It's a Wrap!

Where did summer go?

Ronald Reagan closed many mental health institutions in 1980 with the intention that the mentally ill would be better off living with their families and less costly for the federal government moving the responsibility to the states. When that didn't work out, many mental ill became homeless or incarcerated, housing was provided in cities like Salem. People began fighting and leaving that situation for the streets once again. The downtown and roadsides in Salem have people living under blue tarps draped over shopping carts. I wasn't sure how safe we would feel in a day use area and wouldn't have a problem leaving if needed. Ten miles from the city in the middle of farms was a good buffer.

Each evening we walk the trails, watch the mink swim in Mission Lake and settle in to watch the rangers make their rounds, escorting the last stragglers out before closing and locking the gates (we have a code to get out). As the sun sets, the bats start their job of clearing the insects. We hear the owls hooting and wait for them to start catching rodents in the field across from us. On moonless or cloudy nights, it is very dark.

Bike riding in the Willamette Valley can be dangerous. Our stop at a fruit and veggie stand  is really a bakery incognito. We walked in the door to fresh cider or marionberry donut samples and many more treats were waiting in the wings.

Yeah right! Tricky, tricky.

There are still a lot of produce and grains being grown. But many farms have converted from produce to hops, hemp and wineries.

Acres and acres of hops being harvested.

Hemp for CBD oil has become a billion dollar industry in Oregon.

Bike riding wasn't our only outing even though we were in a farming community. We avoided Portland since we had lived downtown while I worked at OHSU for three months and had seen most of the attractions and enjoyed the theater a block from our apartment.

Mt. Angel

In the mid 1800s, German Catholic families and a group of Benedictine monks and sisters settled in the small town of Mt Angel. Of course, they have a brewery now.

We visited Mt Angel as they were preparing for Octoberfest. The oom-pah music was playing on the speakers on the streets as we walked through the Bavarian inspired town. With 350,000 people expected in the small town, we took a pass on the festival.
Everyone we passed looked at us with a big smile and said a big "Hello" as we walked through town.

The Glockenspiel, a four story clock tower plays four times a day telling the story of the town's history.

Rocking the Lederhosen.

Silver Falls State Park

The Trail of Ten Falls is a 7.2 mile loop in Silver Falls State Park. The rain had stopped and sun came out as we arrived for a hike and viewed some of the curtain of falls from behind.

In the early 1800s, the native people out numbered the whites in this area. When the white people arrived native populations declined due to European diseases. By the 1850s, the few natives that were left had been displaced from western Oregon and moved to reservations.

Silverton

.Silverton is a cute historic town on the way to Silver Falls State Park or the Oregon Garden east of Salem.

Silverton artists have added 15 historical murals in the downtown as in many tourist driven towns have done. 

We took the ferry to the other side of the Willamette River for a bike ride on flat roads with a few rolling hills.

Before heading home, a stop at the creamery was a treat.

We passed by a group of cyclists that were riding with Backroads Bike Tours and have seen them in the past in different locations. We had done a bike tour with VBT in Italy several years ago and know how spendy they can be. When we got home, I looked online that they are paying $3500/person for a week of touring. Ouch! I am so glad that we can do it as we go in our little trailer.

The park is mainly used by locals for riding horses, disc golf or parties in the shelters and the occasional bike camper for an overnight or two.

The horse people start arriving early each morning. Mike uses a rake to knock down apples out of the tree as a treat for the horses when they return from their ride.

Oregonians don't change their plans for rain. Most just change their attire. We often see people playing disc golf in their cotton hoodies. Fortunately, the rain often lasts a short time or is just a mist.

Taking care of the Day Use area at Willamette Mission turned out to be the most physical with trail maintenance and keeping the blackberry bushes under control.

The frequent rain has caused the river to rise only 1 1/2 feet, well below flood stage and not requiring us to evacuate.

After six months in Oregon, it is time to move on in a week. It was a treat spending time in the mountains, high desert and beaches and the people we met along the way were a bonus. We volunteered in several different positions and the work was satisfying and tiring at times. Now it is time to continue our never ending search for what is around the next corner.

Bandon by the Sea, Oregon

A Very Windy Place

June on the southern coast's banana belt has been very pleasant, getting very little rain from May until September but the wind can be harsh at times. Cycling the Oregon Coast is better done north to south to avoid the winds from the north. 

We stayed alert for the cross winds from the ocean that could knock us over if we weren't paying attention. Our 20 mile bike ride along the Beach Loop circles back inland to Bandon between some huge Oceanspray cranberry bogs with trees blocking the winds.

The small town of Bandon by the Sea doesn't look like it has a lot to offer at first glance. On our arrival, I was starting to wonder if it was going to feel like longer than a month. It didn't take much effort to find plenty to keep us busy and happy.

Port Orford is 26 miles south of Bandon and  our previous ride on the Wild Rivers Scenic Bikeway along the Elk River can be seen here. We couldn't pass up the chance for a repeat on the scenic bikeway on our return to the coast. Port Orford never disappoints us each time we visit.

The blue water in Elk River 

The road along Elk River is as blue as the Caribbean Sea. The ride back downhill to Highway 101 required peddling because of the wind off the ocean blowing up the valley. Did I say it gets windy here?

PNW Coos Bay mountain bikers and the BLM and made a plan to work together on a planned mountain biking area. This was another way to use the resources for the community and tourism other than for just logging which opened in June of 2018.

We rode some of the 18 miles of Whiskey Run on Oregon’s South Coast through a coastal forest on ribbons of clay dirt, with moderate climbs and gentle descents. The tree canopy shelters us from the warm sun, connecting to the beach with views of the ocean and stunning coastline. It’s a beautiful location just 10 miles north of Bandon with beginner, intermediate and expert terrain.

Outside Magazine recently had an article about the positive economic effect the trails are having on the local economy.

We took advantage of Bullards Beach State Park great evening interpretive program that varies five nights a week with some interesting speakers from local businesses or historical societies.

The Fiddlers were a hoot and quite entertaining. Soon everyone was clapping and singing along.

A biologist for Ocean Spray gave a very nice presentation but even better were the samples he left.

The Western Snowy Plover is a small endangered bird that nests on the sand of Oregon's beaches in the summer. It has many predators.  USFW and Oregon State Parks work together to improve habitat degradation caused by human disturbance, urban development, and introduced European Beachgrass. Bullards Beach has two groups of interpretive hosts that monitors and educates people in the protected 12 mile areas of the beach daily during the nesting period.

Unfortunately, we didn't get to see a fluffy little Plower.

On a morning walk, we came across a birdwatching couple from England. They were so excited about the US birds and how different they looked and sounded.

Bullards has a hiker/biker campground for people touring the coast. Many start in Vancouver, BC heading towards San Diego or even South America, coming from all over the world and a wide range of ages. One 70 year old lady was traveling the coast on her bike alone. She looked pretty content and fit. Occasionally, we run into a rider from the south heading north that regrets that route.

Washed Ashore

Washed Ashore is a non-profit community art project founded by artist and educator, Angela Pozzi in 2010. The project is based in Bandon, Oregon, where Angela first recognized the amount of plastic washing up on the beaches she loved and decided to take action. Since 2010, Washed Ashore has processed tons of plastic pollution from Pacific beaches to create monumental art that is awakening the hearts and minds of viewers to the global marine debris crisis.

A traveling exhibit can be seen at many museums across the US.

Eel Lake Trail

We took a drive to Tugman State Park north of Coos Bay for a badly needed hike. The rain eased up shortly after we got on the trail. 

We watched an osprey flying over the lake. He dived and pulled a fish out of the lake. As he was flying away, he didn't return to his nest as we expected. Then we heard the wind whistling through an eagle's wings as he attacked the osprey. They both went into the lake and neither came out with the fish. They both flew in separate directions. If the fish survived, I bet he had a story to tell his buddies. "Dudes, your not going to believe what happened to me today."

I  couldn't resist sharing a few more Circles in the Sand photos. Over the past month, There have been 13 exhibits on Bandon's beach, each with different art as a labyrinth.

Our job as relief yurt cleaners was fine, no kitchen or bathroom. The best part was that once we were done, the day was ours along with the morning before the people vacated the yurts. Here at Bullards Beach, many of the hosts, which we enjoyed, return year after year from Oregon's valley that gets hot in the summer.

Off to La Pine for the fabulous 4th...

Answering a few questions

Leaving the coast

We are going to try and answer a few questions people had about our experience so far as camp hosts.

 Oregon has many types of hosts including visitors center, lighthouse tour guide, kayak guides, and the list goes on, requiring only a month long commitment. Every state park has different expectations for each position. For us, the hours we work are more important to us than actual job. We prefer morning or evening work so we can have a bigger chunk of time off to hike, bike ride or sightsee. Some people prefer being inside a visitors center or lighthouse but 10am to 2 just cuts into our fun time and is a deal breaker.

 We haven't seen much of a down side to the hosting experience so far. Our orientation consisted of  handing us a set of keys and a binder to figure it out on our own. We are bright and figured out our own game plan. There are always people who complain because they did it differently somewhere else or know a better way to do things. When the negativity starts, we just nod, say "have a nice day" and move on. Sure, we were frustrated when we ran out of wood. We just put the "Out of Wood" sign up and went home. Nights could get cold in the wood shed. We put out our "see host in site 1" sign and went inside to read a book. If they wanted wood, they knocked on our door. As you can see, the signs are very important. Most things in life really aren't worth stressing over. If it is too stressful, move on.

Trail along the Columbia River in Warrenton.

The rhododendrons in bloom early

We had signed up to work a 2 hour shift at Astoria's Crab, Seafood and Wine Festival allowing us to avoid paying the $15 each entry fee. Standing in line to taste wine and eat in a crowded hall isn't our thing even if a band is playing. Another volunteer was so happy when we passed it on to her. Astoria had school bus shuttles to the campgrounds since the parking in town is limited and the 500 campsites were full along with all of the other campgrounds in town. We would hear the people whooping and singing while returning with their purchases as they walked back to their campsites. Then they would get quiet as they settled into their wine laden slumber by their fire. Everyone was home by 10pm. The extra security the park paid for was not needed.

Staying in a beautiful place and saving over $1000 per month in fees was worth the little time we spent "working" four hours a day, five days a week. Keeping our cash inflow greater than our outflow.  Allowing us time to take in the area.  Also, moving every 5-7 days can get wearing over a period of time.

The volunteer appreciation potluck was nice. We passed on the gifts. No place to put them. We don't see ourselves returning to Fort Stevens even though Marlo, host coordinator, invited us back. We loved the area. Been there, done that. Too many places to see.

Our drive into Oregon's Coastal Mountains was only 67 miles after we washed the pollen and sap off the truck and trailer in Seaside.

We pulled into Camp 18 restaurant and logging museum, the most popular stop on the way to and from the Oregon Coast between Portland and Cannon Beach. We lucked out and didn't have to wait for a table. As we were leaving, the Sunday morning crowd was lining up.

Our  next stop was LL Stubb Stewart State Park in the coastal mountains to be relief hosts for the hosts of the east and west campgrounds. We will take care of the sites once the campers leave and change the post markers for the incoming people.  We post our "see host in site 55" sign on the wood shed door as we are available to sell wood and ice two evenings a week. It isn't physical at all and frees us up in the early afternoons for a few hours. We will see if we like this job as the month goes on but so far, so good.  

We are in a great place to ride our bikes and hike while we get our toes wet.