Janet Brien's photos with the keyword: LaPine State Park

(+3 insets) (This is another jaw-dropping pano best seen at full size! It's worth it! :D) Off and away to LaPine State Park! After our fantastic stay at The Cove Palisades, we made a bee-line for one of our favorite destinations--LaPine State Park! You wouldn't think that a high-desert location would be so wonderful--after all, the plant life is pretty monotonous, mostly a seemingly endless conifer forest and drought-tolerant bushes--but the forest is breathtaking just the same, and there's a pair of gorgeous rivers to fawn over and the wildlife is a joy to encounter too. The highlight for us are the fantastic assortment of wonderful trails that ring the park and take adventurers past this park's finest qualities. Miles of lovely scenery, riverside views, and a blissful area to explore which never gets old. Wonderful Trails for Walking In the mornings I enjoy walking on miles of trails that include so many highlights of the park. Along the way I pause here and there to breathe in the rich scent of warming sap and appreciate the golden light, dappled shadows and twinkling reflections on the Deschutes River. I relish the sounds of birds who've started their day, calling back and forth, and it's a fun game to count how many species I can distinguish. The commentary from squirrels and chipmunks always elicits a snicker and a grin as I listen gleefully--usually arguments about pine nuts or the outrage of seeing me in their forest--how rude of me to be there! Now LEAVE! Ha! Watching the sun peek over ridgelines at the river's edge, I pause to listen to the powerful rush of water passing by a clog of tree limbs caught along the bank. There are endless things I get to appreciate on each relished morning walk, what a joy. Incredible Trails for Mountain Bike Riding Of all the state parks we've been to, mountain bike riding on the trails at LaPine is one of our two favorite spots. We worked out a string of trails which loops the whole park, goes along both of the park's rivers and shows off the best of LaPine's high-desert beauty. The ride, which takes about one and a half hours, is like the very best amusement park ride in the world but it's on a bike and you're in control! The paths weave in and out of the trees, sometimes going around massive fallen conifers or negotiating between perfectly-spaced trunks. The mostly single-wide trail zips along the rivers where the water may be rushing down a narrow place or lazily rounding a serpentine turn where the river slows. I feel like I'm on a flat rollercoaster ride sometimes, the way the path races around sweeping turns and then up and down over hills and around through the forest! By the time Steve and I slow to a stop at our campsite, we're exhilarated, exercised, and beaming with happiness--what a ride!! This is something we try to do as many days on our trip as we can fit in because it's just the best! Today's Picture My main picture is a panorama of one of Deschutes River's breathtaking serpentine turns. Every morning I would come to this spot and stare in amazement. It's called McGregor's Memorial Viewpoint, granted to a fellow who spent his older years promoting Oregon's natural resources. (If you'd like to see the memorial plaque, a newspaper article, and many pictures of this gorgeous spot by another fan, please visit this page: Donald McGregor Memorial Viewpoint ) Today's Insets: Inset One: The first day we rode the entire 10+ mile loop, we made sure to ride our bikes a few minutes from the trail over to the popular fly-fishing spot on the Fall River to gaze at its beauty. I parked my bike and then realized it would make a really neat shot, so here you go! When it's busy here, there can be a dozen fly-fishermen casting again and again into the 1-2-foot deep water. Last year when we discovered this cool place, there were so many rainbow trout in the water that you could see them clearly as they swam in place, waiting for goodies to float downstream to their waiting maws! Inset Two: Another favorite part of my morning walk is about half a mile from our campsite at a place I call "the corner of the river." Here the Deschutes River makes an abrupt turn around a point and when you step out to the end of it, the upstream view I'm sharing is what I would see each day. Isn't it spectacular? And do you see the log in front that leads into the water? I called it "The Bouncing Log", because, believe it or not, it truly did! The current is strong enough that it makes the log move and I even I made a video of this because in all my days, I've never seen anything like this! (I'll upload the video when I can and will let you know when it's available to watch) Inset Three: This collage features pictures that are not crisp but instead show images of a bird that I've always wanted to see--a kingfisher! I was walking up to the "corner of the river" when I heard a loud splash. Turning to see what it might be, I immediately crossed my fingers because it didn't sound like a fish jumping, nor a rock being tossed into the current. A blur of movement and--SQUEEEEE!!!!--I saw a bird flying low over the water to land on a branch next to the bank. Too far for me to see with my eyes, I fired up my Sony and zoomed to 600mm, targeting the little blob I saw. A KINGFISHER!!! AHHHHHHH!!!! I had just enough time for several pictures before it flew off and away to another fishing spot but I did get a few! I was amazed that the shots were at least fair since they were so far away. But this meant I could only share them as a collage, was actually just what I wanted! :) No prizes for quality but I can't help but share my bucket list birdy! :) Hope everyone is doing well! It's starting to get hot again around here and the wildfires are raising their blazing heads again, but let's cross our fingers that we'll have a safer summer this year! Explored on 7/09/21; highest placement #14.

(+10 insets!) (view large for awesome detail!) Photography Immortalizes the Wonders We Witness How often do you see a picture you've captured that leaves you feeling astonished and awed by the subject? It's so amazing to have this miraculous technology at our fingertips. It used to be for just the devoted professional. Now everyone has access to the simple aim and press of a button to make a lifetime memory. It's wonderful. Better still, with that rise in technology, resulting image quality has increased exponentially so that no matter who you are, the pictures are better than ever. How incredible that a recording a lifetime of high-quality memories is available to everyone! Macro Bokeh Junkies Still Need DSLRs Even though technology has made it easy for anyone to capture awesome shots, there is a limit. If you want to take macro pictures that have stellar bokeh, you still have to step up to the big league and use a DSLR with a dedicated macro lens. I will never forget how hard I tried to force my point and shoot super zoom camera to create the type of pictures my husband was capturing with his (current at the time!) Canon 5D + 180mm macro lens. As a budding photographer, I learned what "bokeh" meant and why I simply couldn't get what I wanted out of my marvelously versatile super-zoom. It was infuriating, but I sure learned a lot! Finally I gave up and waved a white flag of surrender. It took a lot to learn how to use a DSLR--and I will always be working on my education!!--but I instantly fell head over heels in love with my Canon 5D MkII and the incredible 100mm 2.8L lens. Oh, that creamy, lovely bokeh! (I also learned that I don't like to use the 180mm lens because even though it's creates the best bokeh, it's way too heavy and requires a tripod: no thank you!) NOTE: Since I moved up to a DSLR in 2011, the quality of macros you can get from camera phones and point-and-shoots has gotten incredibly good! In fact, my new 8x superzoom Sony camera captures fantastic macros with very nice bokeh--much better than my old 30x Canon PowerShot! Phone cameras also have astonishingly good macros and really super bokeh too. The lay person won't be able to tell the difference but bokeh junkies won't be satisfied. Today's Picture I was returning to the RV one morning after creeping around with my Canon and macro lens when I looked at our RV and nearly fell over. HOLY MEN IN BLACK BATMAN, LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THAT BEETLE!!! Hanging out on one of our many picture-sized windows was a ginormous long-horned beetle. This is the largest beetle in the United States, growing as large as 2.6" in length! ( I found a picture of someone holding one so you can get a better understanding of just how huge these critters are. ) Though enormous, the pine-borer was well-camouflaged on the black-tinted glass and I nearly missed seeing it as I rounded our trailer that morning. It was positioned high on the glass soI had to hold my camera up and brace my elbow on the trailer so I didn't shake. Most of my pictures turned out so blurry I had to laugh. I needed to be sure I got something crisp so after a bunch of attempts I returned with my macro flash, but most of those were blown out despite the settings I fiddled with. It's hard when your subject is on a reflective surface! But in the end, I was successful. My main image was one of my first pictures, taken without a flash. Would you just look at that awesome bokeh?! All these years later and I am so madly in love with my 100mm 2.8L lens…can you blame me?! :) Today's Insets Inset 1: the first picture shows another view of this amazing beetle, taken with the macro flash. I spent some time removing the harsh reflected shadow and the result, processed in b/w, turned out well I think! Isn't the pebbly texture on its back cool?! Inset 2: this is a close-up of the male pine cone I shared a couple of days ago. The texture is just awesome! Inset 3: yet another picture of the lovely Ground Smoke flowers I saw on one of the campground loops. Even though the bush was literally right next to the current resident's trailer, I bet they never even saw this treasure! I nearly missed it myself…only the breeze and sunshine that caused the tiny flowers to glimmer and flash got my attention. Inset 4 & 5: this is a macro view of a large species of coralroot orchid that I found at LaPine (In my last presentation I shared a pair of images that showed a smaller species with a hungry wasp on it). These dried pods remind me of Chinese lanterns and glowed beautifully in the sunlight. You can also see the sticky carpet of resin balls on the stems and stalk…don't touch!! Inset 4 shows a picture of two dried stalks and the pods that dance up their length. Inset 6: the impossibly neon-yellow color of this Powdery Sunburst Lichen cannot be missed. I found it growing everywhere and though I took many pictures, experience warned me that they'd be blown-out no matter what I did. This picture has pretty good exposure but the bright areas still suffer. I needed a day with heavy cloud-cover so I'll try again in the future! Thank You! I hope all of you are having a super week. Stay safe, dry and warm and thank you so much for your visits! You know how I feel about you guys!! YOU ROCK! :) Explored on 4/01/21; highest placement #3.

(+8 insets!) "Normal" Pine Cones Are Females! Imagine my surprise when I learned that pine trees have two kinds of cones: female and male! Actually, just go look in the mirror…because I am sure you're equally surprised! But stop and think: have you ever seen the curious little things scattered around on the ground under a pine tree that defy explanation? Or weird clusters of odd growths on some pine trees that you couldn't identify? Those are the male cones which are responsible for releasing pollen. We don't usually see the male cones because they are often found at the tops of the trees. However, some trees have male cones lower down. In fact, some trees are entirely covered with either male or female cones. If you'd like to know more, Wiki's Conifer Cone page is full of useful information, and NW Conifers: Lodgepole Pine talks about this species specifically. Today's Picture I was creeping around LaPine State Park and found myself admiring one of the countless pine trees there. The park has many species, mostly Ponderosa and Douglas Fir, but there are many others too--grand fir, cedar, larch and juniper to name a few. My eye was drawn to something odd on a cluster of pine needles and upon recognizing what I was looking at, a smile spread across my face. It was a male pine cone which has incredulously skewered itself on the pine needles. Shaking my head in disbelief, I stared as I brought my camera up for pictures. How in the world does this happen? Naturally it's merely statistics and I'm looking at the lucky winner of Nature's contest, "Caught on the Way Down." It's a favorite of mine and I cannot resist taking pictures of these miraculous finds. I'm not surprised that people have asked me many times, "Did you stage that shot?" It's reasonable to doubt these sights--seeing them out on my strolls, I have a hard time processing their probability too! But occur they do, and I'd never, ever "set a stage" for a "better" picture. This is Nature at her gob-smacking finest! Today's Insets Insets 1 & 2: Here and there on the pine needle-carpeted floor of the forest, the remnants of coralroot orchids could be seen. Standing as high as 8-10 inches tall, the dried stalks bristle with sticky resin that likely tastes horrible to deter opportunistic munchers. These unusual orchids can bloom from April to September depending on conditions but I believe what I'm showing is merely a dead plant, a bloom that was frozen in time and dried to show the moment. Could I be wrong? The lovely little black and white wasp I found seemed to think so, busy with hopes of nectar inside. To be honest, I didn't touch this plant so I am speculating its dried state. As it is, I'm not positive on the species either--coralroots can be very different from one another and yet are still the same species. I have not seen flowers that look just like this so I may be wrong! Let me know if you have info to clarify! Insets 3 &4: The forest around LaPine State Park is almost entirely brown or conifer-green, so when another color shows itself, you notice! First you'll see what I believe is a pair of wild gooseberries and they grow on tough shrubby bushes, determined to thrive in this dry desert environment. I also found a berry which had dried up, fallen off the bush and landed on the twig of another bush. I liked the translucence, wrinkled texture and the interesting lines of the twig branching this way and that. Inset 5: Once in a while I noticed odd burl-like growths on the branches of pine trees. I have learned that this is actually a disease called western gall rust. It can kill trees but for homeowners, these trees can be successfully treated. Inset 6: Finally, I've got a b/w image of a group of "golf-tee" fruticose lichen I found dried on a stump, waiting silently for the rain of late fall to arrive and bring it back to life. Inset 7: I added this last picture to show male cones growing on a tree. These were on our property! :) Thank You! There are few things that make me happier than knowing that a picture I took has made another person happy. What a gift it is to share my love of photography with others! Your visits, comments and stars truly make my day. It's such fun to see what you've come up with to share with us too, so thank you very much for the opportunity! I hope that everyone has been having a great week so far! Please stay safe, dry and warm! Explored on 3/30/21; highest placement #1.

(+6 insets!) The Magic of Being In The Moment As creative spirits, all of us seek to slip into that special time when we are experiencing the world in a kind of magical flow. We forget about time. We forget about problems. We forget about almost everything…except for what's exactly in front of us, shown through the lens of our camera. Being in the moment is sort of like being one with the universe, I guess. You feel it right down to the bottom of your soul and when you do, all is right with your world. What I've said will sound really weird to anyone who cannot tap into their creative spirit, but to everyone else, you Get It. Makes the world go 'round for us and every one of us--be it Leonardo DaVinci or Ansel Adams, George Carlin or Leonard Nimoy…everyone knows this pinnacle of creatives and we lust for it. Aren't we lucky to be part of that special group?! Wandering in the Moment with Camera In-Hand Unfortunately, you can't just flip a switch to get into this creative place. Everything has to be just right. If you're not in the mood, if something's off, there's no way you'll get into that space. I can feel when things are clicking into place and when I do, I grab my camera and pop out of the RV… Today's Pictures I felt the smallest sensation of something crawling on me and when I looked on my arm, I was amazed to find a tiny ant with wings--it was a queen! After carefully moving it to the sandy ground I got this picture to share. Today's Insets The first is another picture of the beautiful little flowers called Ground Smoke showing bokeh flowers behind. Then you'll see a mushroom that I found on my morning walk. I'm always triggered to look at anything round but I could hardly believe what I was seeing because it was so dry--how could a mushroom possibly grow in loose, dusty soil without moisture? It was also really big--at least 5" in diameter--what a find! I can only imagine it survived on the early morning dew but still, I was stunned. The next couple of pictures show a pine tree's shadows on the side of the RV, and I stood mesmerized as the shadows moved with the breeze. There's something so zen about watching shadows, isn't there? Next is a bone-dry, age-old stump that I couldn't resist photographing…the texture, still-visible radiating age circles and lovely gnarled edges are so wonderful! And finally, the yellowing pine needles of a dying branch were really pretty to me and interesting to appreciate. Thank You! Your visits mean so much to me, and totally make my day! Thanks always for your visits, stars and wonderful comments. You guys are the best! :) Have a wonderful day and stay safe out there! Explored on 3/28/21; highest placement #1.

(+5 insets!) Oregon is Brimming with Natural Wonders to Discover Since we got our first RV in 2018, we finally had the opportunity to explore, enjoy, and appreciate the boundless beauty of Oregon. We've been along the rugged coast and beaches and nestled in deep woods. We've experienced Oregon's version of a rain forest, and we've frolicked amidst gorgeous meadows that hug riversides interspersed with small forest nuggets. Another area we've gotten to know is Oregon's "high desert" where LaPine State Park sits. Imagine a very dry area with lots of sandy, loose soil, but instead of cactus there are pine trees and hardy scrub brush. It's not so dry that rivers don't run through and the Deschutes River begins its journey here, travelling from Little Lava Lake, about 25 miles northwest of LaPine, and eventually joining Oregon's largest river, the Colombia, after a trip of 250 miles. LaPine State Park is One of Our Favorites…What About You? You would think that such a dry place wouldn't be high on our list, but it sure is. True, the plant life isn't as varied as a moister locale, but it's lovely nonetheless, and what it lacks in variety of plants, it more than makes up with all of the hiking and biking trails found here. Steve and I have such a great time here that since discovering this park, it's a "Must Go" spot every year. What about you? Do you have a special place that you simply must go to anytime you're in the area? I'd love to hear about it! After all, if we're lucky, we'll someday make it to your neck of the woods, so why not entice me with your favorite park(s)? :D Today's Main Picture Every morning when I'm at LaPine, I walk around each campground loop and then head up one of the trails to the park entrance before travelling back along the Deschutes River and finally back to our "home on wheels." One morning I was walking past a campsite and noticed a bush with tiny white flowers. A closer look revealed beautiful tiny blossoms which begged for proper macros. Later that day I returned with my beloved Canon and macro lens and managed to get a bunch of very nice shots. Isn't it wonderful when you are successful despite the fact that a breeze is trying to ruin every picture? I was delighted that within my large group of hopefuls, I got an assortment of crisp images amongst a bunch of blurry ones. This picture of "Coville's Ground Smoke" was my favorite, but I have two more to share in my next uploads for LaPine. Today's Insets LaPine is a very popular home to many species of squirrels, including one that's often mistaken as a chipmunk, the Golden-Mantled Ground Squirrel. I admit being very surprised when I realized the "chipmunk" I photographed on a lava rock was actually a ground squirrel! Another common resident is both the smallest chipmunk and also the most widely spread, otherwise known as the Least Chipmunk. I got a fun picture of one working on a little pine cone which I turned into a b/w to show off the fun shadows. If you look carefully around a pine tree, you'll often see droplets of sap oozing from woodpecker holes or broken tree limbs and if the sun is in the right spot, the droplets will glow beautifully! I'm also sharing a crusty droplet of resin that's dried up but interesting to look at with lots of granulated detail. Finally, the last picture is a collage of images that shows a group of ants attacking a caterpillar to bring back to its nest. I appreciate these glimpses of nature's cycle of life, and though it's too bad for the caterpillar, it will be an important source of food for the colony and I was fascinated by this show. Thank You! I always appreciate your visits, stars and comments--my smiles warm the room! I am so happy that I can spread a bit of joy, interest and hopefully some education to your day--it's what I hope for every time I post one of my presentations. Please take care of yourselves and I hope you have a wonderful weekend! Explored on 3/26/21; highest placement #3.

(+7 insets!) (Please view large! :) A Quick Pitstop Home From Part 1 of our Covid Trip After returning from the first part of our "Covid Summer" RV trip, we spent a couple of weeks at home while Steve updated some things on the truck and trailer along with replenishing our supplies. We had our reservations set up for the next couple of months and were delighted to be pulling out again and heading back to a favorite campground! Part 2, Stop #1: LaPine State Park Our first stop of Part Two of our Covid Summer RV Trip was a favorite of ours--LaPine State Park! The campground is surrounded by miles of trails that are super for biking, hiking, horseback riding or just going for a stroll. They lead through the alpine desert forest and meander along the Deschutes River. Past huge Ponderosa Pines, along streams and even a waterfall! The campground has three large loops with 120 sites and yet the solitude is just a short walk away. We love this place so much! (the map for our trip is posted so you can see where we went) LaPine is Mere Moments from Newberry National Volcanic Monument! This area of Oregon has ancient geologic significances and just 15 minutes away from our campsite is the sprawling remnants of the Newberry Volcano. Seated in the vast Deschutes Forest (covering a staggering 1.8 million acres), the Newberry National Volcanic Monument is contained within just 86 square miles and is an outdoor lover's paradise! Trails for everyone, lakes for fishing and recreational sports, and of course, for anyone interested in volcanos, this place is a treasure trove! Today's Main Picture I have several posts' worth of pictures to share from this jaw-dropping place. First up is a view from the top of Lava Butte, which also shows the yawning caldera and the incredible view that shows a series of mountains in the distance. Today's Insets I have two panoramas which include the main image and shows more of the caldera along with the gorgeous view. I also have a closer view of the mountains that we couldn't get enough of. Next, as we stood gaping all around us, I noticed a toy-sized train making its way through ancient lava fields and past a lake. I've also posted a flower picture: walking back down the steep, spiraling road that leads up to the top of Lava Butte, I was totally surprised to see a cluster of bright pink Dwarf Monkeyflowers! I've never seen this type of flower away from boggy, wet environments and was totally amazed they were growing in dry lava-rich soil. Finally, another cool thing from the butte was the interpretive lava trail located far below us. Paved and accessible by wheelchair, this trail has signs posted along the way to explain the history of the volcanic events that occurred long ago. I have a picture of the area and another one which shows the trail that's highlighted in pink. Stay tuned for lots of pictures from our walk there…what a knockout spot! (I've also included two pictures of Lava Butte that I posted some time ago and the map of Part Two) Spring Forward! The time changed to Daylight Savings last night and though I'd normally be totally exhausted from losing an hour, I never set my bedroom clock back to "Fall Back" time--I don't have much adjusting to do, hooray! :) Steve, on the other hand, looks like a confused groundhog blinking in the light as he stumbles around trying to make sense of the world! :D I hope everyone is doing well and staying safe! Hooray for Spring!!! Flowers are popping out everywhere and each day brings us closer to our 2021 RV Trip! YAY! Explored on 3/14/21; highest placement #3.

(+6 insets!) Our 2020 RV Adventures in the Midst of Covid-- It's time to get back to my travel pictures! How incredibly lucky we were to have the freedom to travel during this pandemic. When the virus started taking over the world, we sat and worried for months about what it would all mean, what would happen, the whole state of the world. Then we found out that the Oregon State Park system had opened up its campgrounds again and everything changed for us. We could take our RV and actually enjoy ourselves! In our private, protective camper, we'd be able to visit state parks and partake in our favorite activities--hiking, cycling, photography, reading, writing, etc.--and stay completely safe while doing it! Our RV Adventures We had two trips: the first part began on June 29 and we got home on July 6. The second part began a couple of weeks later after Steve did some upgrades on both the truck and trailer. I included maps that show where we went on each trip so you have a better understanding. 2020 Covid Trip, Part 1: 6.29-7.06 Humbug Mtn State Park 7.06-13 Bullard's Beach State Park 7.13-17 Tugman State Park 7.17-19 Heceta RV Park (just a glorified parking lot; we couldn't get into Tugman until the 19th) 7.19-26 Tugman State Park 7.26 Home 2020 Covid Trip, Part 2: 8.09-17 LaPine State Park 8.17-24 Detroit Lake State Park 8.24--9.04 LL Stub Stewart 9.04-08 Champoeg State Heritage Area 9.08-10 LL Stub Stewart State Park 9.10-24 Fort Stevens State Park 9.24-27 Tugman State Park 9.27-10-11 LaPine State Park 10.11 Home Posting pictures and trip reports has been really hit and miss. I finally just stopped after a while, not sure where to pick up and continue. I got behind on my image processing but since we've been home, I've finished countless photos. I'm still at a loss about where I should pick up again but I guess it doesn't really matter. Nobody is keeping score, right? Today's Pictures The main picture shows an impossibly cute Least Chipmunk at LaPine State Park. We were constantly entertained by these darling little guys, who scampered everywhere looking for snacks. We would sit at our campsite and watch them running around, finding things to stop and nibble on. Sometimes they skittered right up to us--climbing on a shoe, even racing up to a knee and then off again in a flash! Onto the tables, into our Easy-up shelter, zooming under the RV and truck…it was non-stop entertainment to watch them, and we laughed and laughed at their adorable antics. I would also see them on my walks, and my best pictures were taken on a trail that skirted the beautiful Deschutes River. I'm including a couple of extras to coo at--aren't they just the cutest?! I also have an image of a Douglas Squirrel which stood belligerently on the side of a fir tree yelling outrages at me one day while I stood snickering! Additionally I have the pair of chipmunks I posted when we got back from our second trip and the maps that show where we went. I hope you are all doing well and staying safe! Explored on 1/25/21; highest placement #1.

(+2 map insets!) Hello everyone!! We're finally home, safe and sound! Steve and I arrived a week ago from our epic 3-month "Covid Summer" RV trip around western Oregon, and with a few days to settle in, I'm finally ready to start posting again! What a blast we had! :) To be honest, if we didn't have a bunch of upgrade projects lined up for the next few months, we'd have been happy to just turn around and head out and find out what it means to be a "snowbird!" Wow, what a difference from last year's camping season! A year ago we returned home from our six-week trip to Vancouver Island, Canada, and both of us were totally wrecked. The trailer was damaged and we were totally exhausted from the stress of the many problems we experienced along the way. It took us months to recover from that trip…despite all the fun we managed to have between the worries, the negatives hung over us for a long time. As I've reported in the past, we didn't think travelling would be in the cards for 2020, what with Covid-19 taking over and throwing a wrench in the works. Staying safe was our priority and our rural home was our sanctuary. As summer approached, we learned that Oregon State Parks were opening up for reservations in June and we wondered if camping was a crazy idea. Then, when Steve's sister reported that camping in California was working out just fine, we pulled our heads out of the sand and made some reservations at nearby campgrounds. Who knew if the campgrounds would be shut down again? We prepared ourselves with the understanding that we might have to turn around and go home at any point but it was worth a try, right? Our Covid-19 Camping Trip Was a Complete Success! Our adventure started at the end of June and lasted through the beginning of October and included a two-week pitstop at home to add upgrades to the truck and trailer. We drove over 1500 miles on Oregon's scenic highways and back roads, enjoying breathtaking settings along the coast as well as deep forest and high-desert alpine forests too. We managed to avoid many threats and stressful situations during our adventure: Covid-19: First of all, we kept out of the corona virus' reach by staying away from people. Steve was our shopping hero and braved the stores when needed, being sure to protect himself wherever he went with a mask, rubber gloves and sanitizer. Whenever we were out hiking or biking, zooming around on our scooters, making the rounds with Pumpkin or just going on my morning walk, we made wide berths around passersby and never left the trailer without a ready-to-use mask in a pocket. Chatting with people was always done at a 6-feet distance, though we did have to gently remind folks who forgot when they wanted to see Pumpkin up-close in her hiking cage (we don't blame them, she's amazing! :D). Wildfires & Smoke: The fire season in Oregon (and California too) has been historic, with over one million acres burned so far. And, even though we're headed into the fall rainy season, there are still six huge wildfires that aren't completely contained. Thankfully, Steve and I were able to avoid the fires and smoke, though it did require the cancellation of several campsites and unexpected stays in other areas. It seemed like the entirety of Oregon was socked in by literally the worst smoke on the planet, but we got lucky. Our perfect oasis was found at lovely Fort Stevens, where we spent 14 blissful days in an idyllic escape from Oregon's troubles and only the rare whiff of smoke on one day! Our House Didn't Burn Down! On September 8, the Willamette Valley became socked in with smoke and caused us to flee the campground at Champoeg State Heritage Area and stay at L.L. Stub Stewart for a few days. That day, one of the biggest wildfires in Oregon erupted just a few miles from our home and would go on to burn almost 33,000 acres (they are still drenching hotspots as I type this post). Once we became aware of the fire, we watched the news nervously and worried more and more as the size grew quickly and marched in all directions--including towards our home. The Rogue River created a protective line but if wind combined with bad luck, embers could have easily jumped over and burst into flames. After a couple of very tense weeks, the first containment was underway…and it was the side headed towards our home! We were so relieved. We also learned a very important lesson about making sure our most precious valuables were safe-guarded if we were away. Our pictures. My journals. Priceless sentimental keepsakes. Our important paperwork. Irreplaceable files. What a terrible loss all of this would have been. We count our lucky stars that we have a chance to fix these issues for the future. Fun Was Had! With three months out, we had a lot of great adventures! Hiking together, going on my wonderful morning walks/hikes, walking around campgrounds with Pumpkin, taking pictures, riding our bikes, taking our boat out on lakes, fishing, hanging out in our hammocks and in our "easy-up" in our "easy-up" shelter, reading, playing video games--the list goes on and on! So much to chat about, so many pictures to post…it's hard to know where to begin. I'll try to keep it simple, though I've already included a book to read here, heh! Today's Picture (and map graphics) Our last campground stay was at LaPine State Park and one morning I took my Sony along to capture some of the gorgeous things I saw when I stepped out of the trailer to start my day. Oh, Those Darling Chippers! Near the end of my walk I made my way along a trail that hugs the Deschutes River, keeping my eyes open for "fluffy buddies." I caught glimpses of the many resident squirrel species that were always nearby--the elegant mink-chocolate Douglas Squirrel with its light-colored underbelly, the huge Western Grey Squirrel and smaller introduced Eastern Grey Squirrel. But of course there were also chipmunks! At least two of these small, striped squirrel species were found in great numbers around the park, including the larger Townsend Chipmunk and everyone's favorite, the tiniest of all--the Least Chipmunk! I was lucky enough to get pictures of little chippers along the way and then, to my great delight, I saw a pair of tiny cutie-pies jump onto a log and stand nose-to-nose, just for me! What luck that I got a nice image of this pair to share with you today! I am also sharing a couple of graphics which show the places that we stayed during our trip this summer. You'll notice that we didn't get to the eastern side of the state but certainly enjoyed the west coast and central parks to our fullest! I hope everyone had a safe and wonderful summer. I apologize for my sporadic posting over the past few months and lack of visiting! I'm looking forward to stopping by to say hi in the next few days! Explored on 10/20/20; highest placement #5.

(+1 inset!) Please note: I no longer have internet, will check in when I can So I am going to try to get my posts up first thing in the morning now because my usual way of doing things isn't working out. Basically, I am pushing my post time later and later because we do things that keep me away from my computer until the latest I can manage. Then I'm so tired that it can be frustrating if there are any issues at all. Last night Steve and I got back from an incredible 2-hour bike ride along the Deschutes River and it was 8pm. Then there was dinner and that made it 9pm. And then we were dead exhausted from the long day and long ride and just to add a wrench in the works, the internet disappeared on us completely. There would be no posting. How annoying that was. But also a lesson learned. So, I'll be posting this early today. I began by posting yesterday's picture--which is a "technical fail" as a "365" post but who cares, right? I'm posting two pictures of the chipmunks I successfully photographed yesterday! The main one makes me laugh because he's standing up so high on his hind legs! The inset shows one of the chipmunks licking the grease off the griddle we had sitting on the picnic table. SO CUTE! Sorry Pam, no time to chat! *BIG HUGS* :)

(+3 insets!) (Sorry, this is probably my longest War & Peace novel yet! Scroll to the bottom for photo info or get some coffee, kick back and have yourself a read if you like!) :) Oh, the SMELL of PINE FOREST when sunshine is just starting to warm up the pine needles….MMMMMMMMMM!!! There is simply nothing like that amazing fragrance and that's what hit me in the face as I opened the door of our RV to take a sneaky peek outside. I spotted movement on the ground off to my right and--OH!! A CHIPPER!!! *SQUEEE*!!!--there was a tiny chipmunk poised on a rock about 10 feet from our doorway. "Awwww," I cooed, how adorable it was! I tucked back into the RV and grabbed my Sony, but when I opened the door again the bitty chipper scooted off at Tasmanian Devil speed, disappearing into the bushes. However, I did get to see its dark tail flicking and its little feeties kicking up the silty dust as it zoomed away…"Ohhhhh, so cute!!!" I purred happily as I stepped outside and took a deep breath of the lovely, scented air. "Mmmmmmmm…." I repeated, "It smells soooooOOOooooo good out here!" I took a pair of pictures where I stood to capture my first impressions, noticing too that it was chilly but not too cold…how nice! My photos showed both the picnic table with conifer forest beyond and also an upwards capture of the lovely trees that stretched up to the beautiful blue sky. I peered around, hoping to see my wee buddy but there was no sign of it, so after enjoying more forest fresh air, I reentered the RV and got my day started…hooray!! Our RV trip has truly begun! :) I'd already enjoyed a snuggle with Steve and a shower supervised by Pumpkin. She was sitting in her clear travel cage now as she ate her breakfast and watched me move around the RV. We twittered and whistled back and forth as I set up her day cage with fresh vitamin-enriched water and made my Americano-style espresso. Steve was cuddled in his fluffy bed, still exhausted from the drive and days of preparation for this trip. He didn't usually get up as early as me so as I climbed back into my "Nest" with my computer, he drifted back into a blissful snooze. "Good," I thought to myself, he needs the sleep and it's only 8am. I spent an hour working on pictures and enjoying the sounds of the campground coming to life around our trailer. It was a great place. Quiet even though it was full. I'd always judged my perception of campgrounds on a few experiences which were accented by yelling kids and guffawing adults, campfire smoke and mosquitoes. The reality that we have experienced thus-far has been the opposite and we couldn't be happier. I gently woke Steve a bit after 9am and he smiled sleepily up at me, yawning and stretching. We shared our "good mornings" and soon Steve and Pumpkin were singing in the shower and having a merry time listening to music. Steve's now eating his hemp-heart porridge for breakfast along with his iced espresso and cream. He enjoys cruising the photo/info/fun website, "Imgur.com" while he eats and is really pleased that our mobile reception is so good Before sitting down, he heated up an egg-sausage quiche muffin for me (he'll be having one too!)and I'm about as satisfied as can be. Pumpkin (our supervisor) approves of all of these proceedings and is content and totally happy as she sits in her clear cage right next to Steve. All of us really love being on our adventures and Pumpkin adores the non-stop attention she gets during the day. Even when we are away, she has a view of the Great Outdoors in a new place, something she never tires of. Life is Good. :) Yesterday we were so pleased with ourselves because this trip's preparations have been the smoothest yet, even though this trip will also be a full week longer than our last trip. We have our roles down to a pretty exact science and it was nearly effortless to get everything ready and packed. And then, about an hour from home, Steve yelled, "Oh no…I forgot the thumb drive!" I cringed inwardly. Oh no…not the thumb drive. All of our movies. Our shows. At home. We both stared at the three weeks before us, now seemingly devoid of shows to watch in our hourly nightly ritual. Since Pumpkin was a 6-month-old chick, we've spent this precious hour to allow her to bond with us, clean her feathers and settle down for the night before being tucked into her little tent which hangs from the top of her cage. No, we didn't NEED the shows. We could read books but it would be a huge departure from our normal situation. Well, I can guarantee that we'll NEVER forget the thumb drive again, lol. The silly thing is that I had it on our "DON'T FORGET" list but since it's something Steve handles, it slipped my mind to vocally remind him. Oh well…we were annoyed but soon arrived at, "Who cares…it doesn't matter." My but aren't we turning into mature adults these days?! :D (In the past we would have been very upset to the point of the day being basically ruined. How silly! :D) When we got to our campsite, Steve discovered that his phone was getting really fast speeds and we would be able to easily stream shows from Amazon. YAY! So last night we watched a show from Amazon called Bosch, based on the Michael Connelly books which feature the very popular detective, Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch. Steve and I have both read and enjoyed this series of books in audio form and figured the show would be fun to watch. It was! And now we have a new series to enjoy, yay! :) We're not sure how the show-watching situation will go throughout our trip but whatever happens, it will all be just fine! :) Today is set to get pretty warm but hopefully not too hot in the deep forest. We're planning on going on a bike ride and maybe a hike…maybe fishing…we're not sure what else. I'll be tuning in later to let you know what we came up with! --------------- Well, it's been a fun, interesting and frustrating day for us. To give you a clue, right now Steve is watching fishing videos and I only stopped watching with him so I can get my post up! :D Our adventures today began with a totally awesome bike ride along the Deschutes river on a well-tended dirt trail that took us along the bank for a number of miles, sometimes cutting inland a bit but always touching the river again and showing off lovely views. We stopped on many occasions to enjoy the beautiful river. At one point the trail ended and we had a choice to return the way we came or try riding back on roads which would eventually take us back to the park. Had we known the roads were all rough gravel, we would have taken the trail; instead we ended up traveling back on bone-jarring roads. We were finally dumped onto the main road back to our campground and made good time on the asphalt highway. Live and learn! But the first half of our ride was fabulous and we'll likely do that again before we go--we'll make sure to take the correct trail back to camp! After lunch we organized our fishing gear and headed out to the bank of the Deschutes River--literally a two-minute walk from our trailer! This swift-moving river is so pretty and full of potential yummy FISHIES! Could we actually catch a fish today??? Noop. No, nada, not a chance! We did get two casts each though…just before we lost out lovely, shiny lures in hidden snags. BOO! Most of our time was spent trying to get our lines set up to begin with. It's funny because even though I've done a lot of fishing as a kid, it's been 40 YEARS and I essentially remember nothing. We prepared by reading informative website pages and watching intro YouTube videos that explained what we should do but as it turned out, we didn't watch the right ones. "Frustrating" was definitely the word of the day for us. After losing our lures we decided to go back to our RV, have some dinner and then watch videos on everything we were confused about. That was the right answer. After just a few topics we both feel so much better prepared. Just now Steve announced that he knows what he'll be doing for his next attempt and is redoing his line in preparation for tomorrow's attempt! Once I'm done here he's going to show me what he did and explain the setup while we get mine set up. Yay! Well, today's score is FISHIES: 1 and BRIENS: 0. Maybe we can reverse the lead tomorrow and have FISHIES for dinner! :) Today's main picture is the view of the pretty trees stretching up to the sky that I took this morning. I have three insets too…one of them is the other view I got as I stepped outside: the picnic table and view beyond. I've got a picture of our truck and rig at our campsite and finally, a portrait of Steve! :) Last evening when I was getting my macros, Steve was barbequing our steaks and he looked so cute that I told him to "Say Cheese!" and he did! This particular picture turned out so well that Steve was thrilled--he almost never likes his pictures but this one is super! :) Pam, I forgot to mention how much fun it was reading about your fishing history! Funny how the years just drift by from the time we were avid fisher-folk! Well, Steve and I are going to keep trying to figure it out until we snatch some NOMMY FISHIES for our dinners! :) At this point it has been anything but a positive experience but tomorrow is another day and we'll try other methods until we find one that works! :) We're thinking about you…CHANNEL YOUR FISHIE-CATCHING LUCK please!! *BIG HUGS*

Today's the day! *bounces up and down in excitement* We're going RV camping again!! This will be our longest trip yet, a full 21 days of adventures! We'll be checking out a few of Oregon's central state parks this time around with locations on both rivers and lakes, in forest and high-desert settings. Our starting point will be in an area we're familiar with, though we haven't been at the exact location before. LaPine State Park is near both Sunriver and Bend, Oregon, nestled in deep forest and hugging the popular Deschutes River. We stayed at Sunriver for my birthday last September and had a fantastic time mountain bike riding and hiking while we were there. Criss-crossed with nearly countless multi-experience bike and hike trails, it would take many weeks to traverse them all (During winter the whole area is packed with ski-bunnies!). The LaPine/Sunriver/Bend area was the first place we thought of for our next trip, though it turned out that we couldn't stay as long as we'd hoped. Due to extreme popularity and proximity to the flourishing town of Bend, we had to be satisfied with only 3 nights here for this trip (with a single night's stop off at the end of our trip). In the future we'll make reservations well in advance so we can stay for a week next time! We're really happy that we get to spend several days here though, and can't wait to explore this area again! Since we won't be leaving until about 1pm today (check-in is at 4pm and it only takes a couple of hours to get to LaPine), I'm preparing as much of my post early because I have some time now.I'm betting that it will be very late when I post tonight so I'm taking advantage of this opportunity now. Another change for this trip is that we've got a friend of ours staying at our place while we're gone since it will be three weeks away and we'd like to make sure our frogs and snake are cared for. It will be a win-win because he'll get the chance to hang out at our rural home with access to great cycling (a favorite activity of his) and we'll have peace of mind! ------------- We're here!! And oh my goodness It's absolutely gorgeous in this pine fores!t Our site is marvelous and spacious too. We pulled into LaPine State Campground at about 4pm and got settled by around 6 or so. Dinner was melt-in-your-mouth ribeye steaks with our nommy faux-tato salad...soooo yummy!! Lots of birds all over the place and there are CHIPPERS here! An adorable chipmunk ran over to our site and Steve tossed a bbq-pork rind at him...a second later the little guy was racing away with his prize--SO CUTE! I hope I'll get pictures while we're here! I'm too rushed to write much more today except to say that we're delighted by this wonderful campground and can't wait to go for a bike ride tomorrow and check this stunning park out! I had enough time to step outside our RV and take some macros. This cluster of dead pine leaves caught my eye and turned out looking a little bit like a Charlie Brown Christmas Tree…or maybe a brown Tribble? :D No other pictures tonight, I'm out of time! Pam, I hope all is well with you, wish you were here! :) *BIG HUGS* Explored on 6/10/19; highest placement, #3.