Distance / Elevation

Our poorly planned and woefully executed weekend tour of Northern Central Oregon took us through six dusty towns with more tumbleweeds than people and the first working payphones I have seen in almost a decade. We made it out to the former Rajneesh settlement (it's now a Young Life Camp with a gate so there's only so much that can be seen), and then to the Palisades Rocks to look for fossils (though arid now, we learned from the park signs that the area once had a similar in climate to modern day Panama, with banana trees and elephants and rhinoceros). That night we car camped outside of Mitchell and woke up in time to watch the sun rise over the Painted Hills -- with almost no one else there. Later, we hiked up Sutton Mountain which surprised us with 100-miles views in every direction and then drove back to Portland through the some of most powerful winds I've ever experienced.

This is not an area that many people visit, which makes it all the more intriguing. The landscapes are full of impossible rock formations and are totally different from anything on this other side of the Cascade Range. Plus, there's more sunshine and less snow this time of year. Between this trip and others (Wallowas, Steens, Alvord Desert), we've really only made a dent in what's out there and I'm eager to see more of this beautiful state.

Also, I shot my first roll of Super 8 film while we were at the Painted Hills. Check it out:

I've been hard at work converting my Honda Fit into a camper with the goal of extending our adventure season into the winter months. Last month, I went to my local tailor with a bolt of breathable fabric (chosen to match the gray upholstery of the car), and they sewed up a "pillowcase" for a custom piece of foam that I had cut. Then, I made five-layer blackout/stealth window coverings by hand. The camper now sleeps two tall people comfortably. The window insulation keeps the interior warm, as long as we aren't too high up in the mountains.

This weekend was the first time we'd ever taken the camper out on the road. It worked really well, though I'm still working out the condensation issue. Two adult bodies exhale a LOT of water in a night. Cracking the front windows created enough airflow to keep the ceiling from dripping on us, but it got colder than I would have liked. I'm experimenting with silica gel pillows and hope to have a solution to this issue soon.

The forecast for Central Oregon was looking good, so we drove down and got there in time to race the setting sun up Smith Rock (we lost). After dinner, we camped next to the kind of scrubby brush and juniper tree-dotted landscape that might trick you into thinking you're actually in Wyoming or Montana. In the morning, we began a flat but sandy hike out past Flatiron Rock for some wonderful views of the snow-covered Central Oregon range, with a detour to Badlands Rock along the way. The weather was warm enough for t-shirts, with whispy clouds and a little sunshine. It was perfect rock scrambling weather and we took full advantage of it. I brought my supertelephoto lens, but there were no animals to be seen. Regardless, it was a welcome break from the Portland rain. We also scoped out a great camping spot, so we'll be back soon!