Medford is the western terminus of State Highway 62 - the Crater Lake Highway - and the western anchor for my research. The road has been straightened, widened, and realigned over its nearly 100 year existence but for the most part, modern travelers to Crater Lake follow the same route that the early stagecoaches and auto tourists used in the beginning of the 20th Century. The road passes through a handful of small communities, most of which have faded into the side of the road as time and tourists have rolled on - though a few have improved their standing with [View Full Entry]

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There is not much exciting to say about the time I spent in the Medford area. I was in the public library, historical society, and university research library most of the time. As interesting as that may have been (and parts were, if you can believe it) it’s not particularly exciting to write about in this context. But instead, I can comment on a few of the interesting things I saw in and around the area in the 10 days I ‘lived’ there… As noted in the post about the drive away from the coast a few days back, I have [View Full Entry]

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I’ve already mentioned (several times) my affinity for the ocean. After three days on the coast of Oregon and California, I found it hard to break away and head inland. It’s a benefit that the scenery in the Coast Ranges and the Cascades is noteworthy, or it would have been even more difficult to settle in there. There is another thing that this trip made me realize I would miss: the presence of eucalyptus. I’ve always liked the smell of eucalyptus. My favorite Yankee Candle scent is eucalyptus (and I was particularly upset at them for discontinuing the jar size in [View Full Entry]

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I woke up (freezing) in my lonesome campsite to the constant fog that embodies the California Coast. This was my last day on this leg of the trip, as I was headed to Medford and the first major part of my local community research. But along the way there were a few things I needed to check out. The first was not too far up the road from camp, along highway 101: the 'Trees of Mystery'. One of the many kitschy waysides out there on America's byways, the reason I wanted to hit this place up was the enormous statues of [View Full Entry]

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After a second night at Harris Beach, I packed everything up (for a second time) and headed south on 101. I entered my home state of California (after declaring that, no, I did not have any fresh fruit) and cruised into Crescent City, home to the Park Information office for Redwood National and State Parks. (That is really what it is called; it is a jointly managed area, with the federal Redwood National Park surrounded by a series of state parks.) After selecting a few choice postcards, I inquired about a place to camp. The ranger was thorough, maybe too thorough [View Full Entry]

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Fourth of July was a day to relax and enjoy the scenery along the Oregon coast. Through a couple of friends who had made a long road trip through the area a year ago, I had heard that Whaleshead Beach - a few miles up the coast from Harris Beach - was something to check out. Since I didn't have a campsite for the night yet (I was going day by day), I packed everything up and headed out around 10:30 in the morning. I stopped by the entrance station and asked about the chance of getting a spot for another [View Full Entry]

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I made the long drive from Portland to the southern Oregon coast today, looking for a place to camp. I had my mind set on Brookings and Harris Beach State Park, though it was a 5 to 6 hour drive down I-5, over the Coast Range, and down the coast highway. Getting out of Portland early was key since I did not want to fight over camping sites on the Thursday of 4th of July weekend. The drive through the Willamette Valley was a normal interstate journey. The fun parts were on highway 42 to Bandon and then down the coast [View Full Entry]

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Most of my time in Portland has been spent in the Oregon Historical Society so I have not gotten to see all the sites. The one that I did get a chance to check out was ‘The Grotto’. It beckoned me from a hillside south of the airport as our plane landed the other day. As we approached the runway, I looked out the window and saw an absurdly large cross perched on a hill near the highway. I had a quest; I must find out what in the world was going on there. As it turns out, there is a [View Full Entry]

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OK. The photo of Mt. Hood is not really of the state of Washington (it’s in Oregon, just east of Portland), but I did go to Washington for the first time shortly after this photo was taken. If you’re up on the national news, you may have caught the fact that there have been a few fires out west this season. So far, Oregon and Washington have not seen too much, but northern California was hit pretty bad late in June and early in July. From the plane, Mt. Hood appeared to be floating in the mist - the smoke from [View Full Entry]

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