This trip to Oregon has been absolutely wonderful. I'm traveling with the same friend that I went to Glacier National Park with 3 years ago, and for a week of camping and hiking when our car got broken into at Canyonlands last year. We're very travel compatible and share a number of passions most notable of which, for the purposes of this entry, are hiking/camping and photography.
We've done quite a bit of both on this trip. Thursday was dedicated to doing some exploring of small towns near here as well as a spectacular river gorge. At one point we ended up on this incredible adventure down a gravel road from the top of what seems like a mini-Grand Canyon to the bottom where we followed the Grande Ronde River for a while - into Washington State actually - before coming all the way back up and out again. The scenery was spectacular, the clouds in the distance became stormy and amazing, and all in all it was a fantastic day. I took lots of photos. Here's a candid photo my traveling companion took of me after a day of driving:
Today was hiking day. There is a lake named "Aneroid Lake" that's accessible by a fairly difficult 6 mile (1 way) hike (see a photo someone took in nicer weather here). Each day here starts out sunny but by afternoon there are thunderheads and sheets of rain that engulf the mountains. Today was no different. It was sunny when we started the hike that goes up over 3,000 feet over the 6 mile distance but we stopped to wait out two thunderstorms (one on our way up and the other on our way down) and a bout of hail. We ran into a significant amount of still-deep snow about 2/3 of the way there so (a) finding the trail and (b) keeping our footing slowed us down quite a bit.
When we got to the lake it was spectacular. There were storm clouds all around which made the reflections of the peaks and tall pines even that much more spectacular. It was well worth the hike, although the last several miles seemed to last forever. As I lie in bed and type this my legs hurt, my back and shoulders are sore, and although I'm still in very good shape carrying a 35+ pound pack (stuffed with camera gear, water, snacks, etc.) that far will test even the best athletes. I'm very proud of how we both did, and despite the various aches and pains the hike was well worth it. We got to the trail head at about 10am and finally got back to the car shortly before 6pm. It was a LONG, hard, exhausting day.
We've been up at 5:30am to catch the good early morning light for photos and we don't get to bed until fairly late (my friend did Karaoke at a local bar last night - all I had was a double shot of Jack Daniels) so we make the most out of every hour here. It's hard to believe that we're leaving tomorrow.
The B&B here has been amazing. If anyone wants to come out this way - to northeastern Oregon - don't hesitate to write me and I'll send specifics. Their breakfasts are incredible, the entire house is immaculate, the rooms and the services are awesome, the location couldn't be better, and the people who run it are just amazing. We've had the best time here and would recommend it to anyone and everyone.
There's something fun about B&B's. I was doing the guest recovery house for Dr. Meltzer for several years so I had a taste of what having short-term guests is like. On a side note - I was hoping to start up the recovery house again and we had started the process of making that happen but it suddenly died and hasn't been discussed for several months. Although I think it's a wonderful opportunity to make the surgery "experience" in Scottsdale more enjoyable I'm disappointed to think that it's not going to be available again. C'est la vie, I guess. That could certainly change but if you're coming to Scottsdale to see the Doctor and want something other than a hotel feel free to write to me. There are always options....
On our entire hike today we only ran into 2 different couples. One was an almost picture-perfect man and woman with their dog. He was handsome and she was pretty - they were both in shape, and the puppy seemed to be having a wonderful time. We bumped into them on the snow up near the lake and they seemed like the "perfect" couple. Oh - that each of us could find that. Anyway, although we were very tired and very ready to be at the lake by that point we stood and chatted for a few minutes before heading our separate ways. Meeting them energized us and helped make the last half hour go by quicker for some reason.
If my photos come out nearly as well when they're loaded onto my hard drive as they appeared thru my viewfinder I'll have some very special prints. Speaking of prints, some have asked where I find the time/money to do these kinds of things. I perceive these trips to be active efforts to plan for the future because many of the photos I've taken will become part of my portfolio. I've written in the past that my passion is photography so getting that effort off the ground - which is something I'm actively working to do - involves going places and getting amazing photos. This trip has been a smashing success in that regard.
Believe it or not there's already a Donna Rose doing photography (donnarosephotography.com) so I'll have to be a bit more creative when I give it a name. That's probably not a bad thing, although it's ironic to have someone with the same name doing the same thing I'd like to do. Anyway - more on that in upcoming weeks. I'm very excited about it all. I'll upload an album of these photos sometime next week after I've had the chance to upload them all to my hard drive. Stay tuned.
Tomorrow we leave here and make the 6 hour drive to Boise, Idaho where I'll catch my plane to fly home on Sunday. The denoument of a vacation can be a bummer. I have high hopes that this trip will continue to amaze until the time I have to get on my plane.
There was an LGBT Reception for Pride Month at the White House yesterday. I've been to White House functions twice over the past year - the Holiday Party and the Easter Egg Roll - and I'm glad to see that the President is actively reaching out to our communities. He's saying all the right things - the real worry is whether or not they'll happen in time before the November elections. I still have faith in him and will defend him as needed.
I think I'm finally ready to sleep so I'll close this now. It's 1:17am and breakfast is scheduled for 7:30 so there's still time for a good night sleep as long as I can finally drift away.
I'll close by sharing that the hike today was a significant accomplishment for me. It was a long, challenging hike spiced by the constant threat of thunderstorms but we did what we set out to do. I'll admit that I was thrilled to see the parking lot - finally - when we finally got down. It's amazing how much a hot shower, some pain meds, a cold beer (I don't usually drink bear but I made an exception tonight), and a little time can do to make a person feel human again.
Trips like this are my building blocks of living life to the fullest. I need to take advantage of them while I can, and I can't thank my friend enough for asking me to come along. This is our 3rd long trip together and I'm already looking forward to a fourth.
Oh - one last thing. Today's hike has emboldened me to do the Grand Canyon from top to bottom sometime soon. If you live in the area, are in good shape, and would be interested in talking about it feel free to drop me a line. The key phrase there is "good shape" as it's a very demanding hike so getting people capable of actually finishing it is important. I'd be happy to discuss with anyone who might want to participate.
Good night. It's way past my bedtime. Time for some Z's.
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