5/4-5/6/17
Current Location: Kozy Campground Jackson, Wyoming
Rooney could get used to getting gas in Oregon because the attendants all have treats!
We pointed ourselves slightly north to take the scenic route to Eugene and allowed ourselves to see some of the many waterfalls Oregon has to offer. Sahalie Falls cascaded crystal clear water into the river below that was struggling to keep the high waters in its banks. The three of us walked along the river for about a half mile or so stopping to appreciate the power of the water along the way. The temperature near the falls and the river was a good 5-10 degrees cooler than up at the parking lot. We all enjoyed the cooler air, and quickly noticed how much warmer it was as we climbed back to the van, swatting the newly hatched bugs from entering the van and joining our road trip.
Our plan to camp at Silver Falls State Park was put on hold when we drove around Detroit Lake and decided to stay and camp there. After stopping in the National Forest ranger station to try and pry information out of the ranger that only the locals are privy to, we were able to find a spot that overlooked Detroit Lake. Free and with a great view, not too bad! The lake was at full capacity, with water level touching the boughs of the pines lining the lake. We sat and watched boats, fishermen and the birds, including some resident osprey who’s nest was almost directly above us, for what was probably hours. As the sun set, clouds were building and it looked as though the threat of storms was going to become reality. Lightning lit the sky over the ridge lines and we watched the weather radar to see the trajectory of the cells moving towards us. This was our first thunderstorm of the trip and we were excited to watch it weathering around us. Rooney however, curled between us on the bed with his back turned to the windows. We fell asleep to the sound of big rain drops hitting the roof and thunder rolling off in the distance.
The drive to Silver Falls took us over mountain passes still covered in snow, through the back roads between rolling tree farms and in and out of rain showers. The rain was falling steadily as we pulled into the parking lot, so we donned our full rain gear and headed out along the Trail of 10 Falls. The park was built by the CCC, like many of our great state parks and staples of any good road trip throughout the country. We admired the craftsmanship of the buildings, as well as the trail construction as we wound our way down and behind the first of the falls.
We had flashbacks to Iceland a few years ago and our first experience walking behind waterfalls. After the second waterfall, we decided to turn around and save the rest of the loop for another day since we were soaked through and starting to get cold. Back at the van and changed into dry, warm clothes, we headed to a campground outside Eugene which was a couple hours south as the weather improved.
We quickly took showers and then drove into Eugene to Hayward Field to watch the Oregon Twilight Track Meet. This meet is special in that it has races for area middle and high schools, masters, college and professional runners. We were as excited to be there, in the historic stands of Hayward Field watching a meet, as we’d be to see the biggest concert of the year, actually, more so. As we were walking in, we kind of laughed and admitted to each other we were both quoting lines in our head from the movie Without Limits and the book Once a Runner on the drive. It brought back the “running feel” for both of us. We watched a few middle school races from the stands, and then headed down along the start line as the televised races were about to start. It was cool to see some current Olympians and Oregon alumni post some impressive times for early season. After the meet, we drove the 10 minutes up the hill to Pre’s Rock, the memorial site where Steve Prefontaine was killed in a car accident.
We woke up Saturday morning to the sound of crew teams out on the lake across from our campsite. The morning was spent doing much needed chores; laundry and giving Hobbes a good cleaning. The cool foggy morning gave way to warm sunshine as we ran up Mount Pisgah, what we fondly equated to Green Mountain in Golden. Once we were off the main trail, we had the place to ourselves for a bit. The uphills put a good burn in the legs and the downhills were just plain old fun. Sufficiently tired and hungry, we decided to check out some of the breweries Eugene has to offer. We found a neighborhood that had a few and decided to put together our own little brewery crawl for the afternoon. It felt good to sit in the sunshine and enjoy our beers. We checked the forecast and were excited for some sunshine along the famous Highway 101.
