Thursday, September 18, 2008

Oregon

Lately I've been thinking a lot about last summer, when we traveled up the west coast, camping in spectacular spots along the way.

We've done the trip before, a couple of times, in our 7-1/2 years on the road, but we didn't have our digital camera until 2006. And photos of photos just would not do justice to a scene like this:

This is the Oregon coast, where we arrived when we drove north out of California. As one does.

We call this series Oregon Blue. For obvious reasons.

Dreamland also works.

The Oregon coast has got it all: Horizon,
.
Shimmery water,

Big craggy rocks and birds,

and pelicans.

Scroll through these next photos really quickly:







As gorgeous as the Oregon coast was, we decided it was time to head east . . .

So we took one last look at the Mighty Pacific . . .

And headed inland along the Rogue River.

The Rogue River looks exactly like what any self-respecting Oregon river should look like.

Camping in southwest Oregon is plentiful, cheap and beautiful.

This is Foster Bar, near Agness Oregon. One of the many many perks of having Mistah around is he goes off with the camera . . .

. . . and comes back with shots like this . . .

. . . and this.

Really, Oregon is just ridiculously beautiful at every turn.

Ol' Westy took us right over Grants Pass . . .

And we had a picnic on the Klamath River on the other side.

I have a thing for nature shots with barb wire.

Our campsite at Drews Creek was one of the best we have ever had: running water, toilet, picnic table, fire ring . . . free.

And lots of subject matter for Mistah.

We left the coast and mountains of Oregon behind us, and headed east into its flatlands.
.
Stay tuned . . .

14 comments:

  1. I HAVE BEEN THERE!!!!! We went this summer and drove all upp and down the caost, and went up to Crater Lake and then drove back down the Rogue for what seemed like ever!!! I actually get there pictures. I'm so stoked!

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  2. You should have kept driving north for awhile, past Washington. You could have visited me!

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  3. Once again, incredible photos! (I enjoyed the towel sequence.)

    As crazy as it may be, having lived in California for more than 20 years now, I've NEVER been to Oregon. This blog post has inspired me to go. Thanks Ellie and Mistah!

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  4. Cool flip book!

    Beautiful pictures. And, like Beth, I've sometimes dreamed over pictures of little inns on the Oregon coast, but have never gone there. Really must go.

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  5. Cool blankie waving, I'll bet we can figure out a way to animate that! The Pacific Northwest is stunning, we took a memorable family trip up there last summer - but of course you know that, it's where Quinault the Camping Bear was born! That's Washington, though. We went to Mount St. Helen's on that trip, which I thought would be a cheesy tourist trap but was incredibly, amazingly beautiful and haunting. The rivers there are C-O-L-D, man.

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  6. I am so envious of your travels. My only fear would be running into bigfoot. I know, I am weird.

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  7. Thanks for this awesome post! I dream of living either in the Pacific Northwest OR the NewEngland,Maryland area ..and this blog is bringing me as close as I'll probably ever get.
    Love
    Madness

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  8. If you scroll real fast through the one with you shaking the towel it's like one of those flip books. Live action!! Haven't you ever done anything boring and an not so beautiful in your life that you'd like to share with us??

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  9. Xup, you just made me laugh out loud, really. I'm sure Ellie could come up with some boring thing to report... but I'm hard pressed to think of anything off hand.

    I have one of those date books at work with a different quote for each day. There is one coming up soon from Abraham Lincoln, and it's something along the lines of "Most folks are about as happy as they make their minds up to be." It's not always as simple as that, clearly, given hurricanes, illness, divorce, etc., but in general, I think it's kind of true. Ellie and Bill have obviously chosen to be happy. (It's kind of contagious, lucky us.)

    Thanks too for your nice comments on my guest blog. That was fun, and I'm glad I did it.

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  10. Well, THANKS A LOT! Now I'm all weepy and nostalgic and homesick!! (Not so much for Oregon, but Eureka and Crescent City have coastline like that.) And to my fellow Californians: Oregonians do not welcome the CA tourists, so say you're from Arizona or something.

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  11. Those pictures are just stunning. I've barely ever left the east coast (going to New Orleans for one drunken weekend doesn't really count, does it?) but I LONG to see the country one day.

    Soon... maybe... when the kids won't drive me bonkers in a car that long.

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  12. We did a driving trip through Oregon a few years ago - it was wonderful. Your photos are great.

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  13. Sigh...now I must plan a trip to Oregon. Who knew it was so pretty? Well, apparently you did...

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  14. I love your posts! Your pictures make me feel as if I'm there and I thank yhou for that.

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