This Blog is now Two!

It's hard to believe, but this blog is now over two years old. My first post was back on September 21, 2008. I started this blog so that we'd have a place to share our pictures of Kendall as she grew up. Now that's she's full grown, it's turned into more of a travel/social event blog. I never thought I'd be able to keep it up, but here it is two years later. There have been some lulls during my work travel, but all in all I'm happy with the way it's progressed.

Kendall at about 6 mo.

Fall in Central Oregon

 Fall is in full swing in Central Oregon. The aspen leaves have all changed and have almost all fallen off the trees. I love the sound they make when the wind rustles through them.

I've put a lot of miles on the bike since arriving in Central Oregon. I've also made good use of Kendall's Burley trailer. Kendall loves to go for bike rides. All I have to say is, "Let's go for a bike ride," and she's at the garage door ready to go.

Kendall's chariot

Could it get any prettier?

Looking out over the meadow

The clouds were amazing that day

I took these pictures the day I lost my camera. Luckily, the pictures of Kendall and the bike with the trailer clued the couple in as to whose camera they had found.

Wildlife

There's no shortage of wild life near where I'm staying. I finally had the chance to use my "good" camera and the telephoto lens to take some pictures.

I noticed today that Blogger has made it much easier to upload pictures. I used to have to do them one at a time, but now I can choose multiple pictures. That can only mean one thing for you - more pictures!

Headwaters of the Metolius River

One place that we've been meaning to go for years but never seemed to find the time is to see the headwaters of the Metolius River. Most mountainous rivers start from several different trickles from snow pack runoff and then merge to make a bigger and bigger stream. The Metolius River is different, though. It bubbles up out of the ground at a single site and is fairly large from the very beginning.

We drove up to the headwaters on Saturday.

Sign on the way in on the trail

It's a nice quarter-mile walk from the parking lot to the viewing platform.

There it is. 

It doesn't look like much, but if you turn your head the other direction, you can see how much water is coming out of the hillside.

Looking the other direction

That's Mt. Jefferson in the background

We arrived here about noon, so the light was very harsh. I'd love to go back towards dusk or even early dawn when the light's a bit softer. It is a beautiful sight. The river is known for its fly fishing and people camp all along the river so they can fish.

Store at Camp Sherman

Camp Sherman is a little general store, fly-fishing shop, and post office. They also have gas available at some more modern pumps. There are cabins you can rent as well as various National Forest camp grounds with limited amenities.

From there we drove up to Suttle Lake, another place we usually blow by on our way to somewhere else. The lake was nice but it was right along the highway. I don't know that I'd choose it over some of the other lakes I've visited over the last few weeks.

Suttle Lake

There's a resort and restuarant at Suttle Lake as well as a day-use area with a nice beach. The restaurant is not dog friendly even though it has outside seating.

On the way back we stopped in Sisters, OR and the Sister's Fresh Hops Festival was going on. It was held in the park in the middle of town. It was dog friendly.

They had a big tent set up where you could get your tastes of beer and listen to music. They also had a large area outside where you could take your beer and food and enjoy the wonderful weather we were having.

Blog Link Fun

Labor Day Weekend in Packwood, WA

Before heading to Central Oregon, we spent Labor Day weekend camped near Packwood, WA. We've tried a few different campgrounds in the area but decided to stay at La Wis Wis campground just east of Packwood. It's a Gifford Pinchot National Forest campground with the usual vault toilets and no hook-ups. We're used to dry camping from our years with our teardrop trailer. We finally got a few couple of days of camping in with no rain!

The site was huge!

Since we've never been there before, I had to blindly choose our site from the crude map on the reservation page. Our site turned out to be huge! You could've put three or four tents on the site and still had room for a fire and the Easy-up. Unfortunately the driveway was really small so we had to turn the trailer at an angle to get it and the truck to fit in the driveway. This campground is huge but definitely isn't designed for trailers. There is one loop that has longer driveways but most of the driveways aren't nearly long enough for a trailer and a rig.

We were also right along the river. I'd tell you what site it is, but then we'd never be able to reserve it again : )

There was a lot of moss hanging from the trees. I felt like I was in the south except for the chilly temperatures.

Each Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend, the entire town of Packwood, WA turns into a gigantic swap meet. We don't usually go looking for anything in particular, but it's always fun to browse through what people are selling.

Kendall's swap meet finds

It's been very rare for us to actually capture a glimpse of Mount Rainier during our visits. On Saturday, the mountain was visible between the surrounding hills. When I snapped this picture I had no idea that there was someone with some weird glasses in the picture. What's up with those glasses?

It started to rain on Sunday morning. We've had enough camping in the rain this past summer to last us awhile, so we packed up and headed home.

Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway - Part 2

We headed out on the southern half of the loop made by the Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway on another day. The skies were clear making for some nice pictures along the way.

South Twin Lake

Our first stop brought us to the South Twin Lake Resort. There's a nice National Forest day use area there. It was pretty quiet during the middle of the week in late September, but I bet it's pretty busy during the summer.

Looking the other way at South Twin Lake

The Wickiup Dam is about 4 miles further down a gravel road. I'd love to see it sometime but didn't want to head down a gravel road alone during the quiet season.

Crane Prairie Reservoir

Our next stop was at Osprey Point campground and boat launch. According to the map, this is on the other side of the Crane Prairie Reservoir than we were on before. I could see boats way across the water.

Creek running off the reservoir

Our next stop was Cultus Lake. I've heard a lot about this lake but had never had the chance to visit. I can see now why so many people vacation up here.

Kendall had a great time visiting all of the mountain lakes. I can see we'll have to come back and visit. One thing I didn't mention is that all of these stops require that you have a Northwest Forest Pass. I picked up an annual pass for $30 and have already gotten my money's worth.

Some People are Awesome!

Today, while out riding my bike with Kendall in her trailer, I stopped to take some pictures. Kendall wanted to see the river, so I set my camera on a bench. Then, when it came time to leave, I chatted with some people while loading Kendall into her trailer. I never looked over at the bench to see that my camera was still there. About an hour later I stopped for a drink and couldn't find my camera. You know that sinking feeling...

I retraced my ride and came upon two very nice people walking Boxers that I had met on the ride. As I rode up, they smiled. They had my camera!!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you. You are two awesome people.

Sounds like it's time to start refilling my karma pot.

Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway - Part I

Mt. Bachelor

Kendall and I have been exploring Central Oregon. Part of our explorations took us out to the Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway. We did it in two different parts - the north part and then the southern part. The highway leaves out of Bend and heads west into the Cascade mountains.

We got stopped for road construction along the way, so I stuck my camera out the window and took a picture of this. I have no idea what it is.

Elk Lake

We stopped at Elk Lake resort to take some pictures. Elk Lake is pretty big and the "resort" included a campground, store, and a gas pump.

Elk Lake

Crane Prairie Reservoir

Our next stop was at Crane Prairie Reservoir. What a serene place. Not many people are out camping and boating in September, but it's the perfect time to explore these mountain lakes.

Another view at Crane Prairie Reservoir

I read that there's a 10 mph speed limit everywhere on the reservoir, so I imagine it's not too loud during the busier season.

Deschutes River

The Deschutes River originates from a few different feeds farther up in the mountains and flows all the way out to the Columbia River. It's one of the most beautiful rivers I've seen.

Deschutes River

We headed back across the middle of the loop that makes the Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway. I decided to hold off on the southern half until another day.

September Adventures

I bet you've been wondering where we've been. Kendall and I have been exploring Central Oregon, and I have lots and lots of pictures to post. Here are a few from last weekend:

Looking out over Bend from Pilot Butte State Park

Looking in another direction from the State Park

One of the three Sisters mountains outside of Bend

Map of Pilot Butte State Park

If you ever find yourself in Bend, OR and have a little bit of time, a visit to the state park is well worth it. There's no admission fee and the views are amazing. It's located just off of Hwy 20 east of Bend. The road winds around the outside of the cinder cone and there's a nice viewing area and parking at the top. For those of you who are a little more ambitious than we were, there's parking at a trailhead a little farther down Hwy 20 so you can walk to the top.

Trying a New Doggie Daycare Place

Kendall's off to A Dog Gone Good Place, ADGGP, for the morning. She's been going to the same place for over a year, and it seemed like it was time for something new. She's there this morning for her evaluation to see how she makes out with all of the other dogs. It's a lot bigger than where she went before, so I'm not sure how she'll handle it. They have a small dog area that's separated from the big dogs at all times. She seemed a bit nervous headed in there will the big dogs barking, but she took off with the attendant without looking back. I hope she's having fun.

Kendall goes to day care once a week. It's a chance for her to socialize and have fun with other dogs, and it gets her out of the house when the cleaners come. They're only here every other week, but we've found that a routine is good for Kendall. So, off to the day care once a week for her. There's something very nice about coming home to a clean house and a tired dog on the same day. I'll let you know how it goes.

Update: Kendall had a great time at ADGGP. She came out with her tail wagging and that excited look she gets in her eyes when she's having fun. They post daily pictures of the dogs. Here's one of her with some of the other small dogs there.