Oregon '23
In the hopes of stretching out the summer for as long as possible, we headed to Oregon.  The Plan A of 6 weeks peddling and paddling turned into a little more Plan B with wildfires, smoke, and cooler temperatures than usual.

The Banks-Vernonia trail connected its two namesake towns via a reclaimed rail line. With shade for most of the path, it was a good choice for the 32C days we rode it (Day 1: LL Stubs SP-Vernonia, 47km return, Day 2: LL Stubs SP to Banks and back toward Vernonia before returning to the state park, 50km. (Vernonia & Banks, OR, Aug 25-26/23)

Running east from Portland to Boring and back, the Springwater Corridor was a 56km ride. The Boring end was rural and loveliest, but it was all generally flat. A convenient overnight was the Portland-Woodburn RV Park basically attached to the Woodburn Outlet stores, the largest and most tastefully designed one we’ve seen… shopping :) (Portland, OR, Aug 27/23)

The Minto-Brown Island path was only 20km but it covered the gamut. With the Willamette River never far away, the trail traversed parks, conservation land, farms, and the picturesque Riverfront Park (above) downtown. With the exception of the Riverfront, the parks supported the homeless, tucked away in small groups of tents in the bushes and trees right next to the river. (Salem, OR, Aug 28/23)

Timing was in our favour; the Oregon State Fair was in town. From 10am to 10pm we did it all. Horse shows, the 4H kids showcasing their husbandry skills, poultry, and livestock auctions, the midway, bad but irresistible food, artisan work, wine tasting, fiddle music, competitions for baking, Lego, quilts, woodwork, crop harvests… the list went on. (Salem, OR, Aug 29/23)

Something we’d never seen before was a table setting competition – several settings were displayed, some with elaborate accessories like the Fall’s bounty table. Above: high tea

To top the day off, the Beach Boys played with the midway lights in the background accompanying the concert’s lightshow. Three of the original band members were backed up by some younger Beach Boy sounding guys who could hit the high notes and carry them. It was great to sit out on a warm evening listening to one hit after another, while watching surfing videos and the boys in their heyday.

A 9km undulating hike took us past 7 waterfalls and ended in an historic lodge with beer – perfection! (Silver Falls SP, Salem, OR, Aug 30/23)

The path went behind 2 of the waterfalls.

There’s been a lot more rain forest and old growth trees than we expected. Given that we’re not far from the California Redwoods, it shouldn’t have been a surprise. The greens were so vivid – no photoshop here.

The Rush Buscom trail (40km loop) connecting several parks which border each side of the Willamette River is a gem. We even stood for a while watching 2 beavers go about their business. Rick turned 67 and a lovely riverside restaurant provided the drinks and dessert needed to celebrate. (Eugene, OR, Sept 1/23)

Between Cottage Grove and Culp Creek runs the Row River trail, a 50km (return), mostly shaded and flat path. It included this one historic covered bridge, but if we were interested in road biking, we could have added another 55km and several more of these charming, bygone bridges. (Cottage Grove, Sept 2-3/23).

With home base being an enormous waterside campsite it felt like we had the place to ourselves. The John Dellenback Trail (20km paved) looped around the lake and ran through our site. This place was a gem. . Sean is in the hospital with meningitis! It’s been a flashback day to when he spent at least 10 days in the hospital with the same infection when he was about 10 years old. (Diamond Lake Campground, OR, Sept 4-5/23).

Pine needles drying on the path added a vibrant and aromatic touch.

A pair of pikas shared our campground space and one boldly scampered up Rick’s leg and tried to gnaw at his Crocs, likely looking for a free handout. Even without being fed, they continued to check him out over the couple of days we were here.

With wildfire season in full force we saw very little evidence of it on our route. But these old roadside remains of burnt trees in a national forest made for an interesting ICM opportunity.

Crater Lake is the deepest in the US and has some of the purest water in the world. Because of its depth, only the blue of the light spectrum is reflected to the surface giving the lake its tourist magnet colour. The blue reflection was so strong the original picture appeared oddly pixelated. It took Rick a while to tone down the intensity and return the shot to what our eyes saw. Paired with the green water near the shorelines, the effect is like looking at opals. Thankfully, Sean is improving. I’ve been waiting daily for word from Cheryl that things look like I should come home, but so far he’s relatively quickly started showing signs of this being a different experience for him than his first time. (Crater Lake, OR, Sept 6/23)

Kayaking through a marsh channel fringed with reeds and water grass made for an idyllic day. The area is set in the Klamath Basin Birding Trail that runs at least 180km north-south providing a layover for migrating birds. (Odessa Campground FS, Klamath Falls, OR, Sept 7-8/23)

This dam (15m wide) gave a new meaning to ‘busy as a beaver’. It took a short but tricky portage to keep the kayak clear of beaver sharpened sticks.

In 2020 the Alameda fire blazed through the 4 towns linked by the 30km (one-way) Bear Creek Greenway. Remnants of trees were being overtaken by new growth and rebuilding reminders flanked the newly paved trail; neighbourhoods of solar topped new homes and plenty of trailers, many set up as temporary housing while those who lost everything waited for their modular homes to be delivered. (Talent, OR, Sept 10-12/23)

Signs of firefighting and prevention were prevalent in Oregon’s interior. Above: Underbrush was being removed and forests thinned to prevent fires from jumping. Below: A command center (four times the size visible in this image) set up in one community.

An overnight at an exceptional forestry sight offered a riverside trail with the river moving through a lava tube at the south end and 3 campgrounds to the north. We were lucky enough to get a campsite along the river. (Natural Bridge Campground FS, Butte Falls, OR, Sept 12/23)

As luck would have it, the route to today’s destination took us past Diamond Lake for a repeat ride of the John Dellenback trail. Even at an elevation of 1,700m the mid-September temperature was still a pleasant 24C. And, now that the fires have abated, for the most part our destination options are no longer restrictive. Above: morning view from the campsite. (Shadow Bay Campground FS, Oakridge, OR, Sept 13/24)

Three lakes around the city of Bend were in our itinerary; as it turned out one was a bust, one turned into a kayak lining exercise and the third was the gem. With water that rarely exceeded ankle deep, we took our kayak for a walk in search of the lake that never materialized. Instead, the entire area was a marsh, which leant its own beauty. (Davis Lake, Crescent, OR, Sept 14/23)

A flock of American White pelicans called it home, but they blocked what we believed was access to the lake. After a half-hour stealthy approach, I got as close as possible to take their picture before they flew off. With a clear passage, the water was only shallower.

Rick should have flown the drone over the ‘lake’ beforehand so that we could see how much the water level had shrunk. Although it wasn’t the day we planned, we thoroughly enjoyed the adventure it became.

The third lake, Hosmer, delivered as promised by our book on paddling in Oregon. With a perfect 27C we paddled the 2 days we stayed. (Hosmer Lake South Campground, Bend, OR, Sept 15-16/23)

The side channels in Hosmer Lake were so stocked with fish they looked like an aquarium, especially set against the neon green algae. Kayaks and SUPs competed for space amongst those fishing.

An increasingly encroaching fire hastened our departure. The next day the tracking map indicated that either the fire or heavy smoke blew dangerously close to the Hosmer Lake forestry service campground.

A decade ago, we visited Bend and ever since I’ve wanted to kayak the Willamette River that twists through town. Both days we were able to bike the Deschutes River Trail that borders each side of the river, but fate was against us for paddling. Just 3 days before, the kayak pump and the straps for Rick’s seat broke. The local kayak shop couldn’t rescue us, and their rentals were booked up. But on the positive, the Old Mill District was along the cycling path and fit in perfectly for an indulgent dinner. (Bend, OR, Sept 17-18/23)

Bend’s river wave was popular, but it looked challenging to get on to the wave from the launch deck.

Along with other forces, wet years created the reds and drier ages the soft cream colours of the Painted Hills National Monument. Scattered across an expanse, these mounds tossed by volcanic activity about 7,000 years ago contrasted with their blander counterparts, remnants long covered in soil and vegetation. (Painted Hills NM, OR, Sept 19/23)

A leisurely Oregon Coast drive began in Reedsport. Note for future: the town is home to a plethora of bargain-priced beach and marina side camping in Winchester Bay. Fish and seafood were for sale straight from the fishing boats and an oyster shop in the marina. And several forest service sites available between Reedsport & Newport. (Reedsport, OR, Sept 22/23)

Elaborate balloon-style configurations blew in the wind while elsewhere professional ‘pilots’ made magic with their single, stacked and multiple kites at this annual festival. (Lincoln City, OR, Sept 24-24/23)

Ten pilots each held a kite, one of them called which moves to make and together, set to music, they gracefully moved their kites around the sky and on the ground to form patterns. When the kites briefly touched land, the pilots made them stand on their points, take bows, sway in formation, etc. It was like watching kite ballet. One pilot at the festival held the record for multi-pilot work; he orchestrated 49 pilots controlling 227 kites configured into 39 ‘stacks’ (a set of multiple kites strung together to form a stack). And all without tangling in each other’s kite strings.

Wind warnings and a storm had the ocean boiling and the RV rocking a bit. (Oregon Coast, Sept 25/23)

Old railway trestles running the length of the beach served as perches for a colony of American white pelicans. With a wingspan of 9’ they’re one of the largest birds in N America. (Astoria, OR, Sept 25/23)

The Oregon Discovery Trail (ODT) between Port Townsend and the Pacific Ocean is a work in progress. One day it will be a contiguous 138 mi, but it’s current 90mi is already impressive. About half is paved which feels surreal when you’re deep in the woods of a national park. The ride ending in Port Townsend was on a perfectly sunny day and the wharf at the Ferry terminal served up whole crabs, with limitless butter… such a treat! (Sections we rode - either side starting from the Pyramid Peak trailhead & the Elwha River Rd to Port Angeles East, WA, Sept 28-30/23)

Deer grazed unfazed by human activity near the check-in at an old fort, now a state park campground. Slowly and gently, the young boy approached a few of them, sat down and eventually laid down. (Fort Warden SP, Port Townsend, WA, Oct 1/23)

Starting with a ferry from Port Townsend we meandered north and along Chuckanut Drive. Above: Heritage homes, maple trees in colour and an Adam’s Family Halloween theme throughout the town. (Coupeville, WA, Oct 3/23)