Tucson Medical Center (loved it) and University Hospital )not so much). The city continues to draw us back and has grown along with the traffic. I can't imagine how it would be with Canadian snowbirds. Far Horizons RV Park is less than 1/3 full for this winter season.

Celebrating Dia de Los Muertos

The Heirloom Farmers markets in different locations several days of the week  have many farm to table offerings that keep us returning. We found such a diverse choice of foods to choose.  Many restaurants have closed but have a good turnout at the markets to keep them going and us returning.

Salvadoran pupuzas were a tasty grilled corn masa filled with seasoned meat, vegetables and cheese served with a cabbage slaw and a dressing. 

Tucson is an interesting and diverse sanctuary city. It is the only place in the United States designated a City of Gastronomy by UNESCO. A half-dozen years ago, the international agency began including food as a part of cultural heritage worth protecting, recognizing the importance of things like Armenian 

lavash, the Mediterranean diet and the gastronomic meals of the French.

It all starts with the deep and multicultural food history with so much innovation in all parts of the food system, including sustainable agriculture and ranching, plus the development of an urban agriculture scene. Tucson recently amended the land use code to make it easier to do agriculture within city limits and to sell those products.

Tucson snagged the UNESCO designation because of the wealth of food-related accomplishments, from the ancient O’odham mountainside settlement to the many local organizations striving to help battle hunger, like the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona and Iskashitaa Refugee Network ( a refuge agency). And then there’s the food itself: The city is packed with restaurateurs, chefs, farmers and ranchers who nurture a vibrant food scene.

This swath of Sonoran Desert has one of the longest food heritages on the continent, nestled at the base of the Tucson Mountains is where the O'odham people settled, planting crops of maize, tepary beans and other produce amid a landscape with prickly pear cacti and sagebrush. The towering Saguaro is native to Arizona's Sonoran Desert and its juicy red fruit, which locals use to make jams and syrups, ripens in June. 

Local restaurants incorporate local ingredients like tepary beans, a drought-resistant legume native to the American Southwest, into dishes like a Cholla bud meat dish served alongside a green bean and 

tepary bean salad and drizzled with a jalapeño-orange vinaigrette or pickling some Cholla buds or add some purslane into a dish, since it grows wild in Tucson’s dry riverbeds,

Turkish flatbread with stuffing or just olive oil and sesame seeds.

II will have to try the Green Chile Lemonade next time we visit.

We were lured in by the French lady's "oui oui" and indulged in her pastries.

The freezer is full of roasted green chile.

Hiking in Sabino Canyon

At the base of the Catalina Mountains lies Sabino Canyon not far from the RV park. The canyon between steep rock cliffs has been closed to traffic since 1978 making a great place for walking the 30 miles trails or up the road. Or take the tram the 4 miles up and walk back or meet the next tram at one of the nine stops on the return.

The trails give the quads a work out.

This confused saguaro must be confused. They usually bloom in May. 

Cycling The Loop

Loving "The Loop" bike path.

Resort living

Loving the food.

It is good to spend time with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures. 

Happy Thanksgiving!