Yesterday was our last day at Crystal Crane Hot Springs. We arose to cloudy skies, which kind of matched our mood about leaving this incredible place. We had our coffee and took the girls out for a walk. That was followed by our daily Bible reading. At last, it was time to take a soak. We walked over to the spring and waded in. The water was not as hot as it had been the night before. Nevertheless, it was a pleasant soak. We met a couple from Pennsylvania who were about to head for home so they could be ready to go to Florida and prepare their rental property for the next renter. Then they will be off to somewhere (I forget) in their motor home. I felt really sorry for them.
We had a lovely chat about kids and grandkids and military service (he was a Marine; I was Navy), and then it was time to go. We returned to Topper and made final preparations for leaving. We were only about 6 minutes past check out time when we got away.
The drive to Sisters was "interesting." We stopped in Burns for gas. Then we headed west on Hwy 20. I have mentioned the wind in this area of the state. Well, it was blowing an estimated 15-20 MPH directly in our face for 90% of the drive. At times I wondered if Topper and Red Ryder were going to part company (adding our average speed of 55 to the 15-20, perhaps, you can understand my concern).
The other thing that made the drive "interesting" was that the terrain is so incredibly "the same." For miles and miles we saw sage brush and other high desert plants and not much else. There is an eerie beauty about the landscape, but it is, nonetheless, what I would call desolate. The drizzle of occasional rain showers helped to increase that perception, I think.
There were some fun features about the landscape, too. Jill spotted this canyon or arroyo or whatever the proper term is. It was deeper than it looks and quite seemed like the work of some gigantic cosmic plow.
At last, we began to descend. The elevation had been pretty constant at around 4,100 feet. Then we came over a hill and started down. The landscape began to change rather abruptly.
By the time we arrived in Sisters, the sky was partly cloudy; there were trees; the temperature was in the upper 60s; and we enjoyed seeing some sunshine.
Our first order of business was to determine whether the Sisters Bakery would be open this morning, Sunday. If not, we were prepared to buy our bear claws on the spot and save them for morning. It turns out they are open at 5AM on Sunday!
We walked over to the Three Creeks Brewing Co. for an early dinner. Sisters is such a charming town and the Pub is equally so. It is family friendly and exudes what I call "Mountain Culture." We had a delicious dinner at what we considered to be a very reasonable price. When we were finished, we walked back to the park where Topper (and Lulu and Pogo) were awaiting our return.
The dogs were ready for their evening constitutional, so we took them for a long walk in the park. When we returned to Topper, we were tired and decided to watch a movie. I hadn't bothered to put up the TV antenna, so we popped a DVD in the machine and settled in to watch Mr. Smith once again taking on the graft and corruption in Washington. He always wins, and as Jill commented during the film, "Everyone should watch this movie once in a while."
This morning we found sunshine awaiting us, although the temperature was just under 50 degrees. After our morning reading and coffee, we walked over to the bakery and picked up the last two bear claws in the place. Whew! From there it was a short hike to the Sisters Coffee Company, where we shared a large vanilla latte, checked email and reveled in our bear claws.
After a stop at the local Ace Hardware (Jill's favorite place to visit in any town), we strolled hand-in-hand back to Topper and the girls. It didn't take long for us to make final preparations to leave. But not before we spoke with the gent next door about his lovely little motor home. I asked him how long it is, and he replied that he was not sure. A FRIEND HAD LOANED IT TO HIM! He said it is brand new (no, duh!) and has only 2,800 miles on the odometer. I asked if he would introduce me to his friend!
At last we left the park and made a stop at the gas station. Then we headed west on Hwy 20. What a difference, compared to yesterday. There was no wind, the road went up and down as well as left and right. There were multiple species of evergreens to admire, and the sun was out. We climbed to the summit (about 4,800 ft. as I recall) and then started down the west side of the Cascade Range.
At some time in the past, there was an extensive burn in this area. It was important enough that there is an interpretive center dedicated to it. We didn't stop, but we were awed by how much timber burned...and by the capricious way in which the fire had apparently just skipped over certain trees.
The Ponderosa Pine forests of Central Oregon, with their sparse undergrowth giving the feeling you could stop anywhere and camp, gave way to the more familiar mixed conifers and deciduous trees of the rain forests, with their dense undergrowth, on the west slope.
We passed by Detroit Lake, which is always beautiful, and made a mental note to plan another camping trip there in the spring.
As we neared Dallas, and home, we were greeted by clear, blue skies and temperatures in the seventies. Although we were sad that our vacation trip was over, we felt completely blessed to live in such a beautiful valley.
When we got Topper and Red Ryder safely tucked away in the garage and unloaded all the vacation gear, laundry, etc., we were treated to a neatly manicured lawn (thank you TJ) and a neat and tidy home inside (thank you, daughter Tara). As Jill always says, "It's hard to end a wonderful vacation, but we have such a lovely home to come home to, that it makes it all OK." We are so grateful to be blessed beyond measure by our Lord above.
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