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Painted Hills in Oregon

December 19, 2022 by RFT

August 2020 we embarked on a trip we had long wanted to undertake ... right here locally in Oregon. With friends Jim and Amy Shores we motored to the Painted Hills of Central Oregon.

The hills get their name from the delicately colored stratifications in the soil and the yellows, golds, blacks and reds of the Painted Hills are best seen in the late afternoon. Tones and hue may appear to change from one visit to another, as the claystones differ with ever-changing light and moisture levels. Once you see them for yourself, it’s pretty easy to understand why the Painted Hills are one of the 7 Wonders of Oregon.

 

Filed Under: Featured

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Glass Buttes Oregon Trip

February 4, 2021 by RFT

It was a beautiful spring Friday, May 17, 2019 when we departed Bend, Oregon for a short (75 mile) journey to the Glass Buttes Obsidian Collection area just off of Hwy 20. Accompanying us on this trip were our Bend friends Jim and Amy Shores. Jim Shores is a wonderful photographer and virtually all the photos in this blog post are his. Many thanks to Jim for memorializing this fun obsidian collection trip.

We left Bend at about 10:00 am. Hwy 20 going East is a rather open and desolate stretch of road so after traveling about 45 miles we came upon a “stage stop” at the hamlet/ghost town/roadside stop of Brothers, Oregon.

Lonely Hwy 20 Oregon
Lonely Hwy 20 Oregon
Brothers Stage Stop
Brothers Stage Stop

A trip to the Brothers Stage Stop in and of itself is a worthy journey! The establishment is truly unique and an unsung gem. While we didn't have a burger when there (we had a picnic lunch planned), we would surely consider a trip there JUST to have a burger! See more great Jim Shors photos in the slide show below.

After spending about 45 minutes exploring the Brothers Stage Stop and environs we proceeded on to the Glass Buttes turnoff. Once into the obsidian collection area we began our "rockhounding".

Glass Buttes Rockhounding
Glass Buttes Rockhounding
P1030684

After some serious obsidian collecting we packed up our finds and searched out a place for our picnic lunch. Thanks to Amy and Jim, we dined in style!

Glass Buttes Picnic
Glass Buttes Picnic

After lunch we packed up and headed home. Jim and Amy, being the creative people they are already had wonderful thoughts for how to use their new obsidian treasures!

Deschutes Obsidian Beer
Deschutes Obsidian Beer
Classy Planter Border
Classy Planter Border
Amy arranging her obsidian
Amy arranging her obsidian

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Panama Canal Cruise

December 30, 2019 by RFT

After years and years of resistance to the concept of "cruising" we finally broke down and "cruised". Our dear friends from college days in Chico, CA (and more directly, from time served together in the National Guard), Dennis and Carolyn Baker, had invited us to cruise with them on a 19 day Los Angeles to the Panama Canal and back cruise on the Princess Cruise Line. Inasmuch as we were also celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary (for the entire year), we were excited to join them. Additionally we were privileged to get to know Cathy and Mike Foster (Cathy is Dennis' sister). Let there be no debate ... it was a great trip and we had a wonderful time!

The journey began by boarding the Coral Princess at the Port of Los Angeles, located in SanPedro Bay on March 19, 2019. The route of the journey included stops at Puerto Ciapas, Manzanilo, Huatulco, Antigua, Puntarenas, Juan del Sur, and the Panama Canal.

 

 Slideshow of the trip plays below

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Grand Canyon Mule Ride

April 3, 2018 by RFT

Our adventure begins at Bright Angel Lodge in The Grand Canyon on Wednesday, March 8, 2018.

Hotel Cbeck-In Counter

Hotel Check-In Counter

We excitedly arrive at the Bright Angel Lodge in the mid afternoon after spending the night in Williams, AZ (right on Route 66). Although we were just "scouting" and getting oriented, we elected to stop at the “backcountry” desk (which is just to the left of the hotel check-in counter) to check on the status of our long reserved (over one year) mule trip.

It turns out a pipe is broken down at Phantom Ranch so there is no toilet or bathing water. Pit toilets are available and there will be no showers.  We are told that several people have cancelled. (Can't imagine cancelling for this reason when reservations must be made one full year in advance!). Since we didn’t know there were showers in the first place, that was a non issue. Also, as old
experienced “dry” campers, pit toilets were also a non issue. Plenty of drinking water will be brought in and the steak dinner is still on ... what’s not to like?

Plastic Bag and Bota Bag (for water)

We commenced to sign papers absolving the mules and their owners (the Xanterra Corporation) of any liability in the "unlikely" event of injury or death. We received our plastic bag for personal effects we wish to take down with us (toiletries, medicine, sweatpants ... that's about all there is room for) and we received a cool “bota” bag ... but for water.

We also received a bright yellow rain jacket with the words “mule rider” in black on the back. I suppose this is so if you do fall down the canyon they can spot you and then subsequently identify you as a “mule rider.” We get to keep the plastic bag and the bota bag, but not the cool yellow rain coat.

All the time we were filling out paperwork and getting our “equipment” I was under the impression I could go back to the van, put on my very light gym shoes,  very light gym pants and very light nylon t-shirt in order to insure a lighter weigh in total (recall, that if you weigh even an ounce over 200 pounds you cannot go). (It will help to know that I have been eating carefully and exercising regularly for over a year with this one defining moment in mind, having started out at 215 pounds with just a swim suit for clothing)

As  I said above, I was under the impression I could put on lighter clothing UNTIL  ...  Sue quite innocently asked, “So, when do we weigh in?”.

The heavily bearded, gravelly voiced, crusty, gold miner looking fellow behind the counter wryly smiles and says, “Why, right now.”

Fear and terror gripped me since I was wearing heavy levis, heavy hiking boots, and a heavy sweatshirt. I meekly asked him if I could remove my hiking boots to weigh in. Without missing a beat he replied, “Nope, you gotta wear somethin’.” At that demarcation moment I realized he had been asked this "newbie" question before.

So, I gingerly stepped on the scale (it’s just like what the airlines use for baggage). Guess that makes it easier to measure people’s “excess baggage”. I figured if I stepped lightly I would weigh less in total.

I was so jittery and nervous the scale kept moving around. I told him the scale was moving. He said, “No, you are.”

So, he silently writes down my "final" weight  ... which I have not seen ... and proceeds to process our paperwork. It appeared to be good news as he didn’t ask if I wanted to come back after maybe going to the restroom ... ultimately, I couldn’t stand the suspense so I had to ask ... "Um, so what was the final number on your scale?" (In the back of my mind I’m calculating boots =3.5 lbs, levis =1.5 lbs, sweatshirt =1.0 lb ... there is 6 pounds in clothing alone) ... He smiles, clears his throat and calmly says “193”.

Air fist bump ... MADE IT!

The mule will be thrilled!

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Chihuly Garden and Glass

November 19, 2017 by RFT

On November 13, 2017 we journeyed to Seattle to visit Chihuly Garden and Glass. My brother, Bill, is a graphic artist and recommended we visit. In fact, he made the trip to Seattle with us and while we continued on to visit the Escape Trailer Factory in Chilliwack, BC, he took Amtrak home from Seattle to Portland.

The Chihuly Garden and Glass Center was founded by Dale Chihuly. It is located right at the base of the Space Needed (I mean RIGHT AT THE BASE).

Dale Chihuly

Born in 1941 in Tacoma, Washington, Dale Chihuly was introduced to glass while studying interior design at the University of Washington. After graduating in 1965, Chihuly enrolled in the first glass program in the country, at the University of Wisconsin. He continued his studies at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), where he later established the glass program and taught for more than a decade.

In 1968, after receiving a Fulbright Fellowship, he went to work at the Venini glass factory in Venice. There he observed the team approach to blowing glass, which is critical to the way he works today. In 1971, Chihuly cofounded Pilchuck Glass School in Washington State. With this international glass center, Chihuly has led the avant-garde in the development of glass as a fine art.

His work is included in more than 200 museum collections worldwide. He has been the recipient of many awards, including twelve honorary doctorates and two fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Chihuly has created more than a dozen well-known series of works, among them, Cylinders and Baskets in the 1970s; Seaforms, Macchia, Venetians, and Persians in the 1980s; Niijima Floats and Chandeliers in the 1990s; and Fiori in the 2000s. He is also celebrated for large architectural installations. In 1986, he was honored with a solo exhibition, Dale Chihuly objets de verre, at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Palais du Louvre, in Paris. In 1995, he began Chihuly Over Venice, for which he created sculptures at glass factories in Finland, Ireland, and Mexico, then installed them over the canals and piazzas of Venice.

In 1999, Chihuly started an ambitious exhibition, Chihuly in the Light of Jerusalem; more than 1 million visitors attended the Tower of David Museum to view his installations. In 2001, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London curated the exhibition Chihuly at the V&A. Chihuly’s lifelong fascination for glasshouses has grown into a series of exhibitions within botanical settings. His Garden Cycle began in 2001 at the Garfield Park Conservatory in Chicago. Chihuly exhibited at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, near London, in 2005. Other major exhibition venues include the de Young Museum in San Francisco, in 2008; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, in 2011; and the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts in 2013. Chihuly Garden and Glass, a long-term exhibition, opened at Seattle Center in 2012.

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KATY Trail and Route 66

September 2, 2017 by RFT

Our trip bicycling 210 miles across Missouri on the longest Rails to Trails was phenomenal. We started in historic Sedelia in western Missouri then proceeded through historic trails and towns along the Missouri River, close to Lewis & Clark’s famed expedition to the Pacific Ocean. The capitol, Jefferson City, was a fascinating city with a beautiful capitol building adorned with tremendous artwork including huge murals by Thomas Hart Benton chronicling the late 19th and early 20th centuries of hardworking folks who turned the state into a productive center in the heart of our country.

On our return to Oregon we traveled and camped along historic Route 66. Oh the inspiring buildings and scenery that created the "Cars" Disney movies and special section at Disneyland. Amazing how adventurous Dust Bowl folks were to pack up all their belongings and head westward for a better life in California.

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Images Left

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Total Eclipse – Madras, Oregon

September 1, 2017 by RFT

Waiting for the eclipse to happen.

We journeyed to Madras, Oregon in order to be right in the middle of the “path of totality” for the solar eclipse of August 21, 2017. The crowds were not as immense at predicted by the media…although there were A LOT of people. Our “reserved” camping spot was in the middle of a farmer’s field … along with 10,000 other people.

Viewing the eclipse with all those other kindred spirits was an outstanding experience. At “full eclipse” the temperature had dropped 14 degrees and we could see stars in the sky.

The night before the eclipse we had an Oregon Pinot Noir wine called “Total Eclipse”with our dinner … sitting in camping chairs in the middle of a dusty field. Really, it WAS great fun!!

Moon Pie
Total Eclipse

During the eclipse the folks in the motorhome next to us distributed “Moon Pies”. What a hoot!

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Images Left

About Us

After 10 years of traveling in a 2007 Roadtrek 210 which was “cozy” and efficient we sold our “Bronze Bullet” and purchased a 20 foot Outdoors RV Creekside mountain tough trailer.  We use the trailer now for longer stays. We still live life as “Roadtrekkers” and after being at our “home base” for a while, we get the itch to get back on the road. 

 

The wonderful thing about “Roadtrekking” is all the great people we get to meet in our travels. When “on the road” one tends to meet up with “kindred spirits” who also have desire to travel, learn, and meet people.

 

Maybe you found this site because we connected on the road, at a campground, or on a side trip. We are glad you’re here!

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