The Grand Adventure Begins

April 16, 2016

Which is better, anticipating vacation or actually going on vacation? We are on the cusp of learning the answer to this age old question.  Having spent the last three weeks madly preparing our home (read: doing chores and repairs about which I have been procrastinating for some considerable time) and packing and repacking the trailer and the pickup, yesterday we launched our Grand Adventure.

For two days the weather in Dallas had been forbidding. Buckets, nay hogsheads, of rain poured down. The wind blew with vigor, and we began to wonder if these were all signs meant to keep us home. Yesterday, however dawned clear and bright. Jill walked the dogs, while I connected the trailer and loaded last minute items (some of which did not make it into the vehicles, I am sorry to say). And so, at 9:16 AM on April 15, 2016 we departed on a journey that we have anticipated, literally, for years.

Heading east on OR 22, we negotiated the downtown traffic in Salem as we wended our way to the I5 freeway.  At last we settled into the traffic and cruised quietly along admiring the green fields and rolling hills of the central Willamette (Will-AM-uht) Valley. The Titan purred along, barely aware of the load she was pulling.

As we passed through Eugene, we waved hello and goodbye to Jill’s brother Bob and his family, who were in the city from Walnut Creek, CA on a tour of the University of Oregon campus. It appears that Jill’s niece, Tess, may become an Oregon Duck, come fall quarter. We were sorry that our schedules did not jibe for a luncheon date or some such.

South of Eugene, we exited I5 and headed east over the Willamette pass highway. Rising to something over 5,000 feet, the pass highway is beautiful as it winds by Dexter reservoir, through stands of Douglas fir, cedar and hemlock. We paused for lunch and a stretch of the legs at Oakridge, in a little park situated on one of the forks of the Willamette, near its headwaters. Through the snow at the pass itself, which blessedly did not cover the roadway, and down the east side we transitioned from the aforementioned conifers into the land of the Ponderosa pine.  At Crescent Lake/Gilchrist, we stopped for fuel and then headed north on US 97.

The last leg of the day’s journey began when we turned off US 97 onto OR 31 and headed southeast through Oregon’s beautiful high desert country. Passing through Silver Lake, we continued through the lava beds and sage brush, until we arrived at Summer Lake, where we pulled in at the Ana Reservoir RV Park. 

This place is a gem. Nestled in a bowl among the snow-kissed mountains, it is altogether different from our home area. All the spaces are pull-throughs, which makes it easy to park the trailer. Most of them have full hookups, which means water, electricity and sewer connection. Having a sewer connection makes all the difference, because it means we can have nice, long, hot showers, without the worry of overfilling the wastewater holding tanks.

This morning, we arose to crystal clear skies and near freezing temperatures, but the air is so dry here that there was no dew on the grass and no condensation on the windows of the trailer. Today’s adventure is likely to involve checking out the petroglyphs that are nearby, and reveling in the beauty of this arid and relatively treeless landscape. Look for my next report as soon as we have a reliable enough internet connection to post to the blog. There will be lots of pictures then.