Erma Belle Lake--September 1

 It was Labor Day weekend and we didn't want to labor.  I got moved to a new classroom and to say it needed work was an understatement.  It was in a basement and was dark, hot, full of stuff, and at least three different colors.  I was busy all week tossing the previous occupant's stuff, organizing and cleaning, and Jeff and I spent most of Friday painting it.  It was about 80 degrees in there and the paint fumes were pretty toxic.  Saturday we did pretty much nothing but recover.

But on Sunday, I had a plan.....take a hike!  The only question was whether to bring Freddy or not.  Unfortunately we made the wrong decision and brought him.  Listening to him whine and pant in our ears for 90 minutes while we got to the trailhead was not pleasant.  In fact, he is lucky we love him or he would have been strangled.

We took highway 58 to Westfir and then the Aufderheide Scenic Highway (also known as Forest Service road 19) to Skookum Creek campground where the trail starts and leads to the Erma Belle lakes.  I chose this hike because the trail to big Erma Belle is supposed to be handicapped accessible.....meaning it doesn't have a bunch of rocks and roots in the way and is pretty level. My hike at Brice Creek had left me sore and achy and I wanted to avoid that if I could.  Plus I had been there before and thought the lake was just beautiful and a great place to sit and have lunch.

We took off just before noon.  The weather was perfect....the temp about 72.  The sign said 1 3/4 mile to Big Erma Belle.  We were relieved to be walking and not driving and listening to Freddy.  The trail was slightly downhill (we learned later) nice and wide, with few rocks or roots and skirted several hillsides and forded a little stream.  Before long we were at the lake.  A couple of tents gave away the locations of some campers, but we found  nice rocks at the shoreline and sat and enjoyed the scenery and our sandwiches.

Big Erma has a waterfall (from middle Erma) going into it.  You could hear it across the lake but not see it.  There is also a stream that exits big Erma near where we were sitting.  The previous time I was there, I remember tossing a fishing line in the lake at the outlet and getting lots of bites .  There were about a million gigantic dragonflies darting around and jousting with each other.  They looked like dueling helicopters.  As we sat observing, we saw a lot of fish jumping on the other side of the lake and the splash of a bird diving for prey. 

We decided to try and walk to the waterfall which connects the two lakes.  We got over the bridge and around the corner and then the trail took a decidedly uphill route.  Knowing we had to have the energy to get back to the car discouraged us from venturing further.  Maybe next time.

So we headed back toward the trailhead.  This time we realized that we were gradually heading uphill.  We got our aerobic workout and were sweating and puffing by the time we got back to Skookum Creek and the car.  Even Freddy was tired and he meekly laid down in the back seat and gave us a break from his panting.

Road 19 connects highway 58 at Westfir to highway 126 and the Mckenzie river.  So instead of going back to Westfir, we turned right and headed north.  Here is a link that shows the route.

http://visitmckenzieriver.com/new/to-do/59-scenic-drive-hwy-19-

We passed several nice campgrounds on the shores of the South Fork of the McKenzie and found ourselves at Cougar Reservoir just before sunset.  Then we stopped by our friend David's house for a few minutes to rest and after a nice dinner at Ikes, headed home.  What a nice adventure to say goodbye to summer.

Only 1 3/4 Mile to Erma

Nice smooth trail

Lichen in the trees

Do you see the K in the fungus?

Over the bridge

Beautiful Erma Belle

Across the lake

At the outlet stream

The bridge over the outlet on the way to Middle Erma Belle

Too steep....we gave up.

Fearless Freddy the wonder dog!

Exhausted but happy...we made it back.

Cougar Res. at sunset

Camping at Brice Creek, August 21

The end of summer was looming.  Both Emily and I had to start work on August 27.  So we decided on a last minute camping trip to Cedar Creek campground at Brice Creek.  The camper was still packed from our aborted Eastern Oregon trip, so all I had to do was load up the fridge with perishables, pack some clothes and hit the road.  Jeff was still recovering from the cataract surgery and tummy troubles, but planned to join us during the day.  My assignment?  Get to the campground as early as possible and secure a campsite.  Luckily, when I got there at about 11 on Wednesday, one of the best campsites was available.  On one side, Cedar Creek burbled and bubbled down to Brice Creek which ran by the other side.  So the soothing sound of running water was everywhere.  I put up the camp chairs and table and opened up the camper.  Em, Ru and Fred pulled up just about lunchtime with J arriving soon after.

The campers

Our large campsite was creek side.

After Jeff arrived, we decided on a swim.  A quick walk across the bridge and up the trail brought us to a great swimming hole.

getting ready to take the plunge

Love that smile

Swimming with Grandma

On the other side of the pool

J found a good resting place

Up the creek (without a paddle)

After our icy dip, we decided to play poker......with peanuts.  The stakes weren't too high and we all had a lot of fun.  Then Emily made her delicious fajitas for dinner and we had a fire and marshmallows.  Ru tried out sleeping with me in the camper after Jeff went home for the night.

Playing for peanuts

Roasting marshmallows

The next day, after a yummy breakfast, Em went to town for more supplies and Ru, Fred and I went for a hike.  They decided to bushwack along the river and I walked on the trail.  My goal was to go 2.5 miles to the Lund Park bridge, but I never made it.  I probably walked two miles and turned around.....it was "a bridge too far".  Fred and Ru finally got tired and walked back on the road.

Starting the hike

Fred and Ru bushwacking along the river

Log crossing

Trail scenes

an obstacle I had to cross

Jeff and Emily were there when we returned.  I was so tired, hot and sore, I took off all but my underwear and went down to the river to submerge my lower half.  AAHHH!  That cold water took the pain away (at least temporarily).

I had a nap while the other's played Yahtzee.  Then we had a nice dinner.  But the sky was clouding up and getting darker and darker.  We heard the rumbling of thunder.  Then a few raindrops and the thunder got louder.  We quickly covered everything up, put a tarp over the tent and took cover in the camper.  The rain pounded down, thunder crashed and flash after flash of lightning lit up the landscape.  We played crazy 8's and rummy, played the mandolin and Em and Ru laid on the bed and spotted lightning flashes through the "porthole" above. We tried to watch Drew Carey on the computer, but the rain on the tin roof was so loud, we couldn't hear it!  At one point, Em and Ru decided this was their opportunity to run naked through the rain.  Well, Ru got naked anyway.  They went out and ran around and got really wet really fast!  What a deluge!  Em, Ru and Fred adjourned to their tent at about 10 and Jeff and I settled down to try and sleep.  Finally the storm passed at about 3 am.

Stuck in the camper

Making the best of it

Thankfully we are all still smiling.

In the morning, we had another lovely breakfast and then I packed up and headed home.  Em, Ru and Fred were going to stay another night, but the clouds persisted and they gave up.  But we had a great time together.  Maybe there will be another camping trip before the rains REALLY start.

Two Vacation Attempts

Vacation 1:  Wed., July 31
The camper was packed, the chores done, the bills paid (mostly) and after a search, we finally found a pet-sitter until Max arrived (thanks Fred!).  We were off to Jon and Sharon's cabin in far Northeastern Oregon for the start of a two week sojourn/journey/vacation.  We got up early, said goodbye to the pets and hit the road....up 1-5 and then to the Columbia Gorge and I-84.  Jeff and I were so glad to be on the road again. We had our usual wonderful ride with music, singing and snacks.  We had lunch on the Columbia, watching the river flow.

Then we stopped at Eagle Creek to stretch our legs with a hike.  Supposedly the trail was "easy" and in two miles we would come to a waterfall.

This was the "easy" part.

This was not the "easy" part.  Note the hand hold and rocky, uneven surface. And oh yes, the CLIFF!

We made it about a mile and then decided to turn back and continue up the road.  We stopped for ice cream in Cascade Locks, made it to Pendleton, checked into the Best Western and went to the casino for dinner and "gaming".  But Jeff wasn't feeling well.  It started after the hike.  Tummy problems.  As the evening progressed, we both knew that our vacation was coming to a swift end.  I won't elaborate because most readers know the story already, but lets just say we had a tour of local ER's and Eastern Oregon medical facilities and ended up at home on Sunday the 3rd with vacation dreams dashed.

Vacation 2:  August 10
But J and K are (as you know) determined vacationers.  We are not easily dissuaded.  Max was home and provided a rare chance for a getaway without worrying about the ole' homestead. So J concentrated on recuperation and I did some gardening, swimming and cleaning (we had to show the house once) and we planned our escape.  A week later, on Sunday the 10th we left for the ocean.  We took the road less traveled and on the way we stopped for a walk to Alsea Falls.

A walk  in the Oregon rainforest.

The first cascade of Alsea Falls

 We got to Newport and drove north on 101.  We have been spending a lot of time on the south coast, so we decided to concentrate on the central/north coast this time.  We had reserved a room at "The Inn at Otter Crest" just north of Newport.  Both of us had stayed there long ago and I wanted to try it again and see what it was like.  A worker in a golf cart transported our luggage to Cottage D.  Our room was nice with a view of......fog.  Oh well, we went to the pool which was fantastic. It was bathwater warm and it also had a nice hot tub set at 105 degrees.......perfect for about 10 minutes and then you were warm for a loooong time.  There were lots of loungers for lounging on, which we did.  Nice.  The fog filtered above us and the temp was perfect.

Things went downhill from there.  Jeff wasn't feeling well, and we weren't happy with our accommodations.  Too foggy and distant from the beach.  We decided to move north to Lincoln City.  The next morning, a quick call cancelled another night at Otter Crest and added a night at the Pelican Shores Inn.  We knew we had made the right decision as soon as we checked in.  We had a big room with kitchen and king bed with a view of a broad sandy beach only a few steps from the hotel.  And it was sunny and windless.  We wasted no time stashing our stuff and hitting the beach for a nice long walk.  Ahhhh!

Feeling SO much better!

beach looking south

Sand creativity about to be flooded by the rising tide.

Pelicans! 

So happy!

Pelican Shores Hotel

After a walk and a rest, we went to the local casino, had dinner and went our separate ways.  I invested my meager dollars in slot machines, but Jeff had another idea.  He entered a poker tournament and was the last player to enter--number 11.  And at the end (drum roll please) he was the last man standing.  They were counting out a wad of 20's just as I walked into the poker room to see how he was doing.  Celebration ensued!!  Back to the room and off to the fancy restaurant to burn up some of the winnings.  We watched a stunning sunset while folks frolicked on the shore and my $8.50 glass of Pinot Gris tasted very sweet!

The next morning we had a leisurely breakfast foraged from the hotel's offerings and soon went down to the beach.  Sunbathing, and a long walk took up the rest of the morning and some of the afternoon.  We had a totally wonderful and relaxing time.

The position has been assumed

steps to the hotel

The smokers lounge where we spent some happy moments gazing at the stars and sea

The rest of the day passed quickly and we woke up the next morning, sad to leave, but refreshed, relaxed and renewed.  Our goal for the day:  Portland.  The morning was cloudy and traffic was light which made for easy driving up 101, and east on 26 to PDX.  We decided to spend some time at the Washington Park Rose Garden.  My roses have been on hiatus since July, but this garden was full of bloom.  The scent and sight of so many roses literally took my breath away. 

 

Overwhelmed and tired, we found our hotel (the Ramada by 205) and were forced to admit that this little vacation was over.  Jeff had cataract surgery scheduled for the next day at OHSU (and I'm happy to report that everything came out perfectly). Now we are back on the farm to do some delayed summer maintenance and get ready for the start of work.  But stay tuned for more adventures.