Smith Rock State Park - Terrebonne, Oregon

"We cannot cooperate with the spirit of the universe until our true self 
becomes a pure observing consciousness of the whole"

Dick Rauscher

We left the Wiliamson River and headed for a brief visit with our dear friends, Dick and Melinda, in Redmond, Oregon. We were already scheduled to meet them in Washington, but with our change in plans to head to La Grande, an opportunity for a special visit arose. We were able to catch up and check out all the cool upgrades they had done to their beautiful home and try out one of their favorite micro breweries ...Wild Ride Brew.

One of their favorite places to hike is Smith Rock State Park, generally considered the birthplace of modern American sport climbing. It's sheer cliffs of tuff and basalt is ideal for rock climbing of all difficulty levels. We did encounter a few of these amazing athletes as they scaled the cliffs. The beautiful Crooked River has cut its way through the layers of rock to create this geographic wonder. A rock formation known as "Monkey Face" overlooks a bend in the river and proves to be a worthy sentinel for this park.

We took a short 5.3 mile river hike to provide us a more complete overview of the park and were rewarded with some magical snapshots of the local fauna, waterfalls and awesome climbing pinnacles. Trout swam lazily in and out of clear pools, families of river otters played in the shallows, while Great Blue Herons cast shadows over the rippling waters with their magnificent wingspan as they glided silently over the river. We highly recommend a visit to this wonderful park if you are ever near Terrebonne, Oregon.

Another super cool gadget and a must for the RVer, backpacker, tent camper, picnicker or home deck king, Dick and Melinda gifted me a Luci Inflatable Solar Lantern. How cool is this light? First, no batteries, solar and uses LED lighting. Second, it is portable and folds down flat. Third, it is lightweight (4 oz) and waterproof. It features 3 settings, bright, super bright and flashing and has a 10' lighting area lasting 12 hours. If this awesome light fits your needs...and budget, please be so kind and click the above link to make your purchase. Thanks in advance. 

At Waypoint 44.3693°N, -121.1384° W

Williamson River Campground - Fremont-Winema National Forest

"Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

As we traveled up the highway, I stare in wonderment at the endless miles of forest. My thoughts are of all the beautiful individuals who have found peace and contentment without the need to venture. That "protective cage" of a community providing the comforts of a home, familiar surroundings and neighbors and predictability... i.e. no surprises and no unknowns. And than I visualize myself...and realized how feral I have been for most of my life. Many of my most joyous moments have come when I am hiking in a wilderness, driving the backroads and always looking to see over the next rise. One address being my tether, a rut in the making. I am wild, yearn to explore, experience and seek out more adventure. My own addiction. My belief is that each one of us is created with that feral instinct, just observe our children, but time, fear, ego or generation expectations has tamed a most natural behavior.

We left Los Molinos with one certainty in mind...we would be in Oregon this day. We only wanted to drive around 200 miles and we had researched some camping spots for the night. Smoke from the Northern California fires was prevalent up to and beyond the state line, in fact it only started breaking up at Klamath Falls. We were thankful our plans changed as we thought we would be snug as a bug in Lassen Volcanic National Park for 4-5 days, but the heavy smoke would have made it unbearable. 

As we passed Klamath Falls Lake, we were entertained by the aerial wonders of Bald Eagles and Osprey...just an added reminder of why we love Oregon so much.

We considered spending the night at Kla-Mo-Ya Casino, located 32 miles north of Klamath Falls, because it offered free camping, a $5.99 BBQ rib dinner and a $1.97 breakfast. Tempting, close...but no thanks. We decided to drive a few more miles north until we found "clean air."

Less than 20 miles down the highway the smoke dissipated and clear, smokeless skies appeared. We came upon Collier State Park in Chiloquin, Oregon and briefly discussed about stopping, but Oregon State Parks are pretty busy on weekends and we were looking for some isolation. 

Imke, doing what she does best, found a US Forest Service campground a little over a mile down a dirt road. She deducted that most people stay to the safety of paved roads, big signs, patrolling rangers and well known campgrounds but pass on uncertainty. Think about it...how many people do you know that go in search of the Wizard of Oz? Plus any drive on a dirt road takes longer and warrants a post drive car wash. So for those reasons, we chose it...Williamson River Campground.

Although you need only to drive 1 1/2 miles on a dirt washboard road from Hwy 97, this beautiful US Forest Campground is pretty isolated. There are only 20 campsites and most of them were empty, Sites are huge and can accommodate a large diesel pusher or fifth wheel. The Fremont-Winema National Forest offers a setting of classic western beauty derived from the land's volcanic legacy. With over 2.3 million acres of forests, this wild place proves a safe haven for any "wild beast."

The campground, situated in one big loop, is heavily wooded and each site offers something not normally found in a public campground...solitude and privacy. And because I am now an "old fart", our night was only $5.00 with my National Parks Senior Pass...a 50% savings...I love that pass! Close by is the Williamson River and miles of isolated hiking trails.

And since feral animals are not vegetarians, what better lair to eat your kill.

At Waypoint 42.660207°, -121.85396°