First Morning

We are now set up at Collier Memorial State Park, site 2A.  This morning we took our first morning hike and enjoyed the bright sunshine on the yellow aspens. We hiked the Williamson River Loop Trail, which convenient enough looped right back to our campsite. There are way more trails here than I anticipated; I think we are set for a grand time.

Packing Day

Today we are packing up the motor home for our next volunteer assignment at Collier Memorial State Park.  The challenge is to take all the clothes we will need for the month, bearing in mind that we will have sub-freezing mornings and hot afternoons. We will leave in the morning stopping in Grants Pass to have a heavy-duty anti-sway bar installed by Henderson’s Line Up.  If the work is finished in time we will head on over the Cascades to Collier in the afternoon.

Turkeys

Although the songbirds have fled south for the winter, there are still plenty of Turkeys hanging around Elkton.  They are in fact permanent residents, and continually roam the streets and yards. Possibly Elkton’s biggest nuisance, they dig up the flowerbeds and poop in the streets, and on the sidewalks. Come Thanksgiving, there should be no excuse for an empty table in Elkton.

Last Rays of Summer

We have certainly been having some glorious sunshine in these last retreating days of summer. This family of Western Pond Turtles is shown here on Elk Creek taking advantage of the sun to soak up some of its heat. Dad is probably shown at the top, males have a flatter shell shape. Mom is in the middle; females have a more rounded shell. And the smaller one at the bottom is probably a juvenile based on its size.

Missing Songbirds

Fall seems a little quiet now.  The songbirds of summer have left our area to head south for the winter.  I did manage to see and photograph this lone female Lesser Goldfinch on a hike we did today on Schad Road, but gone are the numerous variety of finches, sparrows, and swallows we would normally see and hear on a daily basis.  I have been missing their sweet songs for several days now. The days seem conspicuously quite to me. I don’t remember missing them in years past. Perhaps it comes with age, this sensitivity to the absent.   My guess is that some of the subtle changes of seasons may go unnoticed in the rush of life for the vibrantly young.  

Our Next Gig

Here is the latest news on our next gig - - we will be volunteering at Collier Memorial State Park for the month of October, were we have the assignment of manning the gift shop. Collier State Park is located along Highway 97, 30 miles north of Klamath Falls or 100 miles south of Bend. The possibility came up this weekend, I worked on it yesterday, and today everything came together. The campground sits at the confluence of Spring Creek and the famous Williamson River. I’ll be packing my fly fishing gear, and I’m sure visions of huge rainbow trout will be interrupting my sleep pattern for some nights to come.

Dan & Charlene

Our friends Dan & Charlene Lawry came to visit us this weekend in Elkton.  They are shown here with their camper in the Elkton RV Park right on the Umpqua River.  We got in a good walk with the dogs early this afternoon, but with the rain showers we opted to spend the rest of the afternoon wine tasting.  We did some tasting at Anindor Vineyards and at River’s Edge Winery. Great way to spend the afternoon, and we stayed dry!  

Back to Elkton

We are now back in Elkton. I could have said “back home”, but these days “home” is pretty much were ever we find ourselves parked in our RV.  In fact, in the past year since purchasing our Holiday Rambler we have spent more days living in the motor home on the road than we have in our house in Elkton. It’s an easy life, and the motor home has every convenience imaginable. Perhaps Elkton is a least our home base.  But in truth there is more, as I walked the three blocks back to the house from where I store the motor home, several people stopped to talk with me, plus numerous more waved.  In the words of the TV program “Cheers”, Elkton is “where everybody knows your name”.

Polk County Fairgrounds

We are currently set up in the Polk County Fair Grounds in Rickreall. This is probably our fourth stay here, and it is definitely on our short list of favorite stops. The price can’t be beat at fifteen dollars a night for electricity, water, and a dump station. It’s spacious and quiet. Nesmith County Park forms the north border of the fairgrounds. Located on the Luckiamute River it has historical markers and good walking paths. The Polk County Museum is located on the south side, and just beyond it is Farrol’s Restaurant & Lounge. Across the highway is an RV business and to the north of it is Eola Hills Wine Cellars. The trump card is of course it’s located close to Dallas.

Soccer Marathon

Three grandsons in three soccer games made for a full morning today. First photo is the oldest, William age 11 (in orange) jockeying for position. Second photo is the middle one, Luke age 9 (in green), ready to kick. Third photo is youngest, Jake age 5 in his first ever soccer game, getting some instructions for big brother William on the goalie position.

 

Moving On

Today we are moving on. We have finished our volunteer time with Oregon Department of Fish Wildlife and will be moving the motor home to the Polk County Fair Grounds in Rickreall for the weekend. We have been here at the South Willamette Watershed District Office in Adair Village since the 30th of July. For me the time has gone fast, in fact too fast. I have fully enjoyed the location and the work. We will be having some work done on the motor home in Salem the first of the week, and some time with the grandsons in Dallas before moving on to Elkton next Friday.

A Little Suprise

This afternoon we started to pack-up the motor-home for moving on tomorrow. When Jeanette opened one of the storage bays she found this little Tree Frog clinging to the inside of the door. We have no idea how he got there. Jeanette gently removed him and returned him to the yard hopefully so he will be able to stay with his friends and family. Life on the road would not be good for a frog.

Rainy Reminder

Today’s rain is serving as a reminder of why we like to travel south for the winter. A wonderful summer of warmth and sunshine had lulled us into thinking that “maybe we don’t need to go south this winter, maybe we will just hang around Oregon”. But today’s rain has shown the folly and near sidedness of that thinking. So, like the migrating birds, we too will be making our annual pilgrimage to the south soon, seeking warmer temperatures and sunshine.

Coffin Butte Trail

Today was a day off, so we took Buster on a morning hike to this little known, and first time for us trail, the Coffin Butte Trail. Check out the Trip Journal for more.

Lesser Goldfinches

Today we have enjoyed watching the first birds at a clear acrylic bird feeder that we have attached to our motor home window. The feeder is a birthday gift to Jeanette from Michael and Robin. The mother comes to the feeder and eats seeds, while the juvenile flutters around screeching for more. They then fly to this near by Red-osier Dogwood bush where the thin tired mother patiently feeds her plump, brash, demanding juvenile.