Cowboy Dinner Tree

We were in Cowboy Country this week.  We ate at a very popular place. People come from

all over to eat there.  They are only open Thursday-Saturday and you have to make

reservations.  The night we were there they

served 250 guests.

I am told the cowboys would stop and eat under a neighboring tree.  Thus the name.

It is very "rustic"

The menu is Tri-tip steak or chicken.  Check it out.

You also get a salad, soup, beans, rolls, and dessert.

The inside is "cowboy" too.

The ceiling is low and you have to duck a lot. There is an indoor bathroom. I guess

at one time there was an outhouse :)

Jake and Tori

Conley and Robin

Al and Kim

Us...

Tyler or Jake Jr...he has issues with cameras :)

It was fun. We were FULL!!!

You have to take it home with you.

Another experience...

Clarification Post

Hello.  Everyone is concerned about Monica's leg. We have gotten several calls/e-mails wondering why her leg has been wrapped in the pictures.

She got bit by a rattlesnake.


Actually she is trying to get over shin splints. We have been doing a lot of walking and wrapping it seems to help.  Sorry for worrying anyone.

Fort Rock and Crack in the Ground

Hello all. 

We spent a day seeing the sights in the High Desert.

By the end of the day we were tired. We are cramming a lot in

since our time here is limited.

First up is Fort Rock.

This is called a tuff ring. It is 4,460 feet in diameter and stands 200 feet above the plain. It is believed
that it once stood in a large lake. The water levels are marked on the walls of the ring.
Now this is desert. They have found evidence of Indians living around the perimeter of the area.
Sandals made of sagebrush and various pots and household items. The ring is open on one side.
It is believed that water erosion is responsible for the opening.

Much of this is guess work.  Geologists vary in their estimates of the age of this formation. Some say
1.8 million years. Others estimate 50,000-100,000 years, which is still a wide gap.
So the truth is...they don't really know.

These are all pictures of the edge. It is pretty against the blue sky.

See the patch of green at the end on the right? There are huge hay fields here.
Farmers use huge pivots to water circular areas to grow hay. Where there is water here, there is
life. Otherwise it is dusty and covered with sage brush.

 This is an opening in the ring wall on the top. It is a long way down.

I think Conley was showing off.
:)

Robin wasn't as adventuresome as we were. We climbed up some
rocks to get on top of the rim.

On the rim of the ring.

All of this rock is volcanic basalt.
It almost looks bubbly.

This is the back of the ring.

Next is a place nearby called Crack in the Ground.

It is what it is, a 2 mile crack in the ground. It is believed to be a depression
formed along one of earth's plates.  There are 4 volcanic craters in
the area, so at one time it was a very active area.

There is a nice trail down the center.
There are warnings at the
trail head to be wary of
stinging nettles. It is a plant that
stings you.

It is up to 70 feet high in places.
The temperature was much cooler in the
bottom.
:)

It is also tight in places.

Monica!!!!

Boulders have fallen in places.
We did a little impromptu
rock climbing or boulder hopping.

There was grass growing in places.
We are literally in the middle of no
where in the desert. The green grass was an
unusual sight.

Good thing we weren't in there when it
fell.

:)














Even in the desert, there are flowers.  Imagine when the "desert plain will be joyful and
blossom as the saffron." (Isaiah 35:1)

These are tiny.

We are taking a lazy day today. Catching up on stuff.

Hope everyone is doing well. 

Lake Billy Chinook

This is a huge recreational area here.  Basically it is a huge lake formed by several dams.

Latest picture of me :)

This is a view from above. This is a little bridge over a narrow portion of the lake.

Even in this environment flowers grow :)

This is sage grass in the back. It smells really good this time of year.

We hiked a trail in this area.

It was a mile up to the rim rock. We climbed 600 ft in elevation and then it 

was a 4 mile hike around the edge of the top.  It was hot but breezy.

Can you see the trail?  ↓

Monica is so silly :)

It was really high up.  Monica and Suzie were posing for us.

This is from road level. We climbed to the top.

The flat part out to the tip is where we hiked.  This is across the canyon coming out of the cove.

All is well. We are starting to formulate our exit strategy.

The Watson's are coming out soon and Jahmeela is coming out 

to go to Montana with us.  That will be fun.

Tomorrow we are going to see some sights.  It is really hot here.

Doesn't sound as hot as other places, but it is definitely summer here.

Calling it a night.  Love to everyone out there.  Thanks for keeping up with us.

:)

Metolius River/Black Butte/Tumalo Falls/Mountains and More

Let's start off with the good stuff...

Monica hiked Benham Falls with Jan the other day...cool picture

We also hiked a trail on Black Butte. We didn't quite make it to the top, but this is the view...

 We Started to clear the tree line...

The top had burned out several years ago and there was only low brush.

I got some clear shots of the mountains.

This is called Broken Top.  The level part on the left is called Tam McArthur Rim.  You can hike up there.  I understand it is a challenging hike.

Broken Top is on the left.  The mountain in the middle is the South Sister.  There are actually two other sisters.  One you can see in the picture and the other is hid behind it.  Originally they were called Faith, Hope, and Charity.  The name Three Sisters is apparently easier to remember, because that is what stuck.

Between Broken Top and the South Sister is a lake called Green Lake.  We hope to take you there,

Watsons, when you come :)

Recognize us.  Sun is going down so the shadows were bad.

More pictures of the mountains.  It was cloudy this day.  

The weather is always changing at that altitude.

This is called Suttle Lake.  It is one of hundreds of lakes that are found in the Cascades.

I thought this was impressive.  There is a lodge at Suttle Lake and this was the carved front door of

the main lodge.

Impressive...don't you think.

We visited the mouth of a river called the Metolius.

It comes out of a hole in the ground...

Not 100 feet down it turns into this...

I have went mountain bike riding a couple of times.  One guy is an animal.

He rides 60 or 70 miles at a time sometimes.

My other biker friend prefers an easier pace.  At least he does when he

is with me.  Actually, I think he tolerates it. :)

We rode near a place called Tumalo Falls.

See the tree coming out
of the hillside?  It is coming out of rock.  All of this had been burned before. You have probably heard of the wildfires out in the West.  Fires happen here every year.  Sometimes several of them.

Over the TOP!!!

Tree out of side of rocks...crazy!

Finally...our first visitors from "BACK EAST"

Chuck and Sharon were traveling the country and came to see us.

It was nice to see familiar faces.

The visit was short, but enough to get us through.

All is well.  Eight weeks til we begin our journey to Montana.

It is finally starting to warm up. Cool at night, but 90 degrees by the weekend.

Hope everyone is well. Sorry it has been so long.  The next 

several weeks will be packed.  I should have more to share.

Love to all.