North to Alaska: Oregon

After the excitement of Europe and visiting many friends and family who we don’t get to see very often, we were happy to have a little “home” time back in Meadow Valley. Before departing northward for Alaska, it was great to relax for a week at Kristen’s folks place for several reasons. First, I needed the rest since I had picked up a nasty head/respiratory bug that was probably the consequence of spending a lousy night at Newark airport. Second, we needed to switch out some gear and prepare the shuttle for launch. Goldi, our faithful 1990 Westfalia, had been sitting for six weeks, and needed only minor mechanical maintenance before departing (tire rotation, oil change, fix reverse lights). Most importantly, we needed to load her up with some trip goodies: mountain bikes, climbing gear, and a new inflatable tandem kayak! We were a little pressed for time… as much as one can feel that when taking a year off, but we were anxious to get headed north for Alaska!

Goldi ready for launch; Spanish Peak in the background

We headed first to visit our friends Lawrence and Melanie in Bend, Oregon. As with visiting friends in southern California a few months earlier, we came to realize that we were getting to the outer fringe of our “roaming range” that we visit regularly. We had not seen either of them since our wedding a year and a half before. Unfortunately, it was raining and cold when we arrived, and stayed that way through most of our visit. Not much outdoor activity was had, aside from walking their friendly dogs Rio and Miles. Perhaps that was better so, as Mel had just had a bike accident and wasn’t feeling like doing much of anything but trying to recover. So we left after three days, heading west for Eugene, and eventually on to Portland.

Visiting with Lawrence and Melanie in Bend.

The drive over to Eugene was as beautiful as I remember from my time in Oregon getting my Masters at UO. A late spring full of snow on top of a heavy winter had left much of the Cascades clad in white. We were hoping it was not an omen for our trip further north. After spending a nice night outside of Cougar Hot Springs, we had a great day in Eugene. Enjoying a deliciously gooey cinnamon role at one of my favorite bakeries (Sweet Life) and a short visit with my thesis advisor Pat McDowell were notable highlights. We also had arranged for a rideshare (who happened to be a playwrite from New York) up to Portland through Craigslist, which ended up both helping with gas and providing good conversation en route.

 

We stayed several days in Portland with Kristen’s cousins, Julie and Melissa Schmidt. The weather had taken a turn for the better, which made Portland even more bikeable than usual. We spent time at the famously colorful Saturday market, and procured a few more small items for the trip north. We were joined by Blake, Melissa’s boyfriend, and Dan, Julie’s boyfriend, for several satiating evening meals at the Schmidt house both in terms of food and great conversation… and a few sips of whiskey.

Great food and company at Melissa and Julie's place in Portland

With the nice weather, Nick Fisher had invited us for a quick afternoon raft trip down the Sandy River east of Portland. Nick’s a family friend from Santa Cruz, and it was great to see him. We gladly took him up on his offer and had a blast! He had the next week off and had been planning a raft trip down the Owyhee River in southeastern Oregon, but most of his trip mates had to move the trip dates back and could not make it. So Nick invited us on the trip, and after thinking it over for a night, we gladly accepted his generous offer. Neither Kristen nor I have much experience rafting, but it was an incredible opportunity to see a very remote part of Oregon that we could not pass up. In addition, Nick was going to bring a new HD camera from his work at Oregon Public Broadcasting to shoot some of the incredible landscapes that we would be seeing… and he promised to make us movie stars!

Rafting down the scenic Sandy River outside of Portland

We spent the night before departing at Nick’s house in southeast Portland. Although another storm had rolled in from the Pacific, the drive across Oregon was simply stunning. The wet western Cascades gave way to a windy, but mostly dry, central and eastern Oregon. As we headed further east, cities shrank to towns, towns shrank to villages, and villages shrank to settlements. We made camp in a cold Alvord Desert the first night. The Alvord showed all the signs of a very wet spring: a large lake in the playa, deep snow on Steens Mountain 5,000’ above, a recent road wash out, green hills, and water everywhere! The hot springs were great relief once we realized we had forgotten a crucial piece of gear, without which our stove would not work! Doh!

Checking the water at Alvord Hotsprings

Water, water everywhere!

The next morning was frosty cold as we tried in vain to find the stove part in the bustling metropolis of Fields. Fields is a one shop town - the post office, general store, gas station, and café are all located in the same building. Talk about one-stop shopping! We were able to check the weather forecast, which called for a day of sun, and then another strong storm. Uncertain of the conditions we might face on the river, we filled up on gas, but left empty-handed headed across the desert for Whitehorse Hotsprings, and eventually Rome, the put-in for the Owyhee River. Whitehorse Hotsprings lies on a remote dirt/gravel road about 50 miles from Fields. It was even more beautiful than I remembered it from ten years earlier… partly because of the lovely new addition of numerous beaver dams on the adjacent Willow Creek. The beaver dams had created an immense network of wetland habitat that supported an array of birds and waterfowl and filled the night air with the songs of a thousand frogs.

Panorama of Willow Creek wetlands and beaver dams

Beaver lodge

Whitehorse Hotsprings

The winds began to buffet our tent and increased through the night in advance of the oncoming storm. It was relatively warm the next morning, but the wind howled as we headed for Rome. Lacking the crucial stove part, we had resorted to cooking over an open fire: a task made more difficult by the gusty winds. We decided to take a short detour to another settlement in the area, Basque, where I was locked up in the “city” jail for a brief period. Heading further into Owyhee country, we stopped at Rome to check out the put-in. The weather seemed warm enough… a high of about 55 degrees. But the winds continued unabated, and the dark clouds gathered in the west. We decided that given the forecast and our lack of river gear such as drysuits (not to mention the basics like a working stove!!!), we should forgo the river run and check out some of Owyhee country. So we struck out for Leslie Gulch on Lake Owyhee, arriving late in the afternoon, just as the storm unleashed its fury on the desert. One of our neighbors emerged from his RV shortly after we arrived and asked “Were you here for the hurricane?”

"But really, I'm innocent!"

It rained and hailed for much of the afternoon and evening. But the beauty of the area was beginning to sink in as we cooked a basic meal over the fire and watched Bighorn Sheep scramble up the ridge, silhouetted against the evening light. Kristen and I planned to do a 10 mile rugged hike to a hot spring the next day, while Nick went exploring. The hot spring hike was incredibly scenic, although it was every bit of 10 rugged, mostly trail-less miles. The next day we returned with Nick to the area he had explored, a honeycombed area of golden yellow and rust-colored welded tuff (similar to Smith Rock) full of spires and slot canyons reminiscent of Utah. Nick did some filming and audio recording… I hope the HD camera can do it justice!

Hiking to the hotspring from Leslie Gulch

Amazing rock formations and scenery on the way

Worth every bit of the rugged 10 mile hike

The desert was in full bloom

Amazing honeycomb rock formations and spires

Hard to leave, but must press on northward!

After two nights at Leslie Gulch, we decided to head home. It had been raining off and mostly on through the night, and had transformed all the secondary roads into mud wallows. Sticking to the pavement, we drove over into Idaho and enjoyed the freedom of pumping our own gas, and watched thunderstorm clouds unleash hell over the areas we had just been. We were fairly certain one cell in particular would spawn a tornado – instead it gave Nick’s truck a nice wash. We made it back to Portland after a long drive. Determined to continue our northward trajectory, we thanked Nick and bid him farewell the next day. Although we were determined to head north towards Alaska, it was great to have the ability to be flexible and spontaneous, make the most out of whatever great opportunities came our way.