Author: Mike Pekrul

The Illinois River in Oregon, that is. We stopped in a rock shop in Selma Oregon yesterday and they gave us some tips on where and what to look for. In this case, in this area, it’s serpentine. A beautiful green color in all different shades from pale pastel all the way to a dark…

We left Crater Lake RV Park this morning after a full two week stay. I loved that place and I’m really going to miss it. When we arrived at our new campsite, we were greeted by the host, who told us “Don’t worry about the cougar, we think it’s gone”. Turned out, a cougar has…

In June! Snow, and lots of it. We went back to Crater Lake today, hoping to be able to hike some of the rim trails, but no. The snow had melted off a bunch since last week, but there was still a ton of snow, lining the roads 8-10 feet deep and throughout the trees…

Susy is my haircut lady while we’re traveling. This was my third time under her clippers and this time I was really missing Lindy. 😉 It just can’t be a good sign when your hairdresser says “oops!” or “oh crap!”, followed by “no, it looks good, really”. She said she needed a spray bottle to…

We went rafting on the Rogue River, oddly enough with a company called Raft the Rogue. Easy class 1 and 2 rapids, just enough roller coaster to have some fun, but overall a relaxing afternoon in the sun. The water comes out from the bottom of the dam at Lost Creek Lake so it’s pretty…

Cindy and Bayo left us this morning to head back to Atlanta, after much banging and crashing around, going in and out of the camper, slamming doors and sounding alarms. At 4:30 am. I’ll miss them. Yea. 😉 Susy and I slept in a bit today, then spent a leisurely afternoon at Lost Creek Lake.…

My sister Cindy and her hubby Bayo arrived yesterday. Flew into Portland and made the long drive down just to see us and spend some time together. We set up a tent for them last night out in the 40 degree wilderness, while we were snug in our trailer. It does get rather chilly inside…

We spent the day exploring the Rogue River valley nearby. Clear cold rushing water through a beautiful forest. We are near Prospect Oregon and it feels like we are half way to the middle of nowhere. Prospect is a town. Kind of. A tiny market with a gas pump. A few houses. A small B&B…

And sometimes I get it right. In a big way. We reached our new destination today and it is fabulous! Huge pines, shady campsites, a clean place with friendly hosts to check us in and lead us to our site. Large widely spaced sites. A short walk through the woods back to a dam and…

We set out today to go to Newberry National Volcanic Monument. Another lava field. More cinder cones. More lava. Ho hum. I was so wrong. It’s “kinda” like Craters of the Moon, but kinda not. A different kind of lava predominates, with a different set of colors. More blacks and reds, less tans and grays.…