Summer Camping

I went camping this summer, a lot more than I can write about and definitely more than anyone would care to read about. I picked my favorite Oregon spots to share with you, listed chronologically.

Succor Creek located in the high desert of southeast Oregon - Everyone should experience that extreme isolation at least once in their lives - just remember to bring a friend that has 4WD, a lot of water, extra gasoline, and do NOT forget your moisturizer, because it is going to be a few days until you find a place that sells any.

Table Rock Wilderness Area in Mollala River Recreational Corridor - Adam brought a crew of men to aid in his quest for gold. It was a very wet weekend, but there was a lot of space to walk along the river and up old mining trails and never pass another person.

Paulina Lake of Newberry Crater National Volcanic Monument - we took the 6.5 mile hike around the lake and made a day out of it by stopping to fish and soak our feet in the hot spring waters bubbling up along the lake's edge... and we both caught rainbow trout! Made a stop at the obsidian flow and had another geology lesson from Professor Large. (In simple folk terms - obsidian is glass-like black rock that Native Americans used for arrowheads.)

Opal Creek Wilderness and Scenic Area - the only spot where we backpacked camped. It was extremely crowded for the first few miles on an awkward gravel road. We went maybe 6 miles in before we set up camp and there were only two people that stayed overnight in the rare old-growth forest. Not worth a second trip, in my opinion, but the turquoise waters and rocky gorge are well worth a visit and plenty of photos.

"Travel is only glamorous in retrospect."

The first three days you start thinking "I am totally going on craigslist when I get home. I am going to buy a trailer and I am definitely doing this more often but I am going to do it better and travel farther and longer, and really visit some of these quiet hidden gems in this country." The final three days you long for a dresser to put your clothes in and a reason to cook an elaborate meal.

This was my fifth trip across country. This was the first one I did with my mother.
Here was our itinerary*:
- Drove through Canada to Grayling, MI (an arbitrary location chosen by convenience). We were very fortunate and had no problems at either border.
- Crossed the Straight of Mackinaw into the upper peninsula and met Lake Superior for the first time. Ended up spending one night in Duluth because it was too sad and cold to stay there a second.
- Detroit Lakes, MN - the most pleasant and unsuspecting part of the trip, and awesome pizza!
- Bismarck, ND - had some steak and all the hotels were aimlessly overpriced.
- Billings, MT - they had a lot of pro-fracking paraphernalia around.
- Missoula, MT - I liked it so much, I was looking up houses on Trulia before dinner.
- Spokane, WA - I just wanted to see Adam.

(*This is a reference list for my mother, so she can stop asking me and start correctly identifying where we stayed...... love you, mom!)

The most giving friend I know. Packed up my entire trailer and included this fine Vespa!

The first night, we drove into a burning ring of fire.

Didji loved Lake Superior.

YEEEEEHAAaaaaw!

Bragging to Brian about having New Belgium and Shiner on tap.

We finally hit mountains!

 The view from our motel room in western Montana.

Home again, home again, jiggity jig...

Teddy and Aunt Tad are all settled in.

Wasting away again, spring brake version.

What I mean is slam on those brakes and let's get the hell out of here... Or that's what I should have said halfway down the Keys during Spring Break season. It was not wild or overcrowded; I am not sure if our timing was just right or if all the kids just stay up in Miami. My complaint was that it is overpriced, chintzy, and dirty (but not in the charming New Orleans fashion). On the positive side, almost every meal was consumed outside and I got to see plenty of alligators! YEEhaaaw!! Oh yeah, and I swam with a 12ft reef shark - double yeehaw!

Start of our adventures, on Loop Rd/Country Rd 94, off of Route 41, the "Old" Alligator Alley.

Check the background... do you see? There were dozens of alligators everywhere, but he was the biggest, maybe 12 feet.

Great place for a picnic and a swim at Bahia Honda State Park.

Adam is channeling the mystique of Mr. Hemmingway.

Coral Castle - unsual, indeed! But one of my favorite stops on the trip.

New York, New york

Adam and I spent a few days in Manhattan before Christmas. We were hoping to have a memorable holiday experience, but that's hard to accomplish when it is sixty degrees outside and you're romping around the city without a jacket. It took me a long time to post these photos, mainly because I had nothing interesting to say about them (nor are they that interesting). None the less, this was our trip, Adam's first visit to the Big Apple, and it should be documented.

Inspiration photo for my specimen collection, taken at the Museum of Natural History.

Mobbed and robbed. Beware - it costs $75 to skate at Rockefeller!

Adam's favorite pastime - caged atop the Empire State Building.

This is upstairs in the Public Library at Bryant Park. In the bottom floor, we read Kerouac's original journal for On the Road. Next time, I will devote an entire afternoon for exploration. Go now! Run!