Today is the day I have to say goodbye to the cabin and, even worse, to Oregon. In spite of the rain for most of my stay, I have enjoyed every moment I have spent in Oregon. I cannot say enough about the people I encountered on my trip through this beautiful and eclectic State. Not once was I treated rudely or greeted by someone who wasn't smiling. This speaks volumes for the kind of people that reside in Oregon. I will give you an example of an encounter: One day, I had pulled over to do something. I don't even remember what I was doing. I looked up and a man had pulled up beside me. In Alabama, this might be good...might no be so good. I was ready for the "might not be so ... read more

I knew something was wrong this morning when I woke up and could see my breath hanging in the air over me as I lay in the warm bed. Then it occured to me that I had turned the heat off when I built the big fire in the fireplace last night. When I fell asleep on the couch, I forgot to turn it back on before I went to bed. Needless to say, I made a mad dash downstairs to turn the heat on. I dressed quickly and decided to go back to Government Camp and take the road up to Timberline Lodge. It started to rain as I was leaving the cabin, so I was thinking it might be snowing pretty good in Government Camp and at higher elavations. I was right! The five ... read more

I walked outside last night and I could hear the wolves howling. They seemed to be everywhere. The sky was clear and I could see millions of stars. The cool breeze felt really good...then I headed back in to sit by the fire. :-) I awoke this morning and looked out the window. Did I mention it was going to be cold and windy today? I put on my long-johns and headed for the golf course. Crosswater Golf Club is the site of one of the Majors for the Champions Tour. I checked in at the Pro Shop, loaded up the rental clubs, and headed to the driving range. I knew immediately that I could not play with these clubs. The starter came over (I was the only person on the driving range) and we began ... read more

When I told my friend Mike Swinson that I was headed west and would begin in Reno, he said "You are going to Yosemite..right?" Until then, I had not even considered going to Yosemite. I was looking north, and Yosemite was about 2 1/2 hours to the south. After my conversation with Mike, I realized that I did not need to be this close to an American treasure and not see it. All I can say is, "Thank you, Mike." My trip to Yosemite would be through Carson City to a small community in California called Lee Vining. From there I would take Highway 120 West toward Tioga Pass in the Park. The problem was the Pass was not open all the way into the Park because the roads had not been cleared of snow. I ... read more

Lost in America March 2009 H. Wayne Cleghorn After deciding to drive from Reno, NV to Colorado on Highway 50, I booked my flight to Reno and return flight to Atlanta. Then I started a close examination of what lie on Highway 50 between eastern Nevada and central Utah. To my surprise, almost nothing. There are very few gas stations, and even fewer hotels. My options were to gas up at the last gas station in Nevada and hope I could make it to the first gas station in Utah. Visions of me walking away from a rental car with an empty gas tank kept dancing in my head. So, I made an executive decision. I would still fly to Reno, but instead of driving east, I would drive west. I decided to drive through nothern ... read more