Oregon - Land of Ups and Downs

Gorgeous mountains and streams to forest covered valleys to wide sunny beaches.  The Columbia Gorge with uncountable salmon migrating, to eagles, hawks and flocks of geese.  This is Oregon…. so goes the travel ads.  This is truly beautiful country, filled with very nice people.  A couple of things to mention; sort of an attempt to “level the field” so to speak.  Goat head stickers and Ash White Flies would be a good start.  These little suckers will terrify your toes into never accepting flip-flops again and the flies make conversation difficult outside in the evening.  On average, all things considered, Oregon is a great place.

We were delayed in Portland a couple of days, waiting for parts to repair the truck.  Getting to see way more traffic than desired was not a high point, but staying with good friends more than made up for it.  Yesterday, we headed the tiny home southward and skipped down I-5 directly, to make up some of the lost time.  As we stopped in Roseburg (OR) for a deli lunch, we were informed of the shooting at the local community college only moments before.  We saw numerous sheriff and police units go by and the radio was filled with preliminary reports, not knowing exactly what had happened. 

We stopped last night near Medford (OR) in a lovely state park along the Rogue River.  The trees here were decorated with Oregon Duck colors.  This is the capital of Goat head stickers, where intruders are promptly skewered and sent away hopping onto more of the little devils.  I’m just glad we didn’t find them along with the White Flies back in Portland… not being to walk or breathe might be discouraging.  I think both of these were designed by the “Let’s keep Oregon for Oregonians” League or some similar institution; you know, the “They” everyone speaks of when conspiracy theories come up in conversation.

Oregon was great, overall; a couple of minor pests in a land full of beauty and wonder.  OK, California, show us your best this week…  I’ll pass on the worst.