July 31st to Aug 6th: Molly and I were
on the road within an hour of getting a new tire. Klamath Falls was our lunch stop. The trees were tall and abundant, looking more
like the Oregon I remembered. Next stop
is Grant’s Pass to visit my dear friends.
Eileen and her twin sister,
Raleen, have been my friends since primary school. Eileen met her fun loving husband, Otto Rogers,
while in high school. The three of us
have years to catch up on and our lip flapping will go on for days. Grant’s pass is a perfect retirement
destination for many people and I can certainly see why. Raleen remained in Sunnyvale, California while Eileen and her husband moved to Grants Pass,
Oregon. Eileen and Otto have friends who
followed them to Grant’s Pass from California and live one street over. I believe a lot of displaced Californians
have moved to Oregon simply to survive the economic free-fall, especially in the
housing market. It is so wonderful to
meet with old friends. It’s like putting
on an old shoe – fits well, comfortable and immediately feels like that is
where you belong.
Molly will have her first long stay at a doggie hotel run by
folks from Scranton, Pennsylvania.
The Rouge River roars through the middle of town with
architecturally magnificent arching bridges harkening to another era. The bridges and main street were smothered
with hanging flower baskets back dropped against masses of fir trees in the
mountains. The ocean was no more than an
hour away. I had forgotten how
refreshing warm days and cool nights can be.
The view from their deck alone was breathtaking and Mother Nature graced
me with several vivid sunsets.
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| Sunset from Deck |
Otto washed my trailer and we also took the car to Schwab in
Grants Pass to make sure there was no underbelly damage to the car after the
rock slide. Everything was fine.
Attended church services at an unusually scenic and serene church
shaped as an amphitheater with a talented and inspiring ministry. The amphitheater had raised grass steps to
sit on or place your lawn chair. The focal
center piece was a waterfall with gardens, baptismal pool and shade trees. I was instantly spellbound by the presence of
God and inner peace – could have stayed much longer. They are so fortunate to have this ministry in
their life.
“We should seek not so much to pray but to
become prayer.” ~ St. Frances of Assisi
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| Baptismal Pool |
After all that praying, we could not resist a side trip to
Seven Feathers Casino for dinner and a little entertainment. I won’t tell you what’s in her purse but
let’s just say she had a good night with the entertainment.
Crater Lake National Park
While I thought I missed seeing Crater Lake National Park
because of the rock slide, my gracious hosts took me there the day before I left. Limited access to Crater Lake keeps human footprints
from ruining one of the few pristine areas left in America. It is the bluest blue you could image, mostly
because of its depth at 1943 feet – deepest in America and seventh deepest in
the world. The lake is a silent
testimony to the volcano’s violent past.
Although Crater Lake represents a monument to uncertainty (remember Mt.
Helen’s eruption?), it is also a supreme expression of beauty.
Aug. 7th: I am not sad to say good-bye
because I’ll be seeing my friends again at our reunion in California in October.
I made a quick stop in Lebanon, OR to visit with Julie Mars,
Eileen and Otto’s daughter. I had not
seen her since she was a little girl. She
looked just the same only older with three girls of her own whom she home schools. The girls were away at camp and her husband
was at work, but I was so pleased to meet with her again. Julie was beautiful, energetic,
upbeat and spoke of a very interesting life.
I wish I could have visited a bit longer.
Molly and I resumed our travels to the Columbia River Gorge
where we stayed the night in Sandy Ridge Park, Troutdale, OR. We were treated
to views of Mt. Hood on one side and the Columbia River on the other. The park was like a little girl’s doll house
with tiny sidewalks, tiny streetlights, tiny mailboxes and tiny strips of
grass. Just too cute!
Aug. 8th: On the way to Spokane I stopped for breakfast at a casual restaurant overlooking the Columbia River not far from Troutdale. It was early, a bit chilly and windy but we had a spectacular view of the river and abundance of trees in background. I met a retired couple from Germany on their third trip to Seattle. They want to come every year for a month to spend vacation time in the U.S. They love the Seattle area so much they have yet to venture too far away. We were curious about one another and spent two hours sharing our lives. I wish I could have talked to them longer, too, but Spokane was still many hours away and I was just starting out.
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