afternoon 9 – finally, the Outsidevan folks and I are done with each other. I’ve written all the checks I need to write, we took another day and a half to pin down more of the details, and finally have done all we can do for the moment. So back in the truck, and take the lovely drive down the Columbia Gorge to Portland, where I am going to spend the Labor Day weekend with my friend Marcia.
Friday, Saturday – days 10,11 – chillin’ in Portland – let’s see, Thursday night we went to some monthly art walk kinda thing, had a nice Indian lunch on Friday, watched the swifts return to their nest in the chimney of the local school – really fun!. Don’t remember what we did on Saturday, hung out at her place on Saturday night, had a nice brunch on Sunday, and I headed on down that rainy road.
Day 12 – rainy yet strangely pleasant drive down I-5 to the cut-off to the Umpqua River. Find a really nice BLM campground – Susan Creek CG – really well put together and well maintained, right on the river. About as high-end as the BLM gets – the campsites were improved by local Boy Scout troop, as a sign every fifteen feet or so would remind you.
Day 13 – I have a darned dentist appointment on Wednesday, so I need to return much faster than I would like. However I do make time for Umpqua Hot Springs. It’s tricky to get to, the bridge is out, apparently has been for a couple of years, so one has to walk about 15 feet of big tree over a very fast rushing river. Walking the tree would be pretty easy, except for the water rushing past as you look down – quite dizzifying – can’t say that I liked it. This is the last day of the three day weekend, so there were way too many young folks there, hittin the hot springs on their way back to Portland. Hippies with big dogs can be really annoying people.
I screwed up the gasoline thing again, for some stupd reason I did not fill up in Klamath, and so I ended up paying $4.50/gal in Tule Lake … dumbass..
night 13 – Lava Beds again – such a sweet campground, on the side of the hill with a really panoramic view of the valley.
day 14 – Blast on home, darn it. Ate bisquits and coffee at Adin again, loved it again, drove around the other side of Eagle Lake for completeness, just blasted on down the highway, and got back to Reno 3-ish.
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