Cascadia Hiking

One of my sisters set her wedding day for April 21 so I had been checking the weather nearly everyday because her first choice of site was at Sahalie Falls. Until the week before her wedding I was convinced that we would be having a typical, rainy outdoor Cascadian wedding. . . I couldn't have been more excited that she was going to likely be married on the first 80+ degree day of the year! I love sunrise in the desert Once I realized how nice it would be I pulled out my copy of Camping Oregon by Rhonda and George Ostertag. Craving that incredible sweet smell that a ponderosa pine forest has on a warm day I searched east of the Cascades. The Fort Rock area has always interested me and when I found a 'campground' only a few miles north of it that was among the ponderosa pines, I had to check it out.  Cabin Lake is on the boundary of Ponderosa Forest and Sage Scrubland After the wedding up the Mckenzie my girlfriend and I headed east. Making our now t

Territorial Highway begins a few miles into Benton County and runs the length of Lane County from north to south, ending a few miles into Douglas County. In a not so distant past, travel through the Willamette Valley during the rainy months was absolutely miserable, if not downright impossible; depending on the flow of the  rivers. Territorial Highway can trace it's roots back to 1851, as part of the Applegate Trail, making it one of Oregon's oldest roads. Short history of the Applegate Trail. Near the Lane/Benton County Line As the weather warms up it becomes more and more difficult to stay off my motorcycle. I don't care where I'm going, I can just pull a map out and find some random roads and be gone all day. Riding is a close second to hiking for me. This post will be about my ride down Territorial Highway and my trip to Siuslaw Falls. Coyote Creek Covered Bridge Starting out as the clouds were coming in I got a sinking feeling that my r

Over the years I have developed a love for trees, the larger the better. I've spent hundreds if not thousands of dollars on gas over the last 2 years driving to the Redwood Coast. Though Coast Redwoods are the tallest tree there are some very impressive ponderosa pines in Oregon. After coming across Mario Vaden's webpage  about the largest of all Pines, which I had previously thought was a Sugar Pine, turned out to be a Ponderosa near Big Pine Campground in the Siskiyou National Forest, I felt like I needed to check the area out. The drive to the Big Pine campground was awesome. Most people will take I-5 and get off at the Merlin exit. If you haven't been on the Rogue River before, definitely stop at the Hellsgate overlook. Also Merlin is the last town before you cut off on Forest Road( FR) 25. They have a market there for your last minute needs. As we set out on Galice road a feeling of happiness came over me, I hadn't been back on the Rogue River si