Eugene, Oregon

Well, last I left you, I had just arrived in Arcata and was having fun with the boys. On Wed. I biked 27 miles around the countryside visiting the Samoa Cookhouse, the original dining room for the loggers back in the 1800s for lunch. When I got back to Arcata, Mike was off to work and I traveled up the road on my trip to the Lady Bird Johnson Redwood Grove. Those trees are so majestic with the fog filtering through the sunlit rays as it falls on the myriad of ferns below. I finally found a sweet county park in the redwoods for the night and fired up the campstove to eat before dark, around 9 PM. How wonderful to travel in the summer with the long days!
The next day I spent traveling up the coast to Florence. I toured an old Victorian house in the country toward the coast complete with the story of the people told by the docent and two actresses, who acted out a conversation that would have taken place during that time. Further out the road, I toured Cape Blanco lighthouse, the most NW lighthouse on the western coast, except for Alaska. It was pretty awesome being up so high and right next to the lens. The Oregon coast has enhanced their towns by creating shop filled quaint "old towns", like Bandon and Florence. I stayed at Jessie Honeyman State Park on the sand dunes for the night.I love cooking up a tasty meal in the campsite and then bedding down with the moon streaming through the redwoods.
I took off the next day for Eugene and started traveling up to Fred's on the McKenzie River by afternoon on Friday. He lives just .4 miles off the road and the river, up in the forest amongst blackberry bushes, Fred's creek, a forest in the distance and tons of birds and critters skittering up and down his deck.
Yesterday we visited the Eugene Saturday market, the oldest, continuous farmer's market in U.S. It was fun seeing ALL the crafts and eating the fabulous food. Then is was off to the Blueberry Festival in a little burg in the country and wine tasting at a couple of wineries before heading back to Eugene for dinner and music at the Jazz Station. A full day and more to come. I am off to church with Fred and Jo, his girlfriend, and then I will write later and add my pictures - the best part.

Fred and I traveled up the McKenzie River, where he lives in Vida. Monday we took off to mountains upriver and hiked to four beautiful waterfalls on the river shown in the pictures. The water is sparkling blue and the falls are mind blowing. This whole area is just gorgeous and I love exploring it. On Tuesday we biked the Leaburg Canal, reminds me of Holland, and checked out the fish hatcheries (trout and salmon). In the afternoon we traveled up to Belknap Hot Springs Resort, where they have a warm mineral springs pool alongside the McKenzie River amongst acres of hiking trails and gardens. We decided to camp, the first for Fred in years, and enjoy the pools last night and today. I took off this afternoon up the Santiam Pass Road Hwy 242, which just opened today. Spectacular timberline area with volcanic craters and a lookout on the top. You have a view of the 3 Sisters, still covered with snow and you drive along snow still visible on the road. I am in the town of Sisters, a very quaint touristy town, I want to explore and then onto Smith Rock State Park for my night tonight. It has miles of biking and hiking trails in the park, which has spectacular rock formations. Then I am off to Hood River to visit and stay with Judi Baker, our retired school nurse. I will post the pictures I have and add more later. Kathie