Taming the Beasts

Today we are in Rogue River, OR at the “VALLEY of the ROGUE STATE PARK”.  That’s what the sign says. Honest! We’ve left the ocean and the rainforest and hopefully, the rain!  I feel as if I could ring out any one of my limited items of clothing and get a cup full of saltwater. This prairie girl is ready for some plains and heat, thank you very much. But that being said, I do (and did) enjoy a spell of vast waters and crashing waves.  As I said to Christy many a time, “I’d love to rent a place right on the ocean and just sit and stare at it all day.”  Maybe next time.

Part of our goal each day is to wear out Kinka and Remy.  At home, we always walk the grid road in the morning for half an hour or more and with Kinka, play some ball during the evening. With this trip, there is a lot of time for them in crates.  When we travel, the girls are crated, for safety, and when we sleep, the girls are crated, mostly so Kinka doesn’t spend the night staring at us longingly from the table.  So somewhere in the times in-between, we try and wear them out.  And get us some exercise too.  When we stayed at Cape Lookout on Friday, we spent some time on the beach but knew we wanted a better trail for the next day. Our first stop before we hit the road was the Cape Trail just a few miles south of the campground. 

It was a beautiful hike through the rainforest with stunning views scattered throughout.  It was foggy and damp, with the sound of the ocean crashing into the earth somewhere off in the distance. While we didn’t make it all the way to the end (hey - you’ve got to consider the time back too!) we did get in a good bout of exercise for all.

This morning, after a wet and rainy night at Carl G. Washburne Memorial State Park, we took the Heceta Head Lighthouse Trail.  Now it had rained quite a bit the night before, but do you think either of us thought of that before embarking on our little mile and a half jaunt?  It was a mostly uphill trail with several spots of mud holes and slippery steps.  Thankfully, both of us were wearing our Bogs (rubber shoes, basically) and we smartly decided NOT to go down the same way. Or at least we think we were smart. It meant taking the highway back to the MoHo, but I can’t help but think if we HAD gone back down the trail, one or both of us would be wearing a lot more mud than we are now!  This trail was also a gorgeous trail with stunning vistas and crashing waves.  And a lighthouse!  Pretty cool.

Now, as I tap away at the keyboard, both dogs (and cat) are sound asleep. A job well done!

Tomorrow we head out of Oregon and into California, shedding the mountains and looking for dry, warm and sunny conditions.  Not sure if we’ll get them sooner or later, but eventually, the sun has to shine!  I know we have little to complain about considering many of you are dealing with large sums of snow.

Not sure how this trip is going to play out, to be honest.  5 and a half months is a long time to be away.  We may have our home with us, but a lovely texted photo of our actual home made us both a bit homesick.  Perhaps it was because we couldn’t see the snow!

Until next time, here's a few shots of Annie just being awesome.  She is such a great traveller!