Janet Brien's photos with the keyword: meadow

(+many insets!) Steve and I weren't looking forward to it but the morning finally came after ten glorious days at LaPine when we packed up and moved on. I soaked up every sight and sound on my walk that morning, oh, how I love that beautiful park! We couldn't go directly to our final campground and instead drove less than two hours south to the privately owned Crater Lake Resort. What a pleasant surprise! It was very spacious for a owner-run park and the park was filled with trees--not at all like the usual parking lot that we usually see at these places. But it gets even better! Right on the Rogue River Trail! There is a connecting trail from the park that leads to the Rogue River Trail, which is a 37.5-mile trek which is very popular with backpackers and hikers alike. Steve and I have been on sections of this trail through the years and it's a total winner, so I was totally delighted to discover that our campground was virtually right on top of it! (By the way, I found a really neat pdf that shows the trail and all the highlights along the way. I also found a page that talks about the trail and has some nice pictures as well.) The afternoon we arrived, Steve and I enjoyed an hour's walk along the river and though we were sad that we were only able to stay here for a single night here, we were really happy we got to walk along the Rogue on a travel day! Before we left the next morning, I spent a lovely hour speeding at a fast clip along the trail so I could see more than I did the afternoon before. I had time for a few pictures too and have included the ones I processed as insets. Wonderful Joseph Stewart State Park The distance from Crater Lake RV Resort and Joseph Stewart is literally twenty minutes so we were parked and set up in no time! This park holds a warm place in our hearts. Located a mere 45 minutes from our home, it's the second place we went to when we first started our RV adventures back in 2019! We've been all over Oregon since, and to Canada's Vancouver Island too! When we got our current trailer (our second), we took it to Joseph Stewart for a 3-day stay to test out our new rig in a campground setting. In both cases we'd only gotten to stay for two or three days so having five nights/six days was a real treat. All of the campground loops are huge and spacious and there are enormous meadows everywhere, dotted with conifers and maple trees. We love the wonderful bike path which goes around a deep forest loop and--if you've got the energy for the return trip--down a long, lovely path to the boat launch and day-use picnic ground. There is a marvelous trail that overlooks Lost Creek Lake too, and strolling around the campground loops is fun as well. It's just a super place! The bummer was that on the day we arrived, a heat wave descended on the west coast. The temperature soared to well over 100 degrees and we were stuck inside during the day where we could keep cool. I got my morning bike ride and walk in as early as possible and still, by 8:30am it was already heading to 80 degrees! UGH! Today's Picture My main picture today shows the gorgeous, huge meadow next to the bike path with a lovely group of oak and maple trees that tower above. Today's Insets I'm sharing a pair from my walk on the Rogue River Trail that include one from the trail and a pair of images of some of the pretty foliage I found. From Joseph Stewart I'm sharing a very wide pano of the lake and some of the beautiful things I saw on my walks! I hope everyone is doing ok! It's very smoky here from wildfires in the area and hot too. Ugh! But we're off on our trip very soon now, just buttoning up last things and getting our live-in buddy moved back in again while we're away! Explored on 7/13/21; highest placement #8.

(+ 2 insets!) (Please view large to get a feeling of being there!) Steve and I were busy today doing errands and that's kept us out rather late. While we were driving around we talked at one point about how things are changing for us... You know when you travel for a couple of weeks and you come back and it seems like nothing has changed at your home but you feel like a different person? We are now back after our second trip of four days/three nights away. It doesn’t seem as if that should be enough to make a difference, but it really has. We feel as if our lives are morphing into something new. It is an odd kind of feeling but nice too. Having an RV is giving us a freedom we have never experienced before. We have gained the ability to go wherever we want--and we get to bring our dog and parrot with us. It's a way to travel in a relaxed manner without a time frame if we decided to just wander. After dreaming for so long and saving our pennies to make it happen, it's such a strange sensation to recognize that we are actually reaping the rewards of our efforts. We are a bit shocked to be honest. At the same time, we are incredibly thankful for our good fortune. Today's picture was taken on our last evening when Steve and I went on a long hike so I could take pictures along the way. As we were heading back, the light in this meadow was just so incredible that Steve and I just stood there and appreciated the view in front of us. How the leaves glowed, the grass shimmered, and the way the shadows streamed across the scene. Pure magic. We'd planned on hot-footing it out to the lake to take pictures of the sun setting behind the forest and hills but decided to take the advice that so many have stated: stop hurrying from one thing to the next. Enjoy the moment. So we abandoned our initial plan. Our quick boogie to the lake became a slow stroll back to our camp with lots of pictures as we went. There will be other sunsets but the pretty sights we were seeing now deserved our attention, appreciation and enjoyment. We certainly made the right decision and both of us had a lovely time! I am also including pictures of some ferns taken with my Sony (taken from the bridge in my last picture!) and a bumble bee resting under a stalk of flowers. (Anyone know what they are called?) Pam, I totally loved what you said in my last picture's comments, " The marvelous difference it makes to be able to stay and grow into a place. New insights." You are so completely right about that and it's how we feel! There are so many things in this world which must be experienced in order to understand. That understanding takes a bit of time to settle into as well. Ok...we can do that! *BIG HUGS from southern Oregon! Explored on 5/11/19; highest placement #14.

(+3 insets) Yesterday afternoon I was out at our RV trailer assisting Steve with a project but I couldn't help hearing the ruckus going on next door. It sounded like a turkey-fest going on! They were chirping and cheeping loudly, gobbling and making all kinds of calls. I kept looking to see if I could catch sight of them but they were behind trees. I hoped I might see them and figure out what all the fuss was about. Near dusk, Steve and I wheeled our garbage and recycling cans down to the road for pickup this morning. Halfway down the hill we finally got a view of the turkeys and all became clear. We stopped and watched the show with delighted grins on our faces. It wasn't possible to keep from snickering at the sights and sounds of it all but we tried to keep it down. After all, we didn't want to be rude. :D In front of us was a veritable turkey extravaganza! There must have been about 20 and nearly half of them were males. They were spread out for quite a distance on each side of our road and beyond our pond. My goodness, what a display. All of the males were in courtship mode in their finest regalia. Feathers puffed to maximum enormity, tails fanned spectacularly above their backs. Each of them turned slowly this way and that to catch the light, creating even more glorious, rainbow-metallic shine. The ladies were unimpressed. They walked along, pecking at dirt and plants, looking for insects and other things to eat. Those boys. They were ever-so-tedious. If they weren't trying to convince the other toms around them of their superior status, they were cruising slowly around the hens, trying to herd them by use of turning their tails as they moved towards them. We call it "ruddering" and it's completely hilarious to watch. Ineffective much? The hens couldn't care less about the interest of the toms. The mere idea of these slow-moving, ostentatious motorboats gliding around and trying to direct them…well, it was sheer hilarity as far as they were concerned. Ignoring the outrageous runway show going on all around them, the hens stayed together in a close, protective pack to keep from being harassed. Steve and I finally started to head down the road again and the noise of the cans caused all of the turkeys to raise a flock-wide alarm gobble, 20 heads pivoting our way. We burst out laughing and then Steve did his best gobble back at them. They gobbled loudly in reply! We howled in laughter, Steve and the turkeys traded gobbles and we parted the crowd so we could open the gate and put our cans at the side of the road. Walking back to the house, we wiped tears of mirth from our cheeks and affirmed our love and adoration for these amazing modern dinosaurs. How lucky we are that our property is part of their territory. What a true joy to see them. This morning I went down to the gate on my walk and heard a couple of turkeys taking turns with their loudest gobble. Then I saw a sight that instantly brought a vision into my head of (spaghetti Western) Clint Eastwood facing a foe. The soundtrack to The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly followed to color the scene. Out in the middle of the road I saw an enormous tom at full, outrageous fluff and about 30 feet up the road was his twin. The two took turns gobbling as loudly as they could, trying to best one another. How grand they were! The pair was unconcerned by their treacherous location but I was immediately--and extremely--alarmed. Instead of admiring their grandeur, I began clapping my hands and marching quickly towards them to get them off the road. All manner of trucks, cars, and semis roar down this road, especially in the morning, and there is no end to the dead animals who aren't quick enough to get out of the way. That would NOT be happening to this dueling pair of desperados. Thankfully they dropped their tails and trotted off the road and I sighed in relief. Showcasing is fine and dandy but BOYS! NOT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD!! Sheesh. Well, as you might have noticed, it's HAPPY FENCE FRIDAY in much of Europe! I like to post mine late on Thursday so I can be part of the crowd. Today's picture is from the motorcycle trip Steve and I went on a few years back with our friend Andy. This fence was photographed as we passed a pretty meadow in South Lake Tahoe…at about 80mph! :D (I'm also including some archive images of turkeys since that was the topic of the day! :) Pam, I did a search for turkey on your stream and found this gorgeous tom turkey gleaming in dappled light. Incredible!! The colors on this guy are amazing. What a stunning boy! Here's hoping that you had something fun happen to you today too! :) Explored on 3/29/19, highest placement, #3.

This image was taken during the Rogue Vallely Photography hike to Mt. Ashland on August 7, 2011.

This image was taken during a MeetUp hike to Mt. Ashland on July 30, 2011.

This image was taken during a MeetUp hike to Mt. Ashland on July 30, 2011.

This image was taken during the MeetUp hike to Mt. Ashland on July 30, 2011

This image was taken on my property in Southern Oregon in July, 2011.

Winner of FlickrDuel contest: Alpha Sky-scapes This image was taken on my property in Southern Oregon in July, 2011.

This photo was taken on July 2, 2011, while on the MeetUp hike to Lost Falls, near Ashland, Oregon

Photographed on the Rogue Gorge Trail, near Union Creek, Southern Oregon