Tag: travel
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Smith Rock State Park – A Commanding Presence
Bursting from the high desert floor, Smith Rock State Park offers outdoor enthusiasts 650 acres of breathtaking recreational opportunities. With its towering rock formations, Smith Rock, 25 miles north of Bend, Oregon, has become a popular destination for rock climbers of all abilities, attracting enthusiasts from around the world. For those of you who, like…
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Colossal Newberry volcano begs for exploration
Oh, what a difference a day makes! We packed our hiking shoes and a picnic and headed for a second day in the Newberry National Volcanic Monument. After a 34-mile drive south and then east from Bend, we were greeted by brilliant sunshine and twin lakes that filled an area bigger than Crater Lake. The…
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Newberry National Volcanic Monument Rocks
This was not what we had in mind when we scheduled four days at Tumalo State Park, just north of Bend, Oregon. However, with so much to see and do, we headed out early and hoped the weather report, which called for just a 30% chance of afternoon showers, would be accurate. Silly us!…
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Lake of the Woods: Relaxation in the Cascades
Lake of the Woods is the crown jewel of lakes in the southern Cascade Mountain Range within an hour or so drive of Ashland, Oregon. At 4,949 feet elevation, the natural lake offers relief from summer heat with swimming, boating, fishing and other fun managed by the Lake of the Woods Resort. We hitched up…
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Agness, Oregon shines above the fog
We have found our most exhilarating travel experiences happen when least expected; crossing paths with people or places that set our imaginations on fire. Such was the case when, on a recent coastal camping trip, we headed inland to escape the fog. On a whim and armed with travel literature collected from Turtle Rock RV…
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Oregon Coast: A cool summer getaway
When the temperatures skyrocketed a couple of weeks ago, we hitched up the trailer and headed for the fog and cooler temps that the Oregon Coast is famous for. Having spent only two nights at one campground on our maiden voyage last June, we were eager to test our hookup skills on our second…
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Tour du Mont Blanc: Worth every step
The Tour du Mont Blanc is complete. As we sit in our Chamonix hotel lobby directly below western Europe’s tallest peak, some reflections: We knew the weather in the Alps was unpredictable, so we packed rain gear, a warm jacket and lightweight clothing designed for layering. We had two days of overcast and some rain…
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Tour du Mont Blanc: Downhill all the way
What a treat it was to enjoy a leisurely breakfast this morning, knowing that we had only a short walk back to Chamonix, the starting and finishing point of our Tour du Mont Blanc. Plenty of time for a second cup of coffee!
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Tour du Mont Blanc: The final climb
It was our final ascent of the Tour du Mont Blanc, which we began July 13. The thick clouds and rain of Saturday afternoon had cleared Sunday when we completed nearly 33,000 feet of climbing and an equal amount of descent over 10 trekking days. As we reached the Col de Balme, Mont Blanc's…
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